Skip Navigation

Who might Kamala Harris pick for VP? Three favorites emerge

www.theguardian.com Who might Kamala Harris pick for VP? Three favorites emerge

Governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Roy Cooper of North Carolina, and Arizona senator Mark Kelly, are reportedly on the shortlist

Who might Kamala Harris pick for VP? Three favorites emerge
53

You're viewing a single thread.

53 comments
  • Shapiro Platform

    Shapiro has said that as governor he will protect abortion access in Pennsylvania and veto any bill the state legislature passes that outlaws abortion.[63] In contrast, Mastriano said he would support outlawing abortion in Pennsylvania without any exceptions, including in cases of rape or the mother's life being at risk.[64]

    Before running for governor, Shapiro had supported capital punishment for what he called "heinous crimes". During his campaign, he announced that he now favored abolishing the death penalty in Pennsylvania, a reversal of his previous position.[58] Shapiro was asked in a 2022 interview with Pennsylvania Capital-Star why his position changed, to which he responded:

    [The] question is a fair one ... When I ran for [attorney general] in 2016, I said that the death penalty should be reserved for the most heinous of crimes. But then I got elected attorney general and I saw these cases come across my desk. I got closer to a system that I thought was in need of reform. And as attorney general I never once sought the death penalty. As governor, I'd be in a policymaking role, together with the Legislature ... and I thought it was important when asked to state my position unequivocally that I would sign legislation to abolish the death penalty.

    Shapiro also said he would not sign any future death warrants for prisoners on death row.[65]

    Shapiro supports cutting Pennsylvania's nearly 10 percent corporate tax rate to 4 percent by 2025. He has proposed hiring 2,000 additional police officers across Pennsylvania, saying, the "more police officers we hire, the more opportunities we have for them to get out of their patrol cars, walk the beat, learn the names of the kids in the communities".[66] Shapiro favors pardoning those convicted for possession of small amount of marijuana.[67]

    On efforts to mitigate COVID-19, Shapiro has broken with some in the Democratic Party and opposes mask and vaccine mandates.[68] He prefers educating the public about vaccines' efficacy.[68] Shapiro is also skeptical about Pennsylvania joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a market-based program to reduce some greenhouse gas emissions.[69] He has proposed expanding Pennsylvania's clean energy portfolio for utility companies, greater electric car infrastructure and investing in clean energy research and development.[70] Shapiro supports a Lifeline Scholarship bill, which creates education savings accounts for children in failing public schools that can be spent on approved expenses including tutoring, instructional materials and private school tuition.[71]

    Shapiro has proposed a plan that will allow for a $250 gas tax refund per personal passenger vehicle up to four vehicles per household. He proposed funding the proposal with funds from the American Rescue Plan.[72] On the issue of vocational training, Shapiro has proposed increasing career and technical training in high schools, tripling state funding for apprenticeships and union skills programs, and creating a Pennsylvania office of workforce development.[73][74] He also supports eliminating four-year degree requirements for state government jobs.[74] Shapiro is a supporter of unions and has vowed to veto any "right to work" legislation.[75]

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Shapiro

    Cooper

    Roy Asberry Cooper III (born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician serving as the 75th governor of North Carolina since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th attorney general of North Carolina from 2001 to 2017 and in the North Carolina General Assembly in both the House of Representatives and Senate from 1987 to 2001.[1]

    Cooper graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1979. He began his career as a lawyer and in 1986 was elected to represent the 72nd district in the North Carolina House of Representatives. In 1991, he was appointed a member of the North Carolina Senate, a position he held until 2001. He was elected North Carolina Attorney General in 2000 and reelected in 2004, 2008, and 2012, serving just under 16 years, the second-longest tenure for an attorney general in the state's history.

    Cooper defeated Republican incumbent Pat McCrory for the governorship in a close race in the 2016 election.[2] This election made Cooper the first challenger to defeat a sitting governor in the state's history with Cooper going on to win reelection in 2020 against Republican nominee and Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest.[3] While the Republican-dominated legislature passed bills in a special session to reduce the power of the governor's office prior to his taking office, Cooper continued to emphasize increases in education and healthcare funding throughout his tenure, ultimately culminating in his successful negotiations of state-wide Medicaid expansion.

    Cooper has been named as a possible running mate for Kamala Harris upon her starting her 2024 campaign for president.[4][5]

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Cooper

    Mark Kelly Platform

    Abortion As a candidate in 2020, Kelly said he was "pro-choice" and was endorsed by Planned Parenthood.[87] He supports codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law.[88] He has said that late-stage abortions should be legally protected.[89]

    Climate and environment Kelly has voiced support for climate action, but said he "does not favor" the Green New Deal.[90] The League of Conservation Voters gave him a 97% score in 2021.[91] In 2022, Kelly also advocated for an expansion of oil drilling in the wake of rising gas prices.[92][93]

    Guns Kelly became an outspoken advocate for gun control following the attempted assassination of his wife, former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords, at the 2011 Tucson shooting.[94]

    Kelly voted for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in response to the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas.[95][96]

    Health care Kelly supports building on the Affordable Care Act to include a public health insurance option.[94][97] He opposes Medicare for All.[98]

    Immigration Of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Kelly has said, "Dreamers are as American as anyone", and has expressed support for it.[99][87]

    Trump administration In February 2021, Kelly voted to convict Trump for incitement of insurrection in his second impeachment trial,[67] and has been outspoken in his disdain for him.[100]

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Kelly

53 comments