Democrats Debate Hillary Clinton’s VP Selection

We’re just inside three months from the first primary and already top Democrats are openly mulling Hillary Clinton’s running mate selection. The Hill reports:

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro is a favorite. His backers think the 41-year-old would give the Democratic ticket a youthful face and help the party with Hispanics. But he’s hardly alone, and other Democrats floated possibilities that include Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack and even the current vice president, Joe Biden.

The wide-ranging opinions highlight the importance to Democrats of making the right choice in a presidential race where they’re trying to maximize turnout in order to keep the White House, win back the Senate and take a big bite out of the Republicans’ historic majority in the House. Clinton, 68, is a household name vying to become the nation’s first female president. To add some symmetry to a ticket topped by the former first lady, the short list of potential running mates, in many Democrats’ eyes, features fresher faces with a nonwhite ethnic background. Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio, is often first to be mentioned.

Some see an African-American fitting that bill. Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) floated several possibilities, including former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, 59; Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), the 46-year-old former Newark mayor; and California Attorney General Kamala Harris, 51, who’s currently running to replace outgoing Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). But Hastings also noted the importance of regional factors as the Democrats hope to secure battleground states. He suggested Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who chaired Clinton’s 2008 campaign, might be in the mix.

My money is on Castro or Booker.