Sources say Vice President Kamala Harris – the presumptive Democratic nominee for president – is close to deciding on a running mate. The two names in contention contain an enhancement for New Jersey political insiders.

Both U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro have Jersey connections.

Kelly, above left, was born in Orange and grew up in West Orange.

Shapiro, above right, worked as a senior aide to then-U.S. Senator Bob Torricelli (D-NJ).

Since President Joe Biden announced his intention to stand down from reelection, and Harris became the Democrats’ first pick to succeed him, sources described Kelly and Shapiro as the ticket frontrunners.

Shapiro offers solid political credentials in a swing state, with the potential to galvanize other rustbelt constituencies points west. Sources also describe the eminently prepared Pennsylvania governor- former attorney general of his home state with a record of bucking Republican nominee Donald Trump – as a candidate who can help energize Democratic voters in Florida.

Kelly, for his part, offers a compelling American story of service as a Desert Storm combat veteran and astronaut pilot and mission commander. In addition, he is the husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, survivor of an assassination attempt. He is a proven winner in swing state Arizona. Take a look at this news today out of Phoenix:

The Republican Mayor of Mesa, Arizona, Phoenix’s largest suburb — endorsed Vice President Harris on Monday, saying only the vice president can “put country over party” in the November election.

Mesa Mayor John Giles wrote in an op-ed for The Arizona Republic that Republicans should reject former President Trump at the ballot box.

Published reports also indicate the strengthened position of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as a possible choice for Harris. Chair of the Democratic Governors Association, Walz has distinguished himself on cable TV as an effective party attack dog. Other names circulated in the past two weeks include North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.

But sources – and one source in particular this afternoon – insisted that Harris has fellow former prosecutor Shapiro and sunbelt hero Kelly in mind as she gets closer to the scheduled August 19-22 Democratic National Convention. Kelly may have the late edge, said the source, but in the end only Harris knows.

If sources are correct, and it comes down to just these two men as the ticket choice for Harris in her bid to succeed Biden, whom do you think she should choose?