Who are Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s top competitors for vice president?

There’s little doubt at this point that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is in the mix as Vice President Kamala Harris gets ready to select a running mate.

The Harris campaign hasn’t confirmed anything publicly, but national media reports are consistently putting Walz in a select group of serious prospects under consideration. He’s been acting ready for his closeup, managing to generate some viral fame with recent interview quips that former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, are “weird” — a message that Democrats across the board quickly ran with.

While certainly a well-known political quantity on the home front — Walz quickly picked up support from a roster of prominent Minnesota Democrats — the governor’s sudden ascent took non-Minnesotans on social media by surprise. “Where has this guy been” has been a frequent question in recent days.

Despite the buzz, Walz faces stiff competition for the VP nod. One possible consideration: As the governor of a state that hasn’t gone Republican for president since 1972, Walz isn’t ideally positioned to deliver a key state for Harris.

From a former astronaut to the solidly popular governors of a swing state and a red state, here are the other likeliest contenders, based on reporting in the national political media.

A former astronaut, Kelly won a special election in 2020 to finish the late Sen. John McCain’s Senate term. He won a full term in 2022.

Kelly is seen as a moderate voice in the Senate, where he represents a state that long leaned toward Republicans but has gained a purplish hue in recent years. But his departure from the Senate could also imperil Democrats’ ultra-thin majority in that chamber.

Beshear won a close race to oust Republican Gov. Matt Bevin in 2019. He sailed to re-election in 2023, beating his challenger by nearly 5 percentage points to take a second term, in a state that usually goes strongly for Republicans on the statewide level.

With Harris poised to make abortion access an important part of her campaign message, some Democrats are wondering whether Beshear would be best positioned to amplify that.

Shapiro was elected to lead the crucial swing state in 2022, beating his Republican opponent by more than 14 percentage points. He won the endorsement of several former GOP officials, including two former congressmen and a former state House speaker.

Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016, after the state gave Democrats its 19 electoral votes in six consecutive elections. Politico is reporting that Shapiro’s position on natural gas extraction, which helped him secure vital labor backing in Pennsylvania, could also help explain Harris’ recent shift on the issue.

“Mayor Pete” has come a long way from the 2020 Democratic primaries. President Joe Biden tapped Buttigieg to be his transportation secretary and a go-to spokesman for the administration’s policies. He has traveled the country touting the massive infrastructure bill that Congress passed in 2023.

Buttigieg, 42, could also position himself as a rival to Vance, 39. But the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., lacks the statewide political success of his major rivals.