CHICAGO—At cocktail parties and in quiet conversations on the sidelines of the Democratic convention, officials are trying to answer a question with crucial stakes: Who will Kamala Harris hire if she wins?
Harris’s advisers insist it is too early to begin speculating about the coterie of boldfaced names who would fill out her cabinet and take top positions in the White House, as they are still ironing out the vice president’s campaign operation, writing her policy agenda and fine-tuning her pitch to voters. That hasn’t stopped Washington’s ambitious power players from angling for jobs and quietly lobbying for their friends and allies.
The Wall Street Journal put together an early list of names that have emerged in conversations with senior Democrats in Chicago and Washington. The list suggests that Harris wants to bring in her own team, and that many current top Biden administration officials might not remain in their roles. The Democratic nominee’s advisers have taken early steps toward forming a transition team, which will oversee personnel vetting and other preparations for a potential Harris administration, though the team won’t make decisions about nominations until after the election.
White House
One of the most critical roles in any White House is chief of staff. Potential candidates for that job include Minyon Moore, a Harris ally who is running this week’s convention; former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, who became friends with Harris when they worked together during the Biden administration; former Rep. Cedric Richmond; Lorraine Voles, Harris’s current chief of staff; and Eric Holder, who served as attorney general during the Obama administration.
Harris’s economic policy brain trust includes Brian Nelson, a former Treasury Department official; Mike Pyle, a former Harris aide and Biden’s former deputy national security adviser for international economics; former National Economic Council Director Brian Deese; former Biden economic adviser Gene Sperling; Deanne Millison, Harris’s former chief economic adviser; and Rohini Kosoglu, Harris’s former domestic policy adviser. All of them are seen as candidates for jobs in Harris’s administration.
Nelson, Pyle and Millison could lead the NEC, as well as former deputy NEC director Bharat Ramamurti, who got to know the vice president during the debate over student loan forgiveness. Possible candidates to lead the White House Domestic Policy Council include Kosoglu and Jennifer Klein, the director of the White House’s Gender Policy Council. Ike Irby, who was Harris’s deputy domestic policy adviser in the White House until earlier this year, is also thought to be in line for a senior policy position, possibly focused on climate change.
Emmy Ruiz, a former adviser to Harris’s 2020 presidential campaign who is a top political strategist at the White House, is also expected to score a senior White House position if Harris wins.
Domestic and economic policy jobs
For Treasury secretary, Harris could consider Wally Adeyemo, current Secretary Janet Yellen’s deputy, as well as Nelson. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is also said to be interested in running Treasury, and Don Graves, Raimondo’s deputy, is a potential candidate to run Commerce. Raimondo is seen as easily confirmable in the Senate because she could likely win the support of some Republicans.
Sen. Laphonza Butler (D., Calif.), who led California’s largest home care and nursing home workers union, has been mentioned as a potential Labor secretary.
Neera Tanden, Biden’s Domestic Policy Council director as the administration negotiated for lower prescription drug prices and a key player during the passage of the Affordable Care Act, is seen as a contender to run the Department of Health and Human Services. Kavita Patel, a doctor and former Obama White House official, could be a candidate for a senior role at HHS. Nadine Burke Harris, California’s former surgeon general, could be in the running for U.S. Surgeon General.
As vice president, Harris has built relationships with chief executives and other business leaders, holding regular private dinners with executives at her Naval Observatory residence. She may choose to bring some of those executives into her administration, though advisers said she hasn’t made any decisions. Wall Street financier Blair Effron, co-founder of investment bank Centerview Partners, has been discussed by Democrats as a potential candidate for Treasury or Commerce secretary. Harris is also close to former tech CEO Charles Phillips, co-chair of the Black Economic Alliance; Microsoft President Brad Smith; and former American Express CEO Ken Chenault. Chenault spoke at this week’s convention, prompting speculation that he could be in line for a top job in her administration.
Rahm Emanuel, Biden’s ambassador to Japan and a former White House chief of staff to President Barack Obama, is another possibility for Commerce, particularly if Harris views the department as playing a bigger role in international affairs including countering China and shoring up the supply chain. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is also said to be interested in a role in a Harris administration.
Attorney general and White House counsel
Harris, a former prosecutor, is likely to take great interest in choosing the lawyers that will run the Justice Department and the White House Counsel’s Office.
Potential candidates for those positions include: former Sen. Doug Jones (D., Ala.); Sally Yates, former President Barack Obama’s deputy attorney general; and Vanita Gupta, the first woman of color to serve as associate U.S. Attorney General. Others in line for senior roles at the Justice Department or the White House Counsel’s Office include Kristine Lucius, a Harris adviser and former Senate Judiciary Committee chief counsel; lawyer Karen Dunn, who has helped Harris prepare for her debates; and Josh Hsu, a former counsel to Harris.
One wild card: whether Harris would hire her brother-in-law, Tony West, the chief legal officer at Uber and a former top Justice Department official during the Obama administration.
National security
Both Biden and Harris’s advisers say at least some current national security officials are likely to get prominent roles, but she is likely to bring in her own people as well.
Phil Gordon, Harris’s national security adviser, would be a strong candidate to assume that role if she wins the presidency. Current and former administration officials say the Middle East and Europe expert has served the vice president well, helping her office stay closely aligned with Biden’s team. He has participated in recent Situation Room meetings about Israel-Hamas cease-fire talks and a possible Iranian strike on Israel.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) has been mentioned as a contender for secretary of state. He and Harris aligned on many issues during their mutual time in the Senate, particularly on ending the Saudi-led war on Yemen. They continue to speak fairly regularly, White House aides and foreign policy analysts said, trading notes on developments in Central America’s Northern Triangle and immigration. Murphy, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Middle East panel, has also been an occasional sounding board on the region.
Tom Nides, who previously served in a top position at the State Department and as ambassador to Israel, is also considered to be a contender for a top national security position.
Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns could be considered for secretary of state, a move that would give Harris some connective tissue from the Biden administration.
Sen. Chris Coons (D., Del.), a close friend of Biden’s, was seen as a leading contender for secretary of state, but it is unclear if Harris would tap him for the job. National security adviser Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austinwouldn’t likely be extended in their current roles, current and former officials said.
Less certain is who might serve as defense secretary. For years, Sen. Jack Reed (D., R.I.) and Michèle Flournoy have been regularly mentioned as a candidate for the job, though it is unclear whether Harris is eyeing them. Christine Wormuth, the current Army secretary, is also in the mix for the top Pentagon job.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg—who was vetted as a possible running mate for Harris—has been discussed by some Democrats as a contender for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Harris is also close with Sen. Mark Warner (D., Va.), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who could be a contender for director of national intelligence.
Write to Andrew Restuccia at andrew.restuccia@wsj.com, Tarini Parti at tarini.parti@wsj.com, Alexander Ward at alex.ward@wsj.com and Annie Linskey at annie.linskey@wsj.com