Hillary Clinton is almost certainly going to be the Democratic nominee for president in 2016. Soon enough, she’ll have to decide on a suitable running mate. Whom will she choose?
Whether Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, or a dark horse candidate is nominated at the GOP convention in July, the former first lady may be looking to add some diversity to her ticket in an election cycle that has so far largely been defined by immigration and the Black Lives Matter movement. Many speculate that she would like to find a Latino running mate (especially if Cruz, with Cuban heritage, were to become the GOP nominee). However, a look at the Democratic bench finds that her options here are surprisingly slim.
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One name frequently mentioned as a possible VP candidate for Hillary is Julian Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio who became President Obama’s housing secretary in 2014.
But Castro is only 41 years old, and he looks even younger. He doesn’t even speak Spanish fluently, according to reports. His record is thin. The mayoral position in San Antonio, for example, is a part-time, largely ceremonial gig. Most of the actual governing is carried out by an unelected city manager. Before that, Castro served on the city council.
Some liberal groups are even attacking Castro for not being progressive enough, which could be problematic for Hillary, who will presumably want to placate the left-wing of the Democratic Party after vanquishing Bernie Sanders, her socialist opponent.
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But if not Julian Castro, then whom? The Democratic bench of Latino politicians with executive experience is relatively thin. There are more than a few Hispanic Democrats in the House of Representatives from which she could choose, but the House isn’t typically where one looks for a vice presidential candidate.
What about governors? Democrats currently hold the governorship in just 18 states, and not one of these is held by a Latino. The governors of Nevada and New Mexico are both Hispanic, but they’re Republicans.
Former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson is a possibility, but not really. He’s been on the Clinton’s “naughty list” since endorsing Barack Obama over Hillary in 2008.
What about Obama’s cabinet? There’s Julian Castro, and then there’s Tom Perez, the secretary of labor. Perez is certainly a viable option. He’s older and more experienced than Castro, and is popular among progressives. But that’s about it, given that he has next to no experience in elected office (he was once a county commissioner!).
Hillary could look to the Senate, but the only Hispanic Democrat she’d find is Bob Menendez of New Jersey. He’s too old (62) and too scandal-plagued to even consider. Former senator Ken Salazar, who served as Obama’s secretary of the interior from 2009 to 2013, has been mentioned as a possible veep choice for Hillary, but when it comes to viable candidates who are currently serving, there just aren’t that many options.
