By this time in any other presidential election year, the buzz around possible vice presidential picks would be off the charts. But thanks to a choice between two historically unpopular candidates, interest in who takes shotgun on either campaign is historically low.
There are, reportedly, nine politicians on Hillary Clinton’s Veep list, with Sens. Tim Kaine and Elizabeth Warren, as well as HUD Secretary Julian Castro leading the pack. She’s also, according to sources, checked out Sen. Cory Booker from New Jersey—a popular, culturally savvy former mayor—and Sens. Mark Warner and Al Franken.
Among those, Booker and Castro are the natural favorites: both minority candidates with wide millennial appeal, experience in management, social media savvy and a long career ahead of them. Unless they were turned off by Clinton’s bathroom server situation, both are probably very likely to jump at the chance. Plus, no one really thinks Clinton would run on a ticket with Al Franken.
For Trump, the field is narrower. According to Heat Street sources favorable to Trump and familiar with the ongoing process, the campaign has been regularly contacting VP candidates but most have been reticent to sign on the dotted line.
So far, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is the only confirmed Veep contender to receive any actual paperwork from the Trump campaign, so that the campaign can begin combing through public records and researching his background. He’s always been a top possibility for Trump, given that, in the weeks following his concession, he made a good, if obviously terrified personal lackey.
Given that Trump would likely consider himself above all other factors when judging his second in command, Christie would fit in nicely. And while Christie seems to be silently screaming for help behind Trump during speeches, behind the scenes he’s reportedly been invaluable to the campaign as a financial bundler and strategist, helping to court donors, write speeches and prepare Trump for the presidential stage.
Newt Gingrich is also a very strong possibility for Trump’s VP, and brings with him the confidence of major Republican donors and an unmatched enthusiasm for the job (out of the spotlight, he’s spent most of the last four years visiting zoo animals and publishing childrens’ books). Gingrich is a known Clinton enemy, but he’s also roundly unpopular, with an unfavorable rating hovering around 60%.
Sen. Bob Corker is also reportedly on Trump’s short list, but only because he’s one of the few seasoned senators who haven’t yet spoken on Trump and are still beloved within the GOP. Picking Corker would be a compromise move for Trump, and a signal that he’s ready to align with the RNC’s election priorities—an unlikely scenario.
And there’s always a last best hope, Gov. John Kasich. Kasich should be out of the running —after all, he’s been reticent to fully endorse Trump even after losing to him in the primary—but sources close to the GOP say that Kasich’s sustained popularity (he’s polling ahead of Trump against Hillary in some key battleground states) and moderate, Rust Belt background make him a tantalizing and reasonable choice.
The key factor in whether Trump selects any of these top possibilities is what Trump views as his priority: whether that’s winning the White House, winning the hearts and minds (and campaign contributions) of Republican stalwarts, or some combination of both.
