Who could be Kamala Harris’ running mate?

US President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he was ending his re-election campaign and said that Kamala Harris, his vice president, should take his place.

“I want to offer my full support and endorsement to Kamala to be our party’s nominee this year,” he wrote on X. “Democrats, it’s time to unite and defeat Trump.”

It seems likely that Ms Harris will take over, although that has not yet happened.

Several other candidates have been touted as potential replacements for Mr. Biden but have endorsed Ms. Harris. If that endorsement becomes official, a running mate will need to be found.

Delegates will vote next month at the Democratic National Convention to formally confirm Mr. Biden’s replacement and the vice presidential nominee.

The following names could be in the mix.

Michigan’s two-term governor Gretchen Whitmer is an increasingly popular Midwestern Democrat and many pundits believe she will run for president in 2028.

She has campaigned for Mr Biden in the past and has made no secret of her political aspirations.

She told the New York Times that she would like to see a Generation X president in 2028, but stopped short of suggesting she could fill that role.

In 2022, she ran a campaign that left Michigan Democrats in control of the state legislature and the governor’s mansion.

This allowed him to implement a number of progressive policies, including protecting access to abortion in Michigan and passing gun safety measures.

Ms Whitmer quickly said after Mr Biden withdrew that her job “will remain the same … to do everything I can to elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump.”

The California governor is one of the Biden administration’s fiercest defenders.

He is often cited as a potential 2028 candidate, but many Democratic pundits have suggested he could be in the running to replace Mr Biden.

Mr. Newsom has raised his national profile in recent years by being a key party messenger in conservative media and via a debate against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year.

He supported the president before his announcement. He traveled to Washington for meetings in July with Mr. Biden and other leading Democratic governors, and headlined a Biden campaign event in Michigan on July 4.

Mr Newsom again praised Mr Biden as a “selfless” president after his withdrawal, and said he backed the “fearless” and “tenacious” Ms Harris to take on Trump.

It’s no secret that Pete Buttigieg has presidential aspirations.

He ran in 2020 and is often touted as one of the Biden administration’s best communicators.

Mr. Buttigieg has managed a number of public crises during his tenure as transportation secretary.

He helped oversee the government’s response to the East Palestine train derailment in Ohio, the Baltimore bridge collapse and Southwest Airlines’ 2022 planning crisis.

Mr Buttigieg said on Twitter/X that Mr Biden had “earned his place among the best and most important presidents in American history”.

He said he would do “everything I can to help elect Kamala Harris as the next president.”

Josh Shapiro has enjoyed high approval ratings since his 2022 election in a key state that Trump narrowly won in 2016.

The governor, who previously served as state attorney general, has worked across partisan lines during his tenure.

He made national headlines last year after quickly rebuilding a collapsed bridge on a crucial Philadelphia highway — a major political victory for a first-term governor.

The quick fix has been hailed by many as the perfect infrastructure talking point for a potential 2028 presidential candidate.

Mr Shapiro said Mr Biden was one of the “most important presidents in modern history” and that he would “do everything I can to help elect Kamala Harris as the 47th president of the United States”.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has risen to prominence in recent years by attacking Trump and defending Mr. Biden.

The billionaire businessman, heir to the Hyatt hotel chain, does not hesitate to publish criticism of Trump on social networks.

After the debate, he called Trump a “liar” and said he was a “34-count convicted felon who only cares about himself.”

Like Ms. Whitmer, Mr. Pritzker has a history of carrying out agenda items on progressive Democrats’ to-do lists on issues such as abortion rights and gun control.

He said Mr Biden had led “one of the most accomplished and effective presidencies of our lifetimes”. He did not comment on who should succeed him.

The list of potential candidates for the position extends beyond these Democrats, as the party has developed a talent pool.

Governor of Kentucky Andy BeshearA two-term Democratic governor in a deeply conservative state, he has attracted national attention since his re-election last year.

Governor of Maryland Wes Moore has found itself in the spotlight in recent months following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

Senators Amy Klobuchar And Cory Booker They have run for president in the past and are well-known among Democrats.

Senator from Georgia Raphael Warnockwho won a hotly contested Senate election in a key state.

And the senator from Arizona Mark Kelly is another name under discussion. He is a former U.S. Navy pilot and astronaut who won his Senate seat in a key state.