Harris 'veepstakes' thrills Democrats as they look beyond 2024

Democrats’ giddiness over Vice President Kamala Harris’s competitive “veepstakes” is underscoring the party’s newfound excitement over what it sees as a deep and formidable bench that could extend well beyond 2024. 

The chatter around who could become Harris’s running mate has elevated several rising stars in the party, including Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) and Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.), and given Democrats a jolt of energy for future cycles.  

"We've seen through the veepstakes process that Democrats have a deep bench — it includes governors, senators and other elected officials. I think it's exciting for Democrats, and energizing," said Democratic strategist Tim Hogan, who served as communications director when Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) ran for the White House in 2020.  

"The core excitement is that all these people are deeply qualified, and that there is an embarrassment of riches for the party, and for Vice President Harris, as she picks a running mate.” 

Before his historic withdrawal, President Biden’s presence on the ballot had “bottled up what needed to be a generational turnover” for Democrats, said Larry Jacobs, a political science professor at the University of Minnesota.

Voters were apathetic about the idea of a Trump-Biden rematch, and the incumbent was weighed down by a barrage of concerns about his age and warning signs that key demographics, including younger voters and voters of color, were souring on the party. 

“By stepping down, Biden has kind of unplugged, uncorked the next generation of political leaders. And Kamala Harris is part of it,” Jacobs said. 

While announcing his withdrawal, the president argued that it’s time for new, “younger voices” and that “the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation.”

And in elevating Harris, who made history as the first woman and first person of color to take on the second-in-command role, Biden has renewed enthusiasm about the future of the party.

Now, talk about who could join Harris on the new ticket – made urgent by the short stretch before she’s set to accept the official nod at the party convention next month – has both boosted top Biden surrogates and rocketed lesser-known Democrats into the national conversation. 

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has blanketed the airwaves in the days since Harris took over Biden’s bid, and Shapiro has been hitting the trail to stump for Harris in his critical battleground state. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) has said she doesn’t intend to seek the No. 2 slot, but is nevertheless stoking speculation about her next move.

Observers suggest Harris will look to a battleground-state governor, such as Kelly or Shapiro, to help shore up a key swing state. But in a blitz of media appearances that have looked to some observers like hearty auditions for a bigger national role, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has become a top attack dog defending the vice president as the successful Democratic leader of a red state. 

At the same time, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has gone viral for his down-to-earth branding of Trump as “weird,” a label the Harris campaign quickly latched onto. 

The surprise veepstakes is serving as a “speed dating” exercise for voters, heralding a new class of high-profile party leaders, said Democratic strategist and attorney Abou Amara. 

“It’s a chance for the country to get to know Democrats in leadership from different states in a way that has been fairly unique. I can’t think of another time we’ve had an opportunity like this,” said Democratic strategist Martha McKenna, who argued it’s opened up a “healthier” dialogue about Democrats’ future. 

“On the other side of the aisle, [it’s] like everything is related to Donald Trump. Does he like you? … Is he in a good mood?” McKenna said. “Whereas I feel like we’re in a situation where, even just with Biden stepping aside, it’s allowed a number of weeks here of conversation about the level of talent and strength among governors and senators and cabinet secretaries.” 

The stage is now set for the first White House race in decades without a Biden, Clinton or Bush at the top of the ticket, key names that have long dominated Democratic leadership. 

Those standard-bearers have “done great things” for the party, said Amara. But he noted that while they’ve been in the driver’s seat, “you’ve had a lot of pent-up demand, pent-up talent that really hn’t been given the sunlight and the nurturing that it deserves.” 

The veepstakes is building optimism not just about Harris’s VP pick and their chances in November, but about who the party could put forward in future cycles up and down ballot.  

Newsom, Whitmer and numerous other veepstakes contenders — many of whom were also rumored names amid talks about who could replace Biden on the Democratic ticket before he endorsed Harris — have already raised speculation about the White House race in 2028 and beyond.  

And while many of the names are already familiar to political observers, they will be new to many everyday voters.

“The American people get to see the crop, this new generation of Democratic leaders, and I think they’re excited about not just the diversity within them, not just the energy, not just the generational shift, but the sheer numbers,” Amara said. 

“I mean, we’ve got almost a dozen all-star-level talent at the Senate level, governor’s offices all across the country — and for many, this is the first introduction to the depth of the bench.”

Harris was the only candidate to earn enough delegates to qualify for the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) virtual roll call to nominate the party’s official presidential candidate, a process that's set to wrap up by Aug. 7.

She's expected to select her running mate in the coming days, with plans to kick off a swing state tour alongside her pick in Philadelphia, Pa., next week. The Democrats' convention starts in Chicago on Aug. 19. 

Early polling on a Trump-Harris matchup suggests the vice president is narrowing the gap against her Republican rival, but is nevertheless headed toward a competitive fall contest, with tight fights in key battlegrounds. 

But even if Harris doesn’t win the White House this November, the post-2024 conversation is now more likely to focus on the next generation, rather than “bloodletting” over Biden “screwing up” their chances, said Jacobs, the political science professor.

“It’s really going to be: Okay, who’s the talent moving forward? Who’s the voice of the party? That’s what we’re seeing right now. It’s setting the scene for the 2025 and then the 2028 conversations about the direction of the Democratic Party,” Jacobs said.