Who will Clinton, Rubio, and Christie take as running mates?

[bedstuy]

For Clinton, I would cross off Hickenlooper and Schweitzer.  Both of them aren't really Washington-types and I don't think Clinton would trust them.  Remember, Hickenlooper is basically an accidental politician.  If you haven't read the Ryan Lizza profile on Hickenlooper in the New Yorker I would read it.  Clinton and Schweitzer might get along personally, but I don't think she would want someone so outspoken and non-Washington.

My list for Clinton:
Warner, Klobuchar, Booker, Whitehouse, Vilsack, Bayh, Biden.

[Statesman]

Patrick wouldn't be a drag on a Clinton ticket but probably wouldn't shift any states either way. Patrick is younger than Joe Biden was in 2008, and is still eight years younger than Clinton.

For Clinton:

Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) - Not the first on everyone's minds, but rightfully admired by the liberal base, could solidify Colorado in the unlikely situation that it were to start slipping substantially away from Hillary.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) - May encounter accusations of inexperience and criticism for being only a one term Senator - though he'll have served as much time in the Senate as Barack Obama when he was elected. He's young and may prove to be a political force in time.

Gov. Deval Patrick (D-MA) - Governor for eight years, relatively well liked by the base, a fairly safe pick.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) - Choosing Warren would shore up liberal support big-time.

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) - Young Senator from what may be a swing state in 2016 if Martinez happens to get the nomination or on the GOP ticket

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) - Relatively well liked by the base, from the pivotal swing state of Ohio

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) - Well liked by the base

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) - Would solidify Virginia in Clinton's favor

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) or Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) - Unlikely though experienced picks. It'd be interesting to see someone from my home state finally get on a major party ticket.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) - If there's anytime for the first openly LGBT Vice President, it's with Hillary at the top of the ticket at a time when more and more states are legalizing same-sex marriage - call me crazy but I predict that more than 25 states will have legalized it by 2017.

I'll do Rubio and Christie later.

[Mr. Morden]

Clinton's never going to pick a running mate who's 65 or older, so Murray, Udall, Vilsack, and Warren seem like rather fanciful suggestions.

[Mister Mets]

Patrick wouldn't be a drag on a Clinton ticket but probably wouldn't shift any states either way. Patrick is younger than Joe Biden was in 2008, and is still eight years younger than Clinton.

For Clinton:

Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) - Not the first on everyone's minds, but rightfully admired by the liberal base, could solidify Colorado in the unlikely situation that it were to start slipping substantially away from Hillary.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) - May encounter accusations of inexperience and criticism for being only a one term Senator - though he'll have served as much time in the Senate as Barack Obama when he was elected. He's young and may prove to be a political force in time.

Gov. Deval Patrick (D-MA) - Governor for eight years, relatively well liked by the base, a fairly safe pick.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) - Choosing Warren would shore up liberal support big-time.

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) - Young Senator from what may be a swing state in 2016 if Martinez happens to get the nomination or on the GOP ticket

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) - Relatively well liked by the base, from the pivotal swing state of Ohio

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) - Well liked by the base

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) - Would solidify Virginia in Clinton's favor

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) or Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) - Unlikely though experienced picks. It'd be interesting to see someone from my home state finally get on a major party ticket.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) - If there's anytime for the first openly LGBT Vice President, it's with Hillary at the top of the ticket at a time when more and more states are legalizing same-sex marriage - call me crazy but I predict that more than 25 states will have legalized it by 2017.

I'll do Rubio and Christie later.

I think a younger candidate is more likely to pick a running mate in their 60s than an older candidate is. Though much would depend on the mood of the country. If it seems the voters want reliable leadership, or a particular pairing seems effective, it could happen.

She's probably not going to pick another woman. That might turn off male voters and make her look divisive. I haven't been able to find any female Governor who had a female Lieutenant Governor, and I suspect that's a big part of it.

She's especially unlikely to pick Tammy Baldwin, given all the lesbian rumors. It would be too risky a decision, considering it won't win her any states.

