Who will Kamala Harris choose as vice president? Shapiro and Kelly finalists

Kamala Harris is likely to reveal her choice of running mate within hours after interviewing at least three people on the shortlist on Sunday.

Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Mark Kelly and Gov. Tim Walz met with the presumptive Democratic nominee at her home in Washington.

Ms. Harris will be officially nominated later on Monday before holding her first event as a vice presidential candidate in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

She will face Republican Donald Trump in the November presidential election.

Here are the names of her running mates believed to be in the frame.

The charismatic and popular governor could help Ms. Harris capture Pennsylvania — a must-win for Democrats.

The 51-year-old made national headlines last year when he quickly worked to rebuild a collapsed bridge on a key Philadelphia highway.

If Ms. Harris chooses him and the Democrats win, he will become the first Jewish vice president.

Mr. Shapiro has expressed strong support for Israel during the Gaza war, and his criticism of student protests on school campuses across the state is likely to divide Democrats and those running for office.

Vulnerabilities: Public education advocates point to Mr. Shapiro’s support for Pennsylvania private school vouchers — a Republican-backed proposal that would provide families $100 million for private school tuition and school supplies. Potential weaknesses.

In mid-July, more than two dozen pro-public school groups sent a letter to Ms. Harris urging her to choose another candidate “who is fully committed to our nation’s public education system.”

The swing-state senator has an impressive resume that could appeal to voters on both sides of the aisle.

The former Navy combat pilot and NASA astronaut has spent more than 50 days in space on multiple missions.

But Mr. Kelly, 60, has been in Washington for a short time. He was sworn in in December 2020.

His wife is Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head in 2011 while serving in the House of Representatives in Arizona.

Ms. Giffords has since become one of the leading voices for gun safety laws, and the couple’s personal story may resonate with voters.

Mr. Kelly’s strong border stance and occasional criticism of the Biden administration may help attract independent and conservative voters.

If elected, the party would need to fill his Senate vacancy in a key state.

Vulnerabilities: Mr. Kelly has received some criticism for founding World View, a company that specializes in high-altitude stratospheric balloons.

The company received early venture capital funding from Chinese tech giant Tencent, although it said it had “zero access, zero investment and zero control” over it. Mr. Kelly left the company in 2019, although he still holds a financial stake in the company through a blind trust.

The Democratic governor has long had a close relationship with Ms. Harris.

Mr. Beshear, 46, has built a successful career as a Democrat in a state that Donald Trump carried by 20 points in the last election. This is an attractive trait that could boost Democratic votes.

He has given several viral interviews criticizing Donald Trump’s choice for Vice President J.D. Vance and his views on Appalachia.

“He’s not from here,” Mr. Beshear said of the new Ohio senator, calling Mr. Vance a fake because of his description of the area and its residents in his book “Hillbilly Elegy.”

“This is a guy who used to come to Kentucky for a few weeks at most every summer and then write a book claiming to know us,” Mr. Beshear told the Des Moines Register.

“He’s calling my people lazy, and these are the coal miners who built this country.”

Mr. Beshear frequently asserts his Christian faith and its influence on his personality and work. Supporting public education and protecting abortion access are also key issues for him.

Vulnerabilities: Mr. Beshear drew the ire of some Kentucky Republicans in 2023 when he vetoed a law that would have banned sex-reassignment surgeries or drugs involving children. The state Legislature eventually overrode his veto and enacted the law.

Mr. Walz is a battle-hardened leader, having served in Congress for 12 years before becoming governor in 2018.

He has received national attention for his tactics of calling Donald Trump and J.D. Vance “weird.”

The words were welcomed by many Democrats, including Ms. Harris. “He’s just a weird guy,” Walz said of Trump at Monday’s fundraiser.

His outspoken, small-town Midwestern image is likely to appeal to independent and conservative voters.

The 60-year-old led Minnesota through the 2020 protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis

He deployed the National Guard to help quell unrest that broke out during demonstrations.

Mr. Walz served in the National Guard for 20 years, taught high school and also served as an assistant football coach.

Vulnerabilities: Mr. Walz’s political opponents have criticized his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2020 protests, with Minnesota Republican Party Chairman David Hann recently telling Fox that he believed Mr. Walz was “afraid to A more forceful response would alienate his progressive base.”

Running for the White House is nothing new for Buttigieg.

As mayor of South Bend, Indiana, he was unexpectedly favored by liberal voters in a failed 2020 Democratic primary.

He then served as federal transportation secretary, becoming arguably one of the White House’s best communicators.

His skills in interviews and public appearances were on full display in recent weeks as Ms. Harris moved closer to her running mate.

On the television show “Now with Bill Maher,” he shot Mr. Vance multiple times. Buttigieg said he “knows” a lot of people like Vance who “will say whatever they need to say” to get ahead.

Buttigieg, 42, pointed to Vance’s history of fierce criticism of Trump and how he has now changed his attitude to “gain power.”

He also handled numerous public crises as secretary, helping oversee the response to the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, the Baltimore bridge collapse and Southwest Airlines’ 2022 flight scheduling crisis.

Vulnerabilities: Some Republicans have criticized Buttigieg’s handling as transportation secretary, saying he took too long to travel to East Palestine and was ineffective in addressing problems facing the U.S. aviation industry.

In 2021, conservatives also criticized Buttigieg for taking two months of parental leave during a supply chain crisis.