Vilsack unlikely to be chosen as potential VP candidate

Jul 31, 2024

Kamala Harris may choose someone to chart her own path

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

With speculation swirling about who presumptive Democratic nominee and current Vice President Kalama Harris may choose as her running mate, one name unlikely to emerge is current Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

“It would be tough for him,” Ryan Bernstein, a senior policy advisor for McGuireWoods, an organization representing food and agribusiness interests, told Farms.com. “He’s been in D.C. for quite a while and has served multiple (the Obama and Biden) administrations. Whoever Harris chooses will likely be a representation of her charting her own path.”

Bernstein is also a former chief of staff for North Dakota Senator John Hoeven and worked with members of the Senate on recent farm bills.

Secretary Vilsack has been in the conversation as a potential vice president in prior elections.

In 2016, for example, people in U.S. politics believed he could’ve been Hilary Clinton’s running mate before she chose Tim Kaine.

Vilsack served as the ag secretary for all eight years of Obama’s presidency, and President Biden re-appointed him to the position in February 2021.

From 1999 to 2007, Vilsack served as governor of Iowa, a major ag production state.

He has multiple years of experience understanding the needs of the ag community and rural America.

But other potential VP candidates do too, Bernstein said.

“I think Harris’s considerations about a vice president will take rural America into account,” he said. “That’s why you’re seeing Gov. (Tim) Walz from Minnesota or Gov. (Andy) Beshear from Kentucky, or Gov. (Josh) Shapiro from Pennsylvania come out as top contenders. They represent states that tend to be a little more rural, and I think she’s thinking hard about whoever she picks being able to connect with that part of the country.”

Senator Mark Kelly from Arizona is also seen as a potential VP choice, multiple media reports suggest. Current Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s name has come up too.

Americans may not have to wait much longer to find out her running mate.

She is expected to announce it by Tuesday before the pair hold a rally in Pennsylvania, Politico reported.

Gambling site Bet365 has Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s odds at -300 with a 75 percent implied win probability.

Video: California Farm Bureau 2025 Farm Dog of the Year Contest Winner - Willy - CAFB 107th Annual Meeting

Meet Willy: California Farm Bureau’s 2025 Farm Dog of the Year!

We’re excited to introduce Willy, a miniature long-haired dachshund with a big heart and even bigger courage, and the Grand Prize winner of this year’s Farm Dog of the Year Contest!

Willy may be small, but he’s become an indispensable partner on owner Marshal Hagedorn’s forestry and cattle operations in Shasta, Tehama, and Siskiyou counties. Adopted in 2023, he quickly found his place on the ranch, helping manage critters, tagging along for long days in the woods, and offering unwavering companionship during demanding logging work.

Willy has even taken naturally to moving cattle, surprising calves (and more than a few full-grown cows!) with his burst of energy from the tall grass. As Marshal put it: “He goes with me everywhere every single day.”

Congratulations to Willy and his family, a perfect example of how every good farm dog, no matter the size, helps keep California agriculture running strong.