Potential Top Officials in a Harris Administration

By Joe Lieber Published on October 10, 2024 PDF

With our view that the odds slightly favor Vice President Kamala Harris winning the presidency in November (see here), we offer a comprehensive list of potential candidates for key Cabinet and other important positions below.

While we believe Harris will win the White House, we see Republicans gaining control of the Senate. As an aside, the House is likely to flip to the Democrats. Many of the positions below, including all Cabinet spots, require Senate confirmation so, if the GOP controls the Senate even by a seat, securing confirmation of her more liberal candidates will be difficult and will surely factor into whether Harris even nominates them or not.

However, she is likely to put forward the names of a couple of very liberal members with the knowledge they will likely be defeated if only to garner favor with the left wing of her party.

Harris has also said she wants to nominate a Republican to the Cabinet. Recall that President Obama (D) included three Republicans in his Cabinet at various points of his term: Robert Gates and Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) as Secretary of Defense and Congressman Ray LaHood (R-IL) as Transportation Secretary. We would not expect Harris to name a Republican to any key economic position such as Treasury Secretary or to politically sensitive positions such as Secretary of Labor or Health and Human Services.

Finally, if Democrats keep the Senate, we expect most of Harris’ nominees to be confirmed, including those members farther to the left of the political spectrum. Recall that Sens. Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), then Democrats, were instrumental in blocking various Biden nominations. We do not see that happening this time around if Democrats hold the Senate, as those two members are retiring and we see the remaining Democrats as likely being much more supportive of her nominations.

