early and often

Report: Bernie Sanders Isn’t Being Vetted As Hillary Clinton’s VP

Sen. Bernie Sanders
Maybe Clinton and Sanders are better as “just friends.” Photo: Bill Clark/© 2016 CQ-Roll Call, Inc.

Hillary Clinton’s last interaction with Bernie Sanders may have been “positive,” but that doesn’t mean she’s willing to join forces with the Vermont senator for good. Although there has been some speculation Sanders could be in the running for a spot as Clinton’s running mate, on Wednesday, her campaign quashed the rumor by revealing that he isn’t even being considered.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the vetting is still in its early stages, but Sanders’s name isn’t on the short-list. Those under consideration are reportedly:

  • Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts (duh),
  • Labor Secretary Tom Perez,
  • Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro,
  • Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, 
  • Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio,
  • Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey,
  • Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti,
  • Representative Xavier Becerra of California, and
  • Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio.

So far, each candidate has been vetted using publicly available information; the Clinton campaign hasn’t asked anyone to submit tax returns, and Clinton is just beginning to meet with prospective candidates herself. Based on the results of a new Bloomberg poll, most of Clinton’s supporters (35 percent) are hoping she’ll choose Warren as a running mate, while Booker was their second choice.

A few Sanders surrogates have expressed the belief that Clinton ought to tap Sanders as VP because of the “ideas and energy” he’s brought to the race. But according to his aides, Sanders himself isn’t expecting to be offered the job. Instead, he’ll focus on his work in the Senate, where he’s likely to have considerably more pull (or at least more name recognition) following the campaign.

Report: Sanders Not Being Vetted As Clinton’s VP