Vice President Kamala Harris seems all but assured of receiving the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, something which has led to much speculation over who she will choose as her running mate.

While observers have put forward a number of possible contenders, one prominent figure recently announced that she is withdrawing her name from consideration. 

Gretchen Witmer will remain as Michigan's governor

Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made clear during an appearance on CBS News on "CBS Mornings" earlier this week that she will not be running for vice president.

"I have communicated with everyone, including the people of Michigan, that I'm going to stay as governor until the end of my term at the end of 2026," Whitmer said on Monday.

The governor went on to stress that Harris has "a great group of people from whom she's going to pick her running mate" and that a selection will be made "in the next six, seven days."

Meanwhile, USA Today pointed out that Whitmer is not the only person to recently confirm that she won't be on this year's ballot, as North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper made a similar announcement.

Cooper: "This just wasn't the right time"

"I strongly support Vice President Harris' campaign for president. I know she's going to win and I was honored to be considered for this role," Cooper said in a statement released via social media.

Roy Cooper takes his name out of Harris VP consideration. https://t.co/jwAzkk0eo3

— Joey Garrison (@joeygarrison) July 30, 2024

"This just wasn't the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket," the North Carolina governor continued.

"As I've said from the beginning, she has an outstanding list of people from which to choose, and we'll all work to make sure she wins," Cooper added.

Sen. Mark Kelly said to bring "credibility" to the border

USA Today also looked at a number of other candidates who are widely regarded as being on Harris' vice presidential shortlist.

One of them is Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and U.S. Navy captain. The newspaper noted that Kelly is seen as a moderate who has criticized the Biden administration's record on border security.

Former Republican strategist Mike Madrid told NBC News that Kelly's relative hawkishness on the border could help Harris with "credibility" on the issue.

"There's a legitimacy by saying, 'Yeah, the border is out of control, but it needs to be secured, too. You can do both without being racist or without being a bad person.' And that’s what he does very elegantly," Madrid said.