Kamala Harris’ running mate
There’s endless jubilant speculation right now about who Kamala Harris’ 2024 running mate will be, and that’s a good thing because it’s part of the larger excitement about her candidacy. That speculation will continue right up until the moment she makes the announcement, which could come as late as shortly before the Democratic National Convention. So all this running mate talk could easily go on for another three or four weeks.
Again, that’s a good thing. We didn’t hear much eager speculation about who Donald Trump’s running mate will be, because Trump is a tired washed up candidate who’s only his party’s nominee because his base would rather feel special about supporting him than win. So I get excited when I see all this talk on social media about who Kamala’s running mate will be, because it means people are really engaged.
But I also think it doesn’t matter all that much. Why? Because this election isn’t about Kamala’s running mate. This election has become about three things, in no particular order: 1) how thoroughly a majority of Americans hate Trump, 2) a desire to protect our rights from Project 2025 and abortion bans, and 3) everything that Kamala herself brings to the table.
Keep in mind that a major political party has access to far more detailed internal polling and demographic data than anything that we ever get to see publicly. So the Harris campaign and the Democratic Party are surely crunching the numbers on every short list name, in order to see who helps the ticket’s prospects with which demographics and states and by how much. Then once it’s determined which names are electorally viable, Kamala is going to pick the one she most wants on the ticket. And that’s going to be that.
Could she blow it? Sure, theoretically. I can’t begin to imagine who would be the Democratic Party equivalent of JD Vance, but if she picked that person, it would go poorly. But she’s not going to do that. She’s going to make a savvy pick. And that pick will help her gain some votes in whatever way that pick will help her.
But really, do you see this election going all that much differently if for instance Kamala Harris picks Andy Beshear, or if she picks Josh Shapiro? Once you accept that she’s going to make a smart pick, you realize it’s not going to matter all that much who she picks.
Many of you are going to spend the next few weeks urging Kamala Harris to pick a certain running mate. And that’s all well and good. You’re part of the Kamala movement, so why wouldn’t you have ideas on how best to move forward? But keep in mind that no matter who she picks, it’s not going to be who a large chunk of you were hoping for. At that point we’ll all just have to accept that she’s savvier at this than we are, and we’ll all need to embrace her running mate choice immediately once she makes it.