Udall's probably not the right fit (he's old without being impressively experienced), although Clinton would be right to be concerned about Colorado. When Bush ran for President, it was more conservative than the rest of the nation. It did swing towards Obama in 2008 and 2012, although it was less than two percent more liberal than the rest of the country. In a close election, it's certainly in play.

[PolitiJunkie]

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) - May encounter accusations of inexperience and criticism for being only a one term Senator - though he'll have served as much time in the Senate as Barack Obama when he was elected. He's young and may prove to be a political force in time.

As a liberal Democrat from Connecticut, I promise you that Murphy would be a joke of a pick. Murphy sucks; he represents all the bad aspects of the Democratic Party and few of the good. He was clearly the lesser of two evils in a race against the horrendous Linda McMahon, but most CT Democrats found themselves wishing that someone like Himes (CT-4 representative) had stepped up and voted for Murphy with little enthusiasm. He also won by 12 points in a state that Obama won by 22 points. 12 points is still a big win, but it means he is a below average candidate, whereas Obama was an above average candidate (Gore, an average candidate, won by 17 points).

Also, it is very unlikely that Clinton will pick someone from New England on her ticket, and it would be impractical if she did. Clinton has appeal in the Northeast and the South; her ideal VP pick would be from either the Midwest or the West.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Mister Mets, I don't think the rumours about Tammy Baldwin are exactly rumours...

[Blue3]

For Clinton, I would cross off Hickenlooper and Schweitzer.  Both of them aren't really Washington-types and I don't think Clinton would trust them.  Remember, Hickenlooper is basically an accidental politician.  If you haven't read the Ryan Lizza profile on Hickenlooper in the New Yorker I would read it.  Clinton and Schweitzer might get along personally, but I don't think she would want someone so outspoken and non-Washington.

My list for Clinton:
Warner, Klobuchar, Booker, Whitehouse, Vilsack, Bayh, Biden.

The Clinton's started off as Washington outsiders, and still kind of are despite working in the place for so long.

[Mr. Morden]

Mister Mets, I don't think the rumours about Tammy Baldwin are exactly rumours...

He meant the lesbian rumors about HRC.

[bedstuy]

For Clinton, I would cross off Hickenlooper and Schweitzer.  Both of them aren't really Washington-types and I don't think Clinton would trust them.  Remember, Hickenlooper is basically an accidental politician.  If you haven't read the Ryan Lizza profile on Hickenlooper in the New Yorker I would read it.  Clinton and Schweitzer might get along personally, but I don't think she would want someone so outspoken and non-Washington.

My list for Clinton:
Warner, Klobuchar, Booker, Whitehouse, Vilsack, Bayh, Biden.

The Clinton's started off as Washington outsiders, and still kind of are despite working in the place for so long.

That's a strange definition of Washington outsider.  Who counts as a Washington insider then?
Bill Clinton was President for Pete's sake!   

[Blue3]

People who are part of the Washington establishment. You can live and work in Washington and not be part of the "in" crowd. Jimmy Carter was president too, does he also count as a Washington insider?

[Lincoln Republican]

Clinton will need to pick someone relatively new to the national stage who can bring excitement to the Democratic ticket in what is bound to be a lull of a year.  Thus, I think its likely that Clinton (or any 2016 Democratic nom) to pick a new Democratic governor or Senator elected in 2014.  Alternatively, to generate the same kind of energy they could nominate another woman or a minority...

Which raises the question, will America 2016 be ready for a Democratic ticket that features two women or a woman and a racial minority?
 

Two women?  Absolutely 0% chance.

[Mister Mets]

People who are part of the Washington establishment. You can live and work in Washington and not be part of the "in" crowd. Jimmy Carter was president too, does he also count as a Washington insider?

Carter was a one term President, followed by twelve years without Democrats in the White House.

Bill Clinton was a two-termer. He was a popular campaign surrogate during a close loss in 2004. And he was a popular surrogate for his successor in 2012.

