Clinton-???: A Look at the VeepStakes

Once Hillary Clinton gets through Tuesday with 2,383 delegates and the primaries begin to fade into our rearview, the unofficial "race" for the Vice-Presidential nomination of the Democratic Party will begin in earnest. This is, of course, the job that everyone says they don't want (usually), but no one turns down, outside of extraordinary circumstances. Given Hillary's lead in the polls, sometimes very small, sometimes large, getting the nod from her to be VP is a good bet for any Democratic politician who harbors dreams of the White House for themselves. There are no shortage of potential picks there, both young and old. She will have plenty of interested parties.

In accordance with such, this is my current list of potentials, ranked in my preference order.

1. Elizabeth Warren- I've completely come on board with this one. Senator Warren has done a great job of being the voice of progressive economic policy inside the Senate, but the one thing she has done better than that is rip Donald Trump apart, and get under his thin-skin. She would electrify progressives and bring an authentic populist voice to the ticket. She would go a long way to unifying the party too. The cons on her are geography (Massachusetts), her being in her 60s, and the somewhat unfounded fear of putting two women on the ticket.
2. Cory Booker- If i'm rooting for anyone to get this nod, it's Senator Booker (I worked on his Senate coordinated campaign in NJ in 2014). He's young, he gives a great speech, he's refreshing, and now he's fairly qualified- having both run a large city and been a Senator for several years. Senator Booker being African-American and young would be a real shot in the arm to Democratic hopes of re-creating the "Obama coalition," and the guy has a genuinely great story to tell. The cons on him are geography (New Jersey and her native New York are neighbors) and perceived experience.
3. Julian Castro- Secretary Castro, like Senator Booker, is the future of our party. He's young, gives a great speech, is photogenic, and also now has a very impressive resume. He also was Mayor of a large city (San Antonio) and now serves in President Obama's cabinet (HUD Secretary). He also gives an impressive speech, and his Latino roots also would go a long way to helping Democrats re-create the "Obama coalition." He's another guy with a great personal story too. The cons on him are geography (we're not going to win his native Texas) and perceived experience. 
4. Al Franken- Senator Franken would make this the most colorful election in recent memory. The Minnesota progressive is well liked amongst his Senate peers, and has spent most of his political career "toning it down," but you know that if Donald Trump decides to make this a fire fight, Senator Franken can throw one-liners better than anyone in politics. He's funny, likable, and acceptable to progressives. He also could be a real lift in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. His cons are that he's white, male, and straight. 
5. Thomas Perez- The Labor Secretary has quietly crept up everyone's boards, and should get a good, long look for this job. Perez is a Latino, which obviously helps on that "Obama coalition" front, but he is also loved by organized labor, who will be key in fighting back against the "Trump coalition." Perez's cons are lower name recognition (comparable to the first four), geography (Maryland), and lack of electoral experience.
6. Sherrod Brown- The Ohio Senator checks off many boxes. For one, he's a real populist, and would excite progressives. Two, he represents the swing-state of swing-states. Three he's qualified. He'd play well in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. The cons on him are that he's white, male, and straight. 
7. Tim Kaine- The Virginia Senator has an impressive resume. He's been Governor and Lt. Governor of Virginia. He's been U.S. Senator. He has an impressive civil rights resumes. He represents a huge swing-state. He would seem to be perfect. The cons on him are his demographics- white, male, and straight- and that he is not perceived as overly "exciting."
8. Bernie Sanders- While this seems to be a very, very unlikely pick, I put him here, in part because even as a solidly Clinton partisan, I could welcome him with open arms. Obviously he'd unify the party. Obviously his support groups, especially youth, would be excited. Obviously he'd please progressives. The cons are his demographics- white, male, straight, and old- and the obviously uncomfortable union of two primary rivals who eventually got nasty with each other.
9. Xavier Becerra- Congressman Becerra has represented downtown Los Angeles in the U.S. House for over 20 years. He's in the leadership there. He's Latino. He can throw a "zinger" with the best of them. He would set Trump over the edge. The cons on him are geography (we're going to win California), his long legislative record, and his relative lack of name recognition.
10. Hilda Solis- The current Los Angeles County Supervisor has served as U.S. Labor Secretary and Congresswoman as well. She has an impressive resume, is a Latina, and has a solidly pro-labor background. I keep her on this list because she would be another real progressive and populist. The cons on her are geography (California), long legislative record, and perceptions about her time at Labor.

Now, as you'll all see, I did not call being a Senator a "con." I don't see it as such. You'll also see that later in this list, I picked people not rumored in the news, which I did because I wanted some "outside the box" names here. If you asked me to guess though, one of the first seven will end up as the pick.