Position	Candidates	Background	Comments
Treasury Secretary	Gina Raimondo	Current Commerce Secretary. Former Governor of RI (D). Former venture capitalist	Raimondo is likely one of the top three candidates.
	Wally Adeyemo	Current Deputy Treasury Secretary	Adeyemo is like one of the top three candidates. He would be the first Black Treasury Secretary.
	Gary Gensler	Current SEC chairman and former Goldman Sachs partner	If the GOP controls the Senate, we believe Gensler would have an uphill battle.
	Blair Effron	Co-founder of Centerview Partners	Seems more of a long shot.
	Ajay Banga	World Bank President. Former executive chairman of Mastercard (MA)	He was an outside advisor to candidate Harris during the 2020 presidential primary.
	Ken Chenault	Former CEO of American Express (AXP)	Would be the first Black Treasury Sec. Spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in support of Harris/Walz.
	Jamie Dimon	Chairman and CEO of JP Morgan (JPM)	With his Wall Street background, he seems unlikely to be nominated.
	Janet Yellen	Current Treasury Secretary and former Fed Chair	She is 78 years old. We believe she’s unlikely to be nominated.
Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair (note Powell’s term isn’t up until May 15, 2026)	Lael Brainard	Current Director of the National Economic Council (NEC). Former Vice Chair of the Fed.	Her Fed experience, followed by her role as Director of the NEC could be a warmup to becoming Fed chair.
	Janet Yellen	Current Treasury Secretary	At 78, we believe it’s unlikely she will be picked for the position.
	Jerome Powell	Current Fed Chairman	As senator, Harris voted against Powell’s re-nomination in 2018.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair	Lina Khan	Current FTC chairwoman	While her term as chair expired in Sept., she can stay on until a replacement is named. After over three years as head of FTC she might be looking to move on.
	Rohit Chopra	Current head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Former FTC commissioner.	He was unanimously confirmed to the FTC by the Senate in 2017.
	Stacey Abrams	Unsuccessful democratic candidate for governor of Georgia	Would be tough to get confirmed under a GOP Senate.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)	Mark Cuban	Entrepreneur. Former Shark Tank host.	Seems much too high profile for the job.
	Caroline Crenshaw	Current SEC commissioner.	She was unanimously confirmed by the Senate
	Lisa Fairfax	Nominee for SEC commissioner by Obama. Law professor.	Her nomination never came to a floor vote partially because of some Senate Democratic opposition. Seems unlikely to be nominated.
	Mary Jo White	Former SEC Chairwoman under Obama	She will be 77 when Harris takes office and may not want to enter govt. service again.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)	Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA)	Current congresswoman from CA, who is not running for re-election in 2024	She worked for then- Atty. General Harris in CA and she was appointed by Harris to be the state’s independent monitor of banks in a nationwide mortgage settlement
Attorney General	Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC)	Current governor of NC, who is not running for re-election this year	Well respected governor from a red state. He also served as Atty. General of NC.
	Gov. Maura Healey D-MA)	Current governor of MA. Former Atty General of MA	She just took office in Jan. 2023 so may not be ready to leave the governorship.
	Fmr. Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL)	Former U.S. Senator. Former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama.	Another potential red state hire for Harris. They did not overlap in the Senate.
	Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA)	Current governor of PA. Former Atty General of PA.	Given he was on the VP short list, he and Harris probably have a good relationship.
	Lisa Monaco	Current Deputy Atty. General.	Seems like more of a long shot for the position.
	Vanita Gupta	Former Associate Atty.General.in the Biden admin. Led DOJ Civil Rights division under Obama.	Only one Senate Republican voted to confirm her for Assoc. Atty. Gen. Tough to confirm is GOP takes the Senate.
	Sally Yates	Former Deputy Atty. General during Obama	Would likely have a tough time getting confirmed in a GOP Senate.
	Preet Bharara	Former U.S. attorney in NYC under Obama	He also worked for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D). Given his perceived partisanship, might be tough to get confirmed in GOP-controlled Senate.
Secretary of Defense	Michele Flournoy	Former Undersecretary of Defense Policy under Obama	Would be the first female Sec. of Def.
	Christine Wormuth	Current Sec. of the Army	Would be the first female Sec. of Def. She is the first female Army Sec.
	Kathleen Hicks	Current Deputy Sec. of Defense	Would be the first female Sec. of Def.
	Colin Kahl	Former Undersecretary of Defense under Biden	He was confirmed by a vote of 49-45 with a few GOP Senators absent. Tough to get confirmed in a GOP-controlled Senate.
	Mara Karlin	Former Asst. Sec. of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities under Biden	Would be the first female Sec. of Def.
Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)	Neera Tanden	Domestic Policy Council director under Biden. Unsuccessful nominee as OMB director under Biden. Former CEO of Center for American Progress, a left-center think tank.	Previous Tweets attacking GOOP Senators helped led to her withdrawing her name from head of OMB even as Democrats controlled the Senate.
	Dr. Rochelle Walensky	Former Dir. Of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under Biden	Her endorsement of COVID restrictions could make it hard for her to be confirmed. Her two years and five months at CDC was the shortest tenure.
	Dr. Ashish Jha	Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. Former White House COVID Response Coordinator under Biden.	His outspoken views on CVOID may make it harder to get confirmed in a GOP Senate.
	Dr. Zeke Emanuel	Health policy expert. Former bioethicist at NIH and special advisor to OMB and NEC under Obama.	His brother is Rahm Emanuel, former Chicago Mayor, and Obama Chief of Staff. Could head of NIH or FDA.
	Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D)	Current governor of NM. Former New Mexico Sec. of Health. Former congresswoman from NM.	Served as co-chair for the Biden-Harris transition team. VP Harris officiated her second wedding on May 22, 2022.
Secretary of Labor	Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA)	Current senator of CA. Long-time labor leader in CA Former head of Emily’s List.	Long time ally of Harris, Butler is probably the leading candidate.
Secretary of Commerce	Blair Effron	Co-Founder Centerview Partners	He is a longtime supporter of Democratic presidents/candidate, including Kerry, Obama, Clinton and Biden.
	Charles Phillips	Co-Chair Black Economic Alliance. Chairman and former CEO of Infor.	He has close ties to Harris. Served in the U.S. Marines becoming a Captain. A very public affair could affect a potential nomination.
	Ken Chenault	Former CEO of American Express (AXP)	Spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in support of Harris/Walz. Also potentially considered for Treasury Sec.
	Brad Smith	President of Microsoft (MSFT)	Recently held a fundraiser for Harris in Seattle.
	Rahm Emanuel	Current U.S. Ambassador to Japan. Former congressman from IL. , Obama Chief of Staff, and Chicago mayor.	A stalwart in Democratic politics, he probably finds some position within a Harris admin.
Secretary of Energy	Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO)	Current governor of CO. Former congressman from CO.	Polis is generally seen as being relatively moderate, which would help him in any confirmation.
	Gov. Michele Lujan Grisham (D-NM)	Current governor of NM. Former New Mexico Sec. of Health. Former congresswoman from NM.	Served as co-chair for the Biden-Harris transition team. VP Harris officiated her second wedding on May 22, 2022.
	Ali Zaidi	Current White House National Climate Advisor	His youth might play against him as he is only 36.
	Arun Majumdar	Stanford Dean of Doerr School of Sustainability. Former Acting Undersecretary of Energy under Obama.	Combination of private (he worked on energy issues at Google) and public sector experience makes him an interesting candidate.
	David Turk	Current Deputy Energy Sec. Worked for then Sens. Biden (D-DE) and Conrad (D-ND).	He was confirmed for his current position by a vote of 98-2.
	Katie McGinty	Vice President at Johnson Controls (JCI). Former Pennsylvania Sec. of Environmental Protection.	She unsuccessfully ran for gov. of PA in 2014 and for the U.S. Senate in 2016.
	Richard Kauffman	“Energy Czar” for New York. Former senior advisor to Energy Sec. Steven Chu under Obama.	Extensive experience in govt. managing green energy initiatives.
Potential Candidate for Various Jobs	Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY)	Former congresswoman from WY	Might be difficult to get through a GOP Senate.
	Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL)	Former congressman from IL	Might be difficult to get through a GOP Senate.
	Meg Whitman	Current US Ambassador to Kenya. Former CEO of eBay (EBAY)and Hewlitt-Packard (HPE). Unsuccessful GOP gubernatorial candidate in CA.	Harris is said to want a Republican in her cabinet. Meg would probably be a good fit.
	Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg	Current Sec. of Transportation. Former Democratic presidential candidate in 2020. Former mayor of South Bend, IN.	He is close to Harris.
	Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)	Current senator from IL, who is retiring from the Senate.	She’s close to Harris.
	Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI)	Current governor of MI, who is in her second term	Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist would become the first Black governor of Michigan if Whitmer leaves the post.
Potential Candidates for Economic Jobs (Council of Economic Advisors, Nat’l Economic Council, etc.)
	Brian Nelson	Various Treasury positions under Obama and Biden	Resigned from the Treasury Dept. to work on the Harris campaign.
	Brian Deese	Former Director of the Nat’l Economic Council under Biden	Notably clashed with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) during debate on the BBB/IRA.
	Deanne Millison	Former Chief Economic advisor to VP Harris. Current Ford (F) lobbyist.	Reported as part of Harris’ “kitchen cabinet”.
	Bharat Ramamurti	Former Deputy Dir. of Nat’l Economic Council. Former senior counsel to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) for banking and economic policy.	He seems likely to join the Harris admin.
	Charles Phillips	Co-Chair Black Economic Alliance. Chairman and former CEO of Infor.	He has close ties to Harris. Served in the U.S. Marines becoming a Captain. A very public affair could affect a potential nomination.
	Ike Irby	Senior advisor to Harris on climate policy	Seems likely to get a position within the Harris admin.
	Mike Pyle	Economic advisor to Harris’s campaign. Former Deputy National Security Advisor for international economics under Biden. Held various economic jobs in the Obama and Biden admins. Now back at BlackRock (BLK).	Reported as part of Harris’ “kitchen cabinet”.