After Bill Clinton's presidency, Hillary Clinton became a Senator. Then she served in a presidential cabinet.

It it tougher to be more of an insider than the relative of a president who becomes a Senator, and serves in the White House Cabinet of a former political rival.

[HAnnA MArin County]

I agree with the person who said that Hillary would choose a VP who endorsed her in 2008. The Clintons are loyalists, as seen in numerous member-member congressional races where Bill always campaigned for and supported the candidate in the race who endorsed his wife in 2008 (perhaps the most notable of which was the Pascrell/Rothman election in New Jersey when Bill campaigned for Pascrell, who endorsed Hillary, over Rothman, who backed Obama. I'm sure he will be back on the campaign trail stumping for Hillary supporter Colleen Hanabusa in Hawaii over Brian Schatz, who was for Obama.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned who I thought were the mostly likely VP candidates: what about Ted Strickland and/or Ed Rendell? Rendell was much more passionate and committed to Hillary, but he would be a good selection. This probably wouldn't affect how well she does in Ohio and Pennsylvania since she's already so popular with white, working class blue collar voters in these two states.

As badly as I'm sure she wants to, I don't foresee her choosing another female. She knows that the ticket will have to be balanced.

I think Hillary will choose someone who has appeal to any of the demographics that she lost to Obama in 2008 (and inevitably 2016). This could include an African American, a more liberal/progressive candidate, or someone younger. I don't think she will pick a Hispanic seeing as how she won their votes 2:1 in 2008. I'd say right now choosing a black candidate would be best in her interest to help turn out the massive Obama coalition of voters that probably won't vote in 2016 without Obama on the ticket. Of course, she's more likely to get a larger chunk of the white vote that could offset any losses in the African American community.

I don't see what ties she has to the South other than Arkansas because she lost all the Southern states in 2008 barring Arkansas and Tennessee (and Kentucky, if you consider it Southern). The Southwest was geographically her strongest region in 2008, thanks to Hispanics/Latinos. She probably also wouldn't choose someone from the Northeast/New England, because as someone else already alluded to on here, voters in Middle America would probably be turned off by a ticket of two New England/Northeast liberals. She'd probably consider a candidate from the Inner Mountain West since this was the area in which she performed the worst, but then again, there aren't many stellar Democratic choices in this area other than Brian Schweitzer. It'd be a good pick, but seeing as how I think Schweitzer was for Obama in 2008, if the Clintons stick to their loyalty card, she may choose someone else.

As for the Republicans, it goes without saying that Christie would need to choose a conservative candidate to turn out the base. I don't really pay attention to Republican politics so I can't really speculate as to whom might be the VP. Of course, he may feel like he should pick a woman to not only balance the ticket but mimic Hillary's likely female-male ticket. He did choose a woman as his Lieutenant Governor, too. I think those two would be key factors in his VP decision making.

[Mr. Morden]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned who I thought were the mostly likely VP candidates: what about Ted Strickland and/or Ed Rendell?

Rendell = 72 years old on election day 2016
Strickland = 75 years old on election day 2016

[Blue3]

As badly as I'm sure she wants to, I don't foresee her choosing another female. She knows that the ticket will have to be balanced.

How does having 2 women make it "unbalanced"?

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

As badly as I'm sure she wants to, I don't foresee her choosing another female. She knows that the ticket will have to be balanced.

How does having 2 women make it "unbalanced"?

The same way every ticket throughout history except Mondale/Ferraro and Palin/McCain has been unbalanced.

[morgieb]

Clinton: White male, ideally a Westerner, someone liberal/less DLC, young.
Rubio: Experienced old hand.
Christie: Rising star, maybe a woman?

[morgieb]

Clinton: White male, ideally a Westerner, someone liberal/less DLC, young.
Rubio: Experienced old hand.
Christie: Rising star, maybe a woman?

