Breaking down Kamala Harris VP shortlist: Josh Shapiro, Mark Kelly, Pete Buttigieg, Tim Walz

Kamala Harris is on the clock this weekend to make the biggest decision of her just-launched presidential campaign: picking a vice presidential running mate.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is expected to choose the No. 2 for her ticket by Monday at the latest, only two weeks after she became the party’s standard bearer when President Joe Biden stepped aside.

Harris is facing a self-imposed deadline of Tuesday, when her campaign has already announced she will hit the trail for a weeklong blitz of battleground states with whoever she chooses.

Depending on who you talk to, the VP short list has been whittled down to four or six at the most, all politically moderate white men from the Midwest or swing states who could balance the ticket as Harris seeks to become the first Black woman in the White House.

The most widely mentioned candidates include Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., along with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota. Some also put Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in the mix.

The campaign swing starts in Philadelphia, leading some to speculate that Shapiro has the inside track.

​​Democratic strategists are gushing over the list, which they say reflects the party’s big tent approach as Republicans have united in lockstep behind former President Donald Trump’s right-wing MAGA movement.

“This is the deepest bench we’ve had in a while,” Jim Messina, a top campaign adviser to former President Barack Obama, said on MSNBC. “She cannot go wrong with this list.”

All of the potential vice presidents have cleared their schedules in case Harris wants to meet with them face to face.

There’s no shortage of advice for Harris about traits to look for in a sidekick and red flags to avoid, particularly the old adage to “do no harm” with the pick.

Here’s some pros and cons for each of the men on the short list:

Pennsylvania on a platter

Shapiro is the wildly popular governor of the single most important swing state. That in itself probably makes him the odds-on favorite.

“Pennsylvania is everything,” Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report told CNN. “The fact that Shapiro comes in with a 61% approval rating gives the Harris campaign a bump in a critical state.”

And Shapiro’s got a lot more than the Keystone State going for him.

A political moderate, he is a gifted orator whose delivery and ability to land a verbal punch reminds some Democrats of no less than former President Obama.

Shapiro, 51 is also an observant Jew and speaks comfortably about his faith in a way that not all Democrats can pull off.

Shapiro leads a Rust Belt swing state, but he’s from suburban Philadelphia, so he wouldn’t necessarily have wide appeal in the other must-win blue wall states of Michigan and Wisconsin. He would the first Jewish vice president, which some might see as a challenge given Harris would also be making history.

He has raised hackles with the progressive wing of the party for his support of school vouchers and strong support of Israel during its war in Gaza.

Rocket man from a border state

Kelly has the most traditional all-American resume anyone in a political contest could ask for.

An astronaut and Navy combat veteran, he could arguably make the strongest pitch to middle American swing voters who might be reluctant to vote for the first-ever Black woman president.

The 60-year-old Kelly is also a plainspoken moderate from a border state who could also give Harris much-needed back up as she pushes back against Trump’s attacks that she is a failed “border czar.” Plus, he would give Harris a boost in Arizona, another crucial swing state.

Picking Kelly is effectively a two-fer along with his wife, ex-Rep. Gabby Giffords, who narrowly survived an assassination attempt and went on to become an inspirational advocate for restrictions on guns.

The couple effectively work as an inspirational tag team, and it’s hard to keep a dry eye when they talk about the day she was shot.

On the down side, Kelly’s biggest flaw could be his lack of chops as a political attack dog. He does not seem comfortable slinging mud at opponents, or taking a punch from them.

That could be a major disadvantage in a race against Trump and Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, R-Ohio, that is sure to get dirty as Election Day nears.

'Weird'-er things have happened

Few were talking about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as a veepstakes contender until last week.

That’s when he came up with “weird,” the genius one-word attack on Vance that went instantly viral.

The jibe summed up Walz’s potential value to Harris in what is sure to be a tough campaign: he sounds Minnesota nice and smiles for the camera — then delivers the kill shot.

He is an authentic Midwesterner with the accent to prove it. He’s from a town of 400 people and was a teacher and a high school football coach before getting into politics, a resume that could stand out in a field of lawyers and politicians.

What’s not to like? Walz looks older than his 60 years, which could undermine Harris’s image of dynamism against Trump.

Some GOP operatives note that Walz could face new questions about his handling of the riots that erupted after the 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

At the time, he called the response to the riots an “abject failure,” a toxic quote that could blow up in his face.

Unlikely oracle for the Fox News crowd

Pete Buttigieg, 42, has proven himself as the one Democrat who can go on Fox News and effectively score political points with the network’s conservative audience.

A polished communicator, the youthful transportation secretary, military veteran and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has an authentic Midwest demeanor that allows him to reach moderate voters who might otherwise tune out a liberal-leaning messenger.

Once dubbed “Mayor Pete,” Buttigieg was perhaps the breakout star of the 2020 Democratic primary even though he lost to Biden and has beefed up his resume with four mostly successful years in Biden’s Cabinet.

His biggest disadvantage could be that he, like Harris, would be looking to make history, in his case as the first openly gay person on a presidential ticket.

He also dramatically underperformed with Black and Latino voters in his 2020 presidential run. The last thing Harris can afford is anything less than a historic landslide with those Democratic voting blocs.