Sources: The Hill, The Week, WSJ, Politico, MSN.com, CNN, FT.com, The Daily Beast

DISCLOSURES AND DISCLAIMERS

Analyst Certification

The analyst, Capitol Policy Partners, primarily responsible for the preparation of this research report attests to the following: (1) that the views and opinions rendered in this research report reflect his or her personal views about the subject companies or issuers; and (2) that no part of the research analyst’s compensation was, is, or will be directly related to the specific recommendations or views in this research report.

Analyst Certifications and Independence of Research.

Each of the Capitol Policy Partners analysts whose names appear on the front page of this report hereby certify that all the views expressed in this Report accurately reflect our personal views about any and all of the subject securities or issuers and that no part of our compensation was, is, or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific recommendations or views of in this Report. Capitol Policy Partners (the “Company”) is an independent equity research provider. The Company is not a member of the FINRA or the SIPC and is not a registered broker dealer or investment adviser. Capitol Policy Partners has no other regulated or unregulated business activities which conflict with its provision of independent research.

Limitation Of Research And Information.

This Report has been prepared for distribution to only qualified institutional or professional clients of Capitol Policy Partners. The contents of this Report represent the views, opinions, and analyses of its authors. The information contained herein does not constitute financial, legal, tax or any other advice. All third-party data presented herein were obtained from publicly available sources which are believed to be reliable; however, the Company makes no warranty, express or implied, concerning the accuracy or completeness of such information. In no event shall the Company be responsible or liable for the correctness of, or update to, any such material or for any damage or lost opportunities resulting from use of this data. Nothing contained in this Report or any distribution by the Company should be construed as any offer to sell, or any solicitation of an offer to buy, any security or investment. Any research or other material received should not be construed as individualized investment advice. Investment decisions should be made as part of an overall portfolio strategy and you should consult with a professional financial advisor, legal and tax advisor prior to making any investment decision. Capitol Policy Partners shall not be liable for any direct or indirect, incidental or consequential loss or damage (including loss of profits, revenue or goodwill) arising from any investment decisions based on information or research obtained from Capitol Policy Partners.

Reproduction And Distribution Strictly Prohibited.

No user of this Report may reproduce, modify, copy, distribute, sell, resell, transmit, transfer, license, assign or publish the Report itself or any information contained therein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, clients with access to working models are permitted to alter or modify the information contained therein, provided that it is solely for such client’s own use. This Report is not intended to be available or distributed for any purpose that would be deemed unlawful or otherwise prohibited by any local, state, national or international laws or regulations or would otherwise subject the Company to registration or regulation of any kind within such jurisdiction.

Copyrights, Trademarks, Intellectual Property.

Capitol Policy Partners, and any logos or marks included in this Report are proprietary materials. The use of such terms and logos and marks without the express written consent of Capitol Policy Partners is strictly prohibited. The copyright in the pages or in the screens of the Report, and in the information and material therein, is proprietary material owned by Capitol Policy Partners unless otherwise indicated. The unauthorized use of any material on this Report may violate numerous statutes, regulations and laws, including, but not limited to, copyright, trademark, trade secret or patent laws.