Vice President Kamala Harris, now the presumptive Democratic candidate for the presidential elections this fall, still has one huge piece of housekeeping to take care of: choosing a running mate who will help steer the Harris campaign to an election win in one of the most heated and competitive political climates in decades.
Harris has a wide array of possible and qualified candidates to select from across the country, but the two who could maximize her chances of success are Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.
Josh Shapiro, who was raised in Pennsylvania, has a degree in political science from Rochester University and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University. He has worked as an advisor for former democratic politicians, served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, was the chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, served as the attorney general of Pennsylvania, and is now the governor of the Keystone State.
Under his tenure as attorney general, he released the reports of a statewide grand jury report that revealed the abuse of over a thousand children by members of the Catholic Church, helped negotiate $1 billion for Pennsylvania as part of a national opioid settlement, and filed a lawsuit against former president Trump to stop the enforcement of a law that would have made it easier for employers to deny health insurance coverage of contraceptives.
Now serving as governor, Shapiro has worked to expand the workforce by removing barriers to employment, increasing funding for education, and reforming the parole system to restrict the kinds of activities that are considered parole violations.
Mark Kelly, on the other hand, has had a very different career path than Shapiro. After completing a degree in science in marine engineering and nautical science from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, he joined the U.S. Navy. He flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War. After the Gulf War, Kelly earned his Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1994 and, in 1996, was selected alongside his twin brother Scott by NASA to be space shuttle pilots. He flew four space shuttle missions, including serving as commander of Endeavor on its final flight in 2011, after which he retired, logging over 54 days in space.
In 2011, Kelly’s wife, Gabby Giffords, who was an Arizona Congresswoman at the time, was shot and nearly killed in an assassination attempt. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting the following year, Giffords and Kelly founded a non-profit by the name of Giffords, which aims to end gun violence in America and stop the gun lobby’s stranglehold on the political system.
After Republican Senator John McCain died in 2018, Kelly ran as a Democratic candidate in the 2020 special election for senator of Arizona and won with 51.2% of the vote. He was subsequently reelected in the 2022 election. Under his terms as Senator, Kelly increased infrastructure investment, supported Veteran health care, and committed to battling climate change.
Both candidates are very qualified to serve as Harris’s running mate, with extensive and experienced backgrounds in a role that is mostly deemed ceremonial anyway. However, in an extremely competitive election campaign with a divided country, the Harris campaign needs the ability to broaden its appeal across the country and unite Americans, leaving partisanship behind, which is exactly what Mark Kelly has the ability to do.
Kelly, a Navy Captain, astronaut, and politician all rolled into one, perfectly embodies the American dream. The accomplishments of his movie-like career make it incredibly attractive for voters to rally behind him, quite similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s campaign, where his fame and popularity helped propel him to become the governor of California for two consecutive terms. Being a straight white man, Kelly also might find it easier to connect with a very broad spectrum of voters, a luxury that Kamala Harris, an Indian-Caribbean woman of color, doesn’t have to the same extent.
Additionally, Kelly is one of the most moderate Democratic Senators, according to GovTrack.us, which places him at #55 from most right-wing to most left-wing. In a political world where the left and the right are so polarized, Americans feel like they have no choice but to pick between the deep ends of the spectrum. Kelly’s moderatism has the ability to bring Americans closer to the shore and help close some of the heavy partisan divides that many Americans are becoming increasingly unsatisfied with.
He also takes firm stances on issues that Americans are trying to find answers for, such as the border crisis, an issue that Harris and the Biden administration struggled to acknowledge and have been routinely criticized for.
Although Shapiro is also considered a moderate, his lack of productivity as governor and his sharp stance on controversial issues could come back to bite him and the campaign if he is chosen. In his first six months as governor, the number of bills he signed was at a 50-year low, citing concerns that he’s more “style than substance.” Additionally, Shapiro, who was raised in a Jewish household, has shown incredibly strong support for Israel in the Israel-Hamas war and has emphasized Israel’s right to defend itself, has condemned Hamas to the fullest and has criticized university administrators for failing to combat anti-semitism during pro-Palestinian protests on campuses. With movements all across the country still strongly advocating ceasefires and Palestinian rights, his unwavering support could steer these groups’ votes away, especially among young voters.
With the Democratic National Convention approaching, Harris needs to make a decision, and quickly. Although Shapiro is far from a bad pick, Kelly, the All-American astronaut and Navy Captain, seems to be the clear option for success. His ability to inspire Americans and broaden his appeal is sure to garner support and possibly even take some from the Trump-Vance campaign, where J.D. Vance, the Ohio Senator, is polling incredibly poorly and seems to be losing momentum even after the assassination attempt on former president Trump’s life. So, will Mark Kelly be selected as the running mate? Will he be able to help guide her to an election in November? We’ll just have to wait for Vice President Harris to decide.

Joven Heer
Joven is currently a Grade 12 student based in Vancouver, Canada. He loves biking, playing the piano, watching soccer, traveling, eating new food, writing and keeping up with politics!