SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Not long after President Joe Biden announced he was ending his reelection campaign and threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris did more questions emerge, including who Harris’ running mate might be.
With a major change in the race for the White House, the Democratic Party must decide a nominee. Political analyst Steve Swatt says Harris will have a big decision for her running mate if she’s chosen.
Q: Obviously a lot of names have been thrown around for her potential running mate. What do you think will be some qualities or characteristics that will be important in that decision?
A: "Some of it is crass politics. For example, do you think the American public is ready for two women on the ticket, president and vice president, maybe the answer there is no. Do you think the public is ready for two minorities — presidential nominee and the vice-presidential nominee — perhaps the answer there is no. In that case, perhaps she probably will go with a white male."
Swatt says Harris will probably look for someone in a swing state.
"For example, Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is critical to the Democrats’ chances, maybe he would be picked. Mark Kelly of Arizona, former astronaut, a Democratic senator. His name is being mentioned a lot,” said Swatt. “And so there are a lot of names out there, primarily Democratic governors who have done well in swing states or even in red states."
Swatt predicts what having Harris as the nominee might mean for how the Republican Party moves forward.
"Well, they're going to take on California,” said Swatt. "And they're going to make California really the story - high taxes, runaway regulations, border problems, homelessness, crime - and they're going to blame Kamala Harris for all of that … so that's something that obviously the Democratic ticket has to be prepared to answer."
Swatt says early polling will play a big role in seeing if Harris has what it takes to close the gap with Donald Trump.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: Political analyst speaks about Biden's decision to end reelection campaign
