I live in the "swing" or battleground state of Pennsylvania, you know, the one where the Trump assassination attempt occurred. a timely turn of the head resulted in a nicked ear where if it weren't for what some think was divine providence, things could have gone horribly wrong.
Now that Biden's dropped out, I've been pondering who Harris should choose as her running mate. She's enjoying a bounce in the polls after the Biden event, but we're still months away from what I expect to be a VERY close election, and absolutely anything can happen in the meantime.
If you've read me, you'll know that I think she should pick Michelle O' as her veep but that's unlikely given that she's not interested. And this isn't the typical "I'm not planning to run" quote which actually signals a run, but I think that the former First Lady really has no interest in the job.
So barring the miracle of a last-minute change of mind, we have to look elsewhere. Here's my take on three potential Vice Presidential picks:
Pete Buttigieg
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has his name floated as one of the current favorites. Despite having a hard-to-pronounce last name, he is from Indiana, and might help pull some votes away from Ohio which is where Trump VP candidate Vance hails from.
Since Harris is considered one of the "Coastal Elites" he can help with his Midwestern background, and a nice hint of religion which might appeal to some of the Bible-thumpers out there in the flyover states. He's gay, so that might cancel things out as far as Midwestern values are concerned, while adding votes from the more liberal urban areas.
He had issues with the Black community when he was mayor of South Bend, Indiana. He also fell flat when trying to connect with Black voters in the south when he ran back in 2020, so there's that. His value is in the Midwest and with what I call "evangelical lite" voters.
I find him to be competent, but not a rousing speaker, which might just help balance out the absolutely ANNOYING witch-like cackle that Harris is known to wallow in.
We'll see.
Josh Shapiro
She really needs help in my state of Pennsylvania, which is where our popular Governor Josh Shapiro comes in. Don't believe any polls showing Harris ahead of Donald Trump in this state. She needs help here, as the Trumpers are fired up after the shooting and ready top walk on hot coals to vote for their man in November.
He's young, charismatic and Jewish, all pluses for Harris, and his selection might just pull enough centrist voters away from Trump in order for her to steal this state and win the presidency.
The issue with Josh is that despite being popular here, he's mostly unknown outside the state. So he'd be a one-trick pony in helping her in the fall.
Pennsylvania is humorously described as "Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, with Alabama in-between" and lemme tell ya, that's true. Which is why I think it's going to be hard for Harris to win my state without help.
But she's going to need help all over, which is why the next candidate may just be the wisest.
RFK Jr.
Polling at 10-15+% in nationwide polls, Bobby has appeal all over the country. There's still a lot of nostalgia for the Kennedy name including in my own family. A lot of people like him here raspy-voiced vaccine skeptic and all.
The democrats have treated him like absolute shit in trying to have him kicked off the ballot in numerous states, all while minimizing his coast-to-coast appeal.
They're doing this for a reason...
If they didn't think he could make a difference they wouldn't be trying to sink his attempts at ballot access. He has support from voters in both major parties as well as with independent voters. That's likely why Trump spoke with him during the convention, and why he went with Vance at the last moment.
I think RFK was a damn fool for turning down the VP slot, as I doubt Harris will have the vision to ignore the big donors and offer it to him.
But it ain't over till the fat lady sings, and I would be pleasantly surprised if they chose him. I'll say this: I would be prepared to consider voting for whichever major candidate chose him as veep or offered him a position in their administration should they win. My understanding is that the Trump campaign has already hinted about that, so we'll have to see what Harris does in response.
Don't get too cocky Democrats! Says The "Ragin' Cajun" famed democratic strategist James Carville. Harris is enjoying a "bounce" but what goes up...
I know we have Senator Mark Kelly who looks like a shaven bulldog, but has a compelling personal story. I'm "meh" on him as well as Governor Roy Cooper from North Carolina where I don't think she needs help as much due to the large African-American population there. Harris need help in the Rust Belt, and the campaign will either be won or lost here. What do you think?