Opinion | ‘Just Don’t Screw It Up’: Three Writers Go Behind the Scenes of Making a V.P. Pick

Frank Bruni, a contributing Opinion writer, hosted a written online conversation with Beth Myers, who supervised the vice-presidential selection process for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, and Jim Jordan, a manager of John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign, to discuss how Kamala Harris might make her decision about a running mate.

Frank Bruni: Beth, Jim, thanks for joining me to discuss the hottest topic in American politics: To whom will Kamala Harris propose? It’s like “The Bachelor,” only with nuclear codes instead of a red rose. The announcement’s scheduling in Philadelphia on Tuesday has some observers thinking Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania will get the nod. But there have been periods recently when everybody around me was betting on either Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky or Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota.

Each of you has steered a presidential campaign: What, based on that experience, would you guess is Vice President Harris’s and her advisers’ primary consideration as they make this decision?

Beth Myers: Choosing a vice president is one of the very few choices that the nominee has under her control, and it’s very particular for every candidate.

Bruni: It obviously varies from candidate to candidate — John McCain wasn’t thinking about the geography of the Electoral College when he chose Sarah Palin (he was going to win Alaska anyway) and George W. Bush picked Wyoming’s Dick Cheney despite being assured of victory in that state — but what factors do you think Harris and her operation should be weighing?

Jim Jordan: Geography is on the menu. Geography is on the menu. But it’s probably been since 1960 that a V.P. pick was actually expected to deliver his or her home state, especially if it was a swing state. For example, in 2004, Kerry picked Senator John Edwards and lost North Carolina by about 12 points.