Now that Hillary has officially won the nomination, the next question is, who should her vice presidential choice be. One possibility I heard was that she might go outside the box and pick someone with a strong business background to counteract Trump. There has also been a lot of buzz that she might pick Elizabeth Warren or some other progressive in order to bring Bernie Sanders voters into the fold. Other speculation has focused on Latino choices, in order to run up her totals among that demographic given Trump’s demagoguery.
Elizabeth Warren — She would be a good pick if Hillary wants to unify the Clinton and Sanders wings. She took up many of the issues that Bernie Sanders raised. Also, it would be an embarrassment for Trump to lose to two women.
Julian Castro — He gave the keynote speech in the 2012 convention like Barack Obama did in 2004. Could that propel him to the White House? He is young and ambitious and give Latino voters their version of Jack Kennedy. He is from Texas, which the Democrats are looking to put in play this cycle.
Tom Perez — He is the well-liked Secretary of Labor, and endorsed Hillary Clinton in December. The Upshot this morning made a great case that President Obama was more dependent on white working class voters in the north than popularly believed. In other words, he could have done just as poorly as Kerry did among Latino voters and still beaten Mitt Romney. Tom Perez would also give Latino voters even more of a reason to register to vote.
Xavier Becerra — He has also been mentioned; he is a prominent member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and has been a reliable vote in the House.
Bernie Sanders — To everyone’s surprise, Bernie showed that he had the money and organization to go the distance this cycle. He brought young people into the process and his appeal as a grandfatherly figure (warts and all) endeared him to folks and made socialism cool again. Surprisingly, he sided with Hillary Clinton 93% of the time in the Senate, so they have much more common ground than popularly believed.
Martin O’Malley — The only reason he didn’t take off was because of Sanders. He ran with many of the same progressive issues that Senator Sanders did.
John Kasich — He is from Ohio, and he has refused to endorse Donald Trump this cycle, staying in the race well after he was finished. We were interested in a unity ticket of Kerry and McCain in 2004. Is a unity ticket in the cards to beat Donald Trump?
Jeff Bezos — He has big ideas about the future, and as a businessman, he would be a good counter to Donald Trump.
Sherrod Brown — Not well liked by Bernie Sanders, but as a resident of a battleground state, his presence in the race would help Hillary Clinton in Ohio. He has strong progressive credentials.
Nancy Pelosi — Nancy Pelosi made history as the first woman to become Speaker of the House. How about two women making history?
Charlie Crist — Another idea if Hillary wants to put forward a unity ticket. He is from a battleground state; he would counter Trump, who is popular among conservatives in Florida. He would be similar to Lloyd Bentsen; as a grandfatherly figure, he would have strong appeal.
Bill DeBlasio — A rising star in Democratic circles; he has both strong progressive credentials and is a Friend of Bill. President Obama, at the recent Mayor’s Conference, touted our country’s mayors as problem solvers (as opposed to the GOP Congress); is that a hint?
Ed Murray — The mayor of Seattle, he helped pass one of the country’s first $15 wages. He would have strong labor credentials and provide a contrast to Trump among white working class voters as Trump would get rid of the minimum wage.
Mark Dayton — Another grandfatherly figure. Supported the creation of a US Department of Peace in the Senate. He would help with those who feel Hillary is too hawkish. He is against big money in politics. Like Obama, he fights gridlock tooth and nail. On the downside, he is against medical marijuana.
Tim Kaine — Would bolster the ticket on foreign policy. He is from Virginia, which is a battleground state that Hillary Clinton has to win. On the downside, he may be too moderate for some progressives who voted for Sanders.