How Do Kamala Harris’ Running Mate Contenders Match Up on Top Foreign Policy Matters?
© AFP 2023 / ELIJAH NOUVELAGE
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Kamala Harris interviewed potential running mates over the weekend at her residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington, The Washington Post reported. Her deadline for picking a candidate is Tuesday, when the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is to set off on a tour of seven key battleground states, starting in Philadelphia.
The initial list of a half-dozen potential running mates for Kamala Harris has purportedly been whittled down to three main contenders: Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Let's take a look at how they match up on policy issues.
US Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona.
© BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI
Mark Kelly
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is a former Navy combat pilot, NASA astronaut, and husband of ex-Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.). Kelly flipped a Republican Senate seat in 2020, and his defeat of Trump-backed Republican Blake Masters in the 2022 midterms allowed the Democrats to maintain control of the Senate. Kelly is Chair of the Senate Armed Services Airland Subcommittee.
Kelly, who visited Ukraine twice in 2023 and met with Ukrainian pilots training in Arizona, has been the Senate’s leading voice for Ukraine support.
“We need to make sure that the Ukrainians win,” he said in a December CNN interview. He added that defeating Russia in Ukraine was critical to US national security, claiming that if Russia wins, it might “target a NATO ally, like a Baltic country or Poland.” In such a case, he said, it would entail the US “committing combat troops” to help its allies.
He was relentless in urging for passing supplemental funding for Ukraine and Israel.
On Israel’s Gaza war, Kelly, who sits on the Intelligence Committee and the Armed Services Committee, has underscored “it's our own national security and the national security of our allies” that is uppermost.
While Israel has a right to defend itself, the way it has been conducted in Gaza triggered “serious concerns,” he said.
After Congress passed a foreign aid package that included $26 billion in assistance to Israel, Kelly said it would be "appropriate" to condition future aid to Israel if the country's leadership doesn't "do better" at preventing civilian deaths in Gaza.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro speaks, flanked by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, during a "Harris for President" event in the gymnasium of Wissahickon High Schoolin Ambler, Pennsylvania, on July 29, 2024.
© AFP 2023 / MATTHEW HATCHER
Josh Shapiro
Shapiro, who previously served as his home state of Pennsylvania’s attorney general, was elected governor in 2022. The 51-year-old leads a crucial swing state in the 2024 election.
Shapiro, who is Jewish, has drawn criticism from the left of the Democratic Party and been dubbed “Genocide Josh” for his unfailing support of Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.
In April, after Democratic governors in other states had called for a ceasefire in Gaza, Muslim leaders in Philadelphia criticized Shapiro for his refusal to do so.
Shapiro has been vehement in his condemnation of student campus anti-Semitism at pro-Palestinian protests.
On Ukraine, Shapiro has spouted public remarks in general support of Ukraine, and as attorney general in March 2022, he released guidance on how Pennsylvanians could donate to people in Ukraine. Otherwise, his stance on Ukraine has been relatively muted.
Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz.
© JIM WATSON
Tim Walz
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was first elected to Congress in 2006, served in the House for 12 years, and became the top Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee. He returned to lead his home state in 2019. He currently chairs the Democratic National Convention Rules Committee, and leads the Democratic Governors Association. The 60-year-old ex-Army National Guardsman was reelected after winning the 2022 Minnesota gubernatorial election.
After the Ukraine conflict escalated into a Western proxy war in 2022, Walz signed legislation requiring the state of Minnesota to end all state contracts with Russian entities.
In February, he established a partnership between Minnesota and Ukraine’s Chernigov Oblast. He also proclaimed March 6, 2022 as Ukrainian Solidarity Day in his state.
Walz met virtually with Volodymyr Zelensky in April 2023, offering him “unwavering support.” During the video call, in which over two dozen other governors participated, Minnesota was singled out by Zelensky for its move to cut financial ties with Russia.
The Minnesota governor said he was encouraged when Finland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), expanding the military alliance's border with Russia.
Walz, who ordered flags in the state to be flown at half-mast after Hamas' attack on Israel last year, has since indicated tolerance towards those in the Democratic Party who support dialed-down support for the war against Hamas in Gaza.
In April, he condemned hostility toward Jewish students at campus protests, while expressing sympathy for the protesters’ messages on Gaza, adding, “All of us agree the situation in Gaza is intolerable.”
