# Poll for Harris's VP pick for 2024 election **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** kamala-harris\ **Created:** [July 22, 2024, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638 "2024-07-22T21:23:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/41 "2024-07-23T02:28:40Z")
You know, I’d be fine with any of the folks in that list. I think there are a few people on there that would be challenging combos for those less committed than myself and thus I guess I’d prefer other choices. I’m particularly interested in Beshears though, not because I know a lot about him, but because what I’ve heard from him today suggests he’d be a strong counter to Vance’s hillbilly schtick. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/42 "2024-07-23T03:10:11Z")
I like Jeff Jackson, Andy Bashear, and Mark Kelly for the job of helping Kamala win the vote. And I like them for the job in general. I wonder if Mark Kelly’s gun views will work against him with rural voters. Hope not. If Mark Kelly is chosen, I cringe knowing how many MAGA fuckheads will take the opportunity to mock Gabby Giffords. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/43 "2024-07-23T03:20:27Z")
[Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post writes a great Opinion column for why Mark Kelly should be VP](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/07/22/kamala-harris-mark-kelly-vp-2024/). (Full disclosure: I voted for him in the poll.) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/44 "2024-07-23T03:47:21Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > If Mark Kelly is chosen, I cringe knowing how many MAGA fuckheads will take the opportunity to mock Gabby Giffords. Why would they mock her? Sure, Magats are scummy, but her issues were not of her making. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/45 "2024-07-23T03:50:30Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Why would they mock her? Sure, Magats are scummy, but her issues were not of her making Why did they mock John McCain after trump did? Why did trump mock the reporter with cerebral palsy? Why do they mock the physical appearance of any female that doesn’t meet their standards? They live for mocking. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/46 "2024-07-23T03:50:41Z")
Because it’s funny to mock people who have been hurt or have disabilities? Just guessing here. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/47 "2024-07-23T04:26:11Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Hopefully he doesn’t have any skeletons. The good news is, if Kelly does have a skeleton in his closet, its bones are weakened because of all his time in space. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/48 "2024-07-23T04:28:30Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > They do a pretty deep background check on astronauts, but it’s not an oppo check. Hopefully he doesn’t have any skeletons. This. Choosing a Vice President is a process of elimination, avoiding landmines that have blown up in the past. Kelly checks a lot of boxes, but he won’t do well with gun enthusiasts and every candidate needs to be carefully vetted. Here are some of the considerations. - Hidden scandal. This involves oppo research but also in-person interviews. Even then, surprises can emerge. Also, VP candidates can be reluctant to share their dirt: Dick Cheney would later leak out results from oppo research if a former VP candidate caused problems for his boss. - Does the VP have star-power? Like… Sarah Palin? She was enthusiastically supported by the brain trust at the _National Review_ for that reason. Then again Bill Bradley, a well known basketball player, was an A-list policy-driven politician. - Does the candidate balance the ticket? This isn’t the greatest framework: if the headliner is weak, the guy behind them won’t help that much. - Does the VP support or reinforce the brand of the Presidential candidate? Clinton-Gore is a good example of this. Kelly would probably reinforce any candidate’s brand. - Can the VP help in a swing state or a region of the country? - Does the VP have the experience and chops to take on, you know, the Presidency? - Does the VP get along with Presidential candidate? This shouldn’t be underestimated. I trust there are other considerations. Note that the first and last isn’t something we can evaluate here especially well. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/49 "2024-07-23T05:10:10Z")
I like Andy Beshar to counter JD Vance. Full disclosure, I’m solely based on who I think can help Kamala win the election. Not the best VP (or President for that matter), but no room for a loss. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/50 "2024-07-23T05:21:41Z")
Hasn’t Whitmer already said she doesn’t want to be Vp? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/51 "2024-07-23T05:37:08Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Hasn’t Whitmer already said she doesn’t want to be Vp? Yes and it is has been brought up repeatedly that she said no and prefers to work on Harris’ election committee. But apparently for some the heart wants what the heart wants 😀. More reasonably events are moving so fast that not everyone has picked up on every tidbit of breaking news and in a vacuum she does look like a reasonable option. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/52 "2024-07-23T06:28:06Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > I like Andy Beshar to counter JD Vance. Not bad, but Vance was a marine for one term, iirc. Kelly can counter that, and say “trump is not pro-military”. > [@Leaper](#): > > Hasn’t Whitmer already said she doesn’t want to be Vp? Yep, and Michelle has said NO! to running at all(I think if it was something like Secy of Education, that she’d consider) ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/53 "2024-07-23T07:12:32Z")
Not a subject connected to this poll. . ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/54 "2024-07-23T14:26:56Z")
I picked Kelly as who I think will help her the most. Beshear is a close second. I would love it to be Jeff Jackson. Seeing him go up against Vance in a debate would be comical. I also think he would be fantastic but he’s just not well known enough. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/55 "2024-07-23T14:35:08Z")
Kelly was my runaway favorite but then I saw Vance acting like a fucking weirdo on stage, and it made me consider that one quality we might not be considering is how effective they are at communicating on TV. I like Kelly a lot but I’m not sure if he’s a top notch communicator – and AFAICT, Shapiro and Beshear are both very good communicators. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/56 "2024-07-23T16:03:10Z")
kelly has done media events and press conferences. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/57 "2024-07-23T16:13:55Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Hasn’t Whitmer already said she doesn’t want to be Vp? Well, she has, but that hasn’t stopped the Harris campaign from [asking her people for vetting materials apparently.](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/harris-campaign-requests-vetting-materials-several-possible-running-ma-rcna163192) Also from Cooper, Shapiro, Kelly and Walz. No word on Beshear getting reached out to. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/58 "2024-07-23T16:15:13Z")
He is a solid speaker, no Obama or Reagan, but few are: **Watch: Mark Kelly Gives Victory Speech After Re-Election To Arizona’s Senate Seat** [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Drk6MLDNJI8/maxresdefault.jpg "Watch: Mark Kelly Gives Victory Speech After Re-Election To Arizona's Senate Seat") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drk6MLDNJI8) ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/59 "2024-07-23T16:24:06Z")
Beshear has denied having heard from the Harris team, so he’s probably off the list. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638/60 "2024-07-23T16:26:23Z")
Paul Pelosi says “hey.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-harriss-vp-pick-for-2024-election/1004638.md?page=4)