Harris's VP sweepstakes

So, who will be Harris's pick for VP? There's plenty of speculation, but one thing is certain: Harris's choice won't be anywhere as abysmal as Trump's JD Vance.

Arizona's US Senator Mark Kelly

Although some of the early favorites, such as Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and California's Gavin Newsom, have taken their names out of the running, there's still a surprisingly strong line-up from which Harris can choose.

The two that seem to be drawing the most attention are North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper--a close friend of Harris's who has won convincingly in what many consider a red state--and Arizona's US Senator Mark Kelly, a former astronaut who was only elected in 2020.

I think she'd do well to pick Kelly. 

First off, he's from a swing state. It's always nice for a campaign to have a "favorite son" in a swing state.  

And, as Arizona Senator, Kelly has worked on in-state border issues; he's even been critical of Biden's handling of immigration.  Kelly could give the Harris ticket a bit of instant credibility regarding Harris's perceived weakest issue.

His views on guns align with a tenet of the Harris campaign, which promotes "the freedom to be safe from gun violence." Kelly and his wife, former AZ Rep. Gabby Giffords--who was shot and disabled at a political event--formed their own political action committee to address gun violence. But Kelly still can additionally appeal to Second Amendment advocates: "Gabby and I are pro-gun ownership. We are anti-gun violence."

Hey! He's an astronaut!

Kelly's service as a US Navy Captain will likely bring automatic standing with US Vets, as well.

And, hey, he's an astronaut (which is undeniably cool, right?).

And he's WAY better than JD Vance.

Here's a USA Today article with pros and cons of Harris's potential VP picks