Former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh would add a much needed jolt of working class, blue collar cred to the Democratic ticket as Kamala Harris’s running mate but is a long shot to get the VP nod.

Walsh, who developed a close bond to Harris during his time in the Biden administration, has a good personal narrative and rose the ranks in politics from little known state rep to mayor to Labor Secretary under Joe Biden. He would be a good Donald Trump attack dog and labor advocate though not necessarily a great debater or speech maker on the campaign trail.

But Walsh could walk into a steel mill or auto plant and know how to connect with the workers, unlike Harris.

He’s currently making more than $3 million a year as head of the National Hockey League players’ union – not a bad fallback in case he gets passed over.

Walsh is not mentioned on Harris’s reported short lists but her campaign has notably not ruled out picking someone not currently holding elective office.

Someone (probably one of Marty’s pals in the labor movement) is circulating a “Draft Marty Walsh for Vice President” petition on the internet looking to get Harris’s attention.

“He’s a champion of the American worker and a crucial ally to the organized labor movement,” the petition reads. “With Marty Walsh on the ticket with Kamala Harris, American workers will have the strongest possible voice in the next administration.”

There are several problems with the petition.

Number one, vice presidential nominees aren’t drafted anymore. That’s a relic of the 1950s. The presidential candidate now picks one after a lengthy vetting process.

And if the Draft Marty organizer is looking to show a groundswell of support for Walsh, it’s not working. As of Friday evening, just a paltry 96 people had signed the petition.

Even if Walsh is an unlikely choice for VP nominee, he will play a prominent advisory role in the campaign and could still land in Harris’s Cabinet if the Democratic nominee wins in November.

Harris desperately needs to counter her liberal San Francisco elitist roots on the ticket with someone more moderate who relates to the working class.

Walsh, a son of Irish immigrants, served as Labor Secretary for two years but disappointed some labor advocates because he wasn’t aggressive or bold enough. Then, he left to cash in on the sports sector.

It’s still possible but very unlikely that Harris surprises the experts and picks Walsh, because other potential picks certainly have more star power.

Popular Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro would be a good choice – but his support of Israel would make liberals and Hamas supporters angry. It will be interesting to see if Harris has the guts to buck the party’s liberal elite and pick someone like Shapiro.

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is a safer choice. He’s a former astronaut and Navy captain elected in a special election to replace the legendary John McCain. Kelly is from an important swing state and is a moderate who beat a Republican incumbent for the first time in Arizona in decades.

Kelly’s parents were retired police officers and he was raised in New Jersey, and is married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot and nearly killed in 2011.