Walz had been listed at from +550 to +725 on political betting markets. The prevailing speculation had pointed towards Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, though recent allegations regarding his management of a sexual harassment case involving a former aide had complicated his candidacy.
Walz, who boasts an impressive 24-year tenure with the Army National Guard in addition to his service in the U.S. House of Representatives, will now join Harris as they prepare to formally accept their nomination at the Democratic National Convention, scheduled for August 19-22.
In the last week, Walz has gone viral for calling Republicans “weird” and seeing it really catch on at social media sites.
What were the pros and cons of choosing these candidates for the Harris campaign? Join us for an in-depth look into the 2024 elections.
2024 Democratic
Vice Presidential Candidate
| Candidate | Bet365 Odds | Implied Win Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Josh Shapiro | -400 | 80.00% |
| Tim Walz | +550 | 15.38% |
| Andrew Beshear | +1000 | 9.09% |
| Mark Kelly | +1000 | 9.09% |
| Pete Buttigieg | +2500 | 3.85% |
Mark Kelly: Pros and Cons
Mark Kelly is the 60-year-old Senator from Arizona who is a former astronaut and is married to former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. He won a special election for John McCain’s Senate seat in a purple state.
Pros:
- Successful and popular in Arizona, a swing state that is currently favored to go to Republicans in 2024.
- Strong on key Democratic policies, including gun control and pro-choice on abortion.
- Cares deeply about the US-Mexico border crisis as Arizona is a border state, and he can have more legitimacy on this topic than Harris herself.
- A former Navy captain and astronaut, he’s good competition for Republican nominee JD Vance of Ohio.
Cons:
- His criticism of the Biden-Harris administration’s job at the border could be highlighted by Republicans as one of the biggest weaknesses for Harris.
- If Kelly is the pick, the Democrats could lose his Senate seat to a Republican as they cling to a very small advantage as Arizona is a difficult state to win for Democrats.
- Arizona (11 electoral votes) is not as important to win for Democrats in November as swing states like Pennsylvania (19) and Michigan (15) are.
Josh Shapiro: Pros and Cons
Josh Shapiro is the 51-year-old Governor of Pennsylvania since 2023. He is Jewish and he won his 2022 race convincingly with 56.5% of the vote over the Republican candidate.
Pros:
- Can help deliver Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state, to the Democrats.
- An impressive public orator who has been compared to Barack Obama in that regard.
- As Governor of the only state with a split legislature, Shapiro is known for getting things done and has solid bipartisan appeal.
- Moderate enough for independents and Republicans to consider voting Democrat.
Cons:
- Shapiro has the highest approval rating of any swing state Governor, and Pennsylvania could lose this role to a Republican if he needs to be replaced.
- Shapiro has moderate positions where he supports school vouchers and fracking (important in PA) that won’t mesh well with progressive voters.
- A Harris-Shapiro ticket would be the 1st in US election history to not have a white Christian, which is still the leading demographic in the country in 2024.
Any Chance the Vice President Pick Is Pete Buttigieg?
According to Election Betting Odds, Kelly has the best odds of being the vice president pick at 34.9% followed closely by Shapiro at 33.8%.
But in 3rd place is Pete Buttigieg at 5.3%. According to FiveThirtyEight, Buttigieg has the highest average net favorability rating among Democrats (+46.6) out of 8 vice president candidates.
“Mayor Pete” ran for president in 2020 and is currently the United States Secretary of Transportation. He is very well-spoken, not afraid to appear on Fox News, and he is Joe Biden’s youngest cabinet member at 42.
Buttigieg has more national recognition than Kelly and Shapiro. But the elephant in the room is that he’s widely known for being gay. That won’t matter to Democratic voters, but a ticket with a woman of color and a gay man is still a tough sell in America in 2024. That’s probably why the candidates being pushed forward have been straight white men.
But if the Democrats wanted to go all out with their best ticket possible, Buttigieg would be a smart choice.
You can expect to hear a big speech from the eventual VP pick of the Democrats at the DNC in a few weeks.
*21+ Seek help with a gambling addiction at 1-800-Gambler
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
