The Veepstakes
By 
As long time readers know, since I Believe the Political Science about the very limited positive impact a vice presidential nominee can have, I have only two rules about vice presidential nominees:
- No putting any Senate seat at risk
- Do no harm
I am inclined to agree that some of the opposition to Shapiro on Israel/Palestine grounds is of somewhat dubious credibility since there’s essentially no policy daylight between him and the other plausible candidates on the issue, although the fact that pro-Palestinian activists are currently saying they’d be more chill about other choices shouldn’t be ignored completely. This, however, is another matter:
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said in a Thursday interview that he sees some “troubling” stances on labor matters held by at least two of the Democrats who are being considered as potential running mates for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Fain, an influential figure in Democratic politics, noted that Arizona U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly didn’t come out as an early supporter of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), which aimed to provide safeguards for collective bargaining in workplaces, and that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has backed school vouchers, which allow families to use public dollars to send their children to private schools.
However, ultimately, Fain said his union, which endorsed Harris for president on Wednesday, will support the Democratic ticket regardless of whom Harris selects.
“At the end of the day, we have to defeat Donald Trump,” Fain said of the Republican nominee. “Another Donald Trump presidency would be a complete disaster for this country and for working-class people in this country.”
[…]
In an interview with The Detroit News, Fain voiced support for Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear or Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz joining Harris on the ticket. Fain described them as being solid on labor and working-class issues.
To me, that’s dispositive. There is just no reason to generate opposition from a major coalition partner given the number of fully qualified options. It seems clear that Shapiro would generate more internal opposition than any of the other major candidates, and the Harris campaign doesn’t need that. If I thought he would absolutely guarantee winning Pennsylvania I might feel differently but I don’t think there’s actually any evidence for the claim.
I’m hearing rumours from my unnamed connections in the Bluegrass State that it’s Beshear. That would be fine. Walz would be fine. (And Whitmer would be fine, although she doesn’t seem to be under consideration.) Pick one of them, and the talented also-rans can keep doing campaign appearances and TV hits.