Hillary Clinton is expected to announce her vice presidential running mate today through a text message to supporters, according to Bloomberg based on information from people familiar with her plans.
The announcement will come three days before the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Philadelphia on Monday.
Hillary Clinton’s shortlist for VP
Political observers suggest that Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia leading a small group of contenders to become Clinton’s running mate. According to one of the sources, some members of the Obama administration have been advocating for Sen. Kaine.
Other contenders include Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, and retired Admiral James Stavridis, a former supreme allied commander of NATO.
Previous reports indicated that Clinton is also considering Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts as her running mate. Senator Warren’s political ideology is closely similar to Senator Bernie Sanders, and some political observers believe that she would be a great choice for vice president.
Reuters previously reported that Sen. Warren considered the idea of running as Clinton’s VP, but she was concerned if two women running would give the best chance to defeat Donald Trump.
Clinton will likely pick Sen. Kaine as VP
Clinton stayed home in New York on Wednesday and Thursday to consider her running mate for the November 8 election.
In an interview with Charlie Rose of CBS and PBS earlier this week, Clinton said, “I am afflicted with the responsibility gene, and I know what it’s like being president. So for me there is nothing more important than my rock-solid conviction that the person I choose could literally get up one day and be the president of the United States.”
Some Democrats familiar with the VP search told the Wall Street Journal that Clinton will likely pick Senator Kaine, who previously served as mayor of Richmond, governor of Virginia, and chairman of the DNC.
Senator Kaine speaks Spanish fluently after serving as a missionary in Honduras. Political observers believe that he could help Clinton with the Latino community and in Virginia, a heavily contested swing state.
Reuters noted that some liberal groups are convincing Clinton not to select Sen Kaine because he supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is considered as an unfair trade deal by critics including Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders.
