The only real way Vice President Kamala Harris has said her administration would be different from President Biden’s is that she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet.
This did not used to be unusual or controversial. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama each put members of the opposite party in their cabinets. Donald J. Trump let the tradition lapse, though he tried to recruit Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a North Dakota Democrat (and have her be replaced by a Republican in the Senate). No Republicans were known to be in serious consideration for President Biden’s cabinet four years ago.
Yet Ms. Harris has promised to bring back the symbolic gesture, as she campaigns alongside former Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming and makes a play for moderate G.O.P. voters.
The vice president has declined to engage in speculation about which Republican she would choose. “I’ve got to win,” she told Howard Stern when he suggested that Ms. Cheney might be the pick. “But the thing about Liz Cheney, let me just say, she’s remarkable.”
With Ms. Harris naturally holding her cards close, we asked a range of Republican options about their interest level. It is generally considered bad manners to publicly audition for a cabinet post, especially before an election is decided, so many of them demurred or proposed others as better choices.
Here’s a look at several types of Republicans whom Ms. Harris could pick.
Republicans who became liberal stars for opposing Trump
Ms. Cheney, who was functionally exiled by her party after helping lead the House investigation into the Capitol riot, is the biggest Republican name on the potential list. The Harris campaign viewed her endorsement as significant in its effort to win over conservative women in the suburbs who do not like Mr. Trump but are not sold on Ms. Harris.