To extend on this point:

Clinton: Schweitzer is an excellent choice. Kaine and O'Malley works too, as would Warner but that may alienate certain liberals. A younger Western senator like Heinrich would work too.
Rubio: Someone from the mid-west works. If Toomey and Ayotte weren't running for re-election, they would work. Kasich is the best, but I like Daniels as a choice too - both have conservatives thinking they're conservatives, but moderates thinking they're moderates. Branstad if he was a little younger would be good too.
Christie: Needs a conservative, and maybe a woman to soften Christie slightly. Ayotte would be nice but 2 North-Easterners wouldn't work. Martinez however would make Christie almost unbeatable. NFI who else would be a good candidate.

[RJEvans]

Clinton takes O'Malley.
Rubio takes Ayotte.
Christie takes Martinez.

[ShadowRocket]

Hillary- Schweitzer, Kaine, or Patrick
Christie- Jindal, Martinez, or McNorris-Rogers
Rubio- Kasich, Daniels, or Huntsman

[Bull Moose Base]

Hillary should pick Susan Rice to bait the Republicans into an irresistible Benghazi freakout.

[Orser67]

I think Clinton's ideal running mate (from a demographic standpoint) is a young, Catholic, Hispanic, male, so I could see Angel Taveras as Clinton's running mate if he wins the Rhode Island gubernatorial election. Anthony Brown and Cory Booker also could be decent VP candidates if they win in 2014. Obviously the problem with all three is that they are from Northeastern blue states.

I think Clinton would benefit from a running mate from a Western swing state. Maybe one of the Castro brothers would work if Clinton is willing to reach below senators and governors.

Alejandro Garcia Padilla might be a good candidate if Puerto Rico were a state.

[Mister Mets]

I think Clinton's ideal running mate (from a demographic standpoint) is a young, Catholic, Hispanic, male, so I could see Angel Taveras as Clinton's running mate if he wins the Rhode Island gubernatorial election. Anthony Brown and Cory Booker also could be decent VP candidates if they win in 2014. Obviously the problem with all three is that they are from Northeastern blue states.

I think Clinton would benefit from a running mate from a Western swing state. Maybe one of the Castro brothers would work if Clinton is willing to reach below senators and governors.

Alejandro Garcia Padilla might be a good candidate if Puerto Rico were a state.

Padilla could allow Hillary Clinton to make Puerto Rican statehood a top priority. That would excite voters, and potentially give her one hell of a presidential legacy.

If you think she benefits from an African American running mate, Anthony Foxx, Mayor of Charlotte and likely soon to be confirmed Transportation Secretary, offers slightly more geographic diversity.

[milhouse24]

I think Clinton's ideal running mate (from a demographic standpoint) is a young, Catholic, Hispanic, male, so I could see Angel Taveras as Clinton's running mate if he wins the Rhode Island gubernatorial election. Anthony Brown and Cory Booker also could be decent VP candidates if they win in 2014. Obviously the problem with all three is that they are from Northeastern blue states.

I think Clinton would benefit from a running mate from a Western swing state. Maybe one of the Castro brothers would work if Clinton is willing to reach below senators and governors.

Alejandro Garcia Padilla might be a good candidate if Puerto Rico were a state.

Is there anything wrong with Salazar as VP or is he too old?

[Orser67]

Padilla could allow Hillary Clinton to make Puerto Rican statehood a top priority. That would excite voters, and potentially give her one hell of a presidential legacy.

If you think she benefits from an African American running mate, Anthony Foxx, Mayor of Charlotte and likely soon to be confirmed Transportation Secretary, offers slightly more geographic diversity.

Good point about Foxx. I think Foxx would be a better choice if he had held statewide office, but being a Cabinet Secretary at least makes him plausible.

I like the idea about Puerto Rico, but Garcia Padilla is a member of the PDP, which seems to want to retain Puerto Rico's commonwealth status.

I personally think Salazar would be a decent choice, although he's not the most exciting candidate (based on age and appearance). Salazar seems to have had a pretty moderate record, so we'll see whether Clinton wants to energize the base with her pick or appeal to swing voters.

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