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Top row Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Bottom row: Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
1 / 2 Photo: AP/TT
Vice President Kamala Harris is likely to be the Democratic presidential candidate since her boss Joe Biden announced that he will not run for re-election.
But who will be her running mate?
Here are the hot names in media speculation.
Mark Kelly, senator from the wave champion state of Arizona:
60-year-old Kelly has a past as an astronaut and fighter pilot. In 2020, he was elected to the United States Senate.
Is married to Gabrielle Giffords, former Democratic House of Representatives member. She was shot in the head in 2011 while campaigning in her home state. Giffords survived the assassination attempt and, together with Kelly, has founded an organization that works for reduced gun violence and stricter gun laws.
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Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro:
Won the 2022 gubernatorial election in the voter-heavy swing state of Pennsylvania against a Trump-backed candidate.
The energetic lawyer Shapiro is 51 years old and an outspoken critic of Republican Donald Trump. Has previously been the state’s highest legal director (attorney general) and sat in the state congress.
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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer:
52-year-old Whitmer has been the governor of the wave champion state of Michigan since 2019 and is the vice chairman of the Democratic Party.
The lawyer Whitmer has also sat in the state parliament and worked as a prosecutor.
Before the 2020 presidential election, the FBI tracked down an armed militia group whose goal was to kidnap Whitmer and “bring her to justice for treason.” The plans were halted but gained widespread attention and made Whitmer nationally famous.
She has backed Harris but said she doesn’t want to leave Michigan.
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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker
Billionaire Pritzker has been Illinois’ governor since 2019. The 59-year-old businessman and lawyer is known as a strong defender of abortion rights and often speaks about the importance of stricter gun laws.
Pritzker’s wealth and network of contacts, his family owns the Hyatt hotel chain, could be of great importance during the election campaign.
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North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper
The 67-year-old lawyer Cooper has been governor of North Carolina since 2017. He is in his second term and therefore cannot run for re-election this fall.
Cooper is reported to have very good personal chemistry with Kamala Harris. He has previously been the wave master state of North Carolina’s top legal director and sat for several years in the state legislature.
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Maryland Governor Wes Moore
The 45-year-old political scientist, Afghanistan veteran and television personality Moore is Maryland’s first black governor. He became nationally known after the bridge collapse in Baltimore in March of this year.
Has backed Harris but said he has no intention of leaving his current post.
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Bubblers: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and California Governor Gavin Newsom according to AP, CBS News, USA Today and Forbes, among others.