If Vice President Kamala Harris defeats former President Donald Trump in what is expected to be a close presidential election, she will have to decide whether or not to use her Cabinet to differentiate herself from the Biden administration.

This will be a major consideration, several political scientists told Newsweek.

“Given the circumstances of how Kamala Harris became the nominee—given that she stepped up to continue the campaign started by Biden—one strategy might be to signal some measure of continuity to any voters who have heartburn over the process that led to Biden stepping aside,” politics professor Jeremy Walling of Southeast Missouri State University said.

“With that in mind, I see the value in retaining some members of Biden’s Cabinet, particularly someone like Antony Blinken or Pete Buttigieg who are seen by most as competent and effective.

“That said, Harris certainly wants to differentiate herself from Biden and communicate that this isn’t a ‘same news/new day’ situation. I would expect quite a bit of turnover in the Harris Cabinet.”

Buttigieg is the secretary of transportation and was believed to be under consideration when Harris was choosing her running mate, despite the pair running against each other for the 2020 Democratic nomination.

Several experts named Buttigieg as a likely option in a Harris Cabinet, including professor Christopher A. Cooper, who specializes in political science and public affairs at Western Carolina University.

“I do expect to see a new Cabinet, although I doubt [Harris] will start completely from scratch,” Cooper said. “Pete Buttigieg, for example, has been a reliable Harris surrogate and I expect that he would be rewarded—either with another term as secretary of transportation, or perhaps promotion to a more prominent Cabinet position and department.”

But, while Buttigieg may be someone who stays from Biden’s administration, there could be more to consider when it comes to Blinken, another major player in the current Cabinet, both professors said.

Blinken is Biden’s secretary of state and is seen as someone respected overseas, without making headlines often.

But “foreign/defense policy is an area of clear distinction between Harris and Biden,” Walling said. “The desire to highlight the differentiation between her campaign and Biden’s might make it less likely that she’d retain someone like Blinken.”

Another way Harris may try to set herself apart from Biden is to assemble a “younger, diverse group,” Walling said.

“Youth makes sense given Biden’s age and debate performance,” he said. “Youth suggests energy and vigor, but the trade-off is a loss of experience and wisdom.

“As far as diversity, Biden’s Cabinet was already among the most diverse ever. I would expect Harris to continue that trend.”

But a younger Cabinet would be unlikely to include Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) of New York, despite her prominence in the party, Cooper said.

“The Republicans will likely regain the United States Senate, so Harris’ picks may be somewhat constrained,” he said. “I wouldn’t expect to see an AOC get the nod given the likely difficulties of the nomination process.”

Professor Rosalyn Cooperman, chair of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs at the University of Mary Washington, made a similar point.

“As Cabinet positions are executive appointments that must be confirmed by the Senate, nominees will also have to be confirmable,” she said.

“The calculus of who is confirmable will change slightly depending on whether Democrats maintain party majority of the Senate or if Harris administration nominees will be considered by a Republican-majority Senate.”

Other names that came up from Cooper included North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and California Senator Alex Padilla.

It comes after Harris said she would appoint a Republican to her Cabinet in her CNN interview last month.

This would follow a long tradition of bipartisan governance in U.S. politics. President George W. Bush appointed Democrat Norman Mineta as transportation secretary, and President Barack Obama retained Republican Robert Gates as his defense secretary from the Bush administration.

“Given Vice President Harris’ repeated assertion that she seeks to represent all Americans and bridge divides between the parties, she may make good on that promise by nominating a Republican to serve in her Cabinet,” Cooperman said.

She went on to say Harris would essentially choose “folks she trusts who will work to help advance the administration’s policy priorities.”

Similarly, Walling said: “Ultimately, I think the actual names are less important than providing a balanced slate of competent individuals.

“Above all, Harris needs to assemble a team that will give good information and advice, Walling said. “Secondarily, she probably wants to send a message to citizens that this team will be competent and effective.”

Newsweek has contacted the Harris campaign via email for comment.

Newsweek earlier wrote about what a second Trump term could look like.