Rarely have two US presidential candidates needed more from running mates than Democratic hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican hopeful Donald Trump.
The Democratic and Republican frontrunners in this year’s White House race are unusually unpopular, polls show, despite their success with voters in their respective parties.
Clinton has struggled to generate excitement about her candidacy and assuage voter concerns about her trustworthiness, while Trump fares badly among women and minorities in polls.
Their weaknesses only increase the importance of their vice presidential picks, who could potentially help them rally support in key demographics ahead of the Nov. 8 vote — if each gets their party’s nomination.
Hispanic advocacy groups are lobbying Clinton to choose a Hispanic running mate. The person most often mentioned, US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro — who is one of the party’s rising stars — is opposed by liberal activists who accuse him of favoring Wall Street firms in the sale of distressed mortgages.
Some of the groups have started an online petition against Castro’s candidacy, which has angered the Latino Victory Fund, a nonpartisan advocacy group that has been pushing for a Latino vice presidential nominee.
“These attacks against Secretary Castro are completely unfounded, short-sighted, and only serve to pit us against each other,” Latino Victory Fund president Cristobal Alex said.
The US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has called on Clinton to choose Castro.
Democratic strategist Joe Velasquez, a Clinton supporter, said a Hispanic running mate could make a difference in swing states such as Florida, Colorado, Nevada and Virginia, which have large Hispanic populations. Polls show Hispanic voters overwhelmingly dislike Trump, in part because of his comments likening illegal immigrants to criminals.
US Secretary of Labor Tom Perez has also been mentioned as a possible Latino pick.
However Clinton’s decision is not clear-cut.
Given Trump’s unpopularity with some moderate Republicans, she might want a vice president who can wrest away some of those voters. Someone such as US Senator Tim Kaine — who personally opposes abortion, but supports a woman’s right to choose — or Senator Cory Booker, who has close ties to the financial sector.
There was no immediate comment from Castro, Kaine, Perez or Booker.
However, Clinton might give a higher priority to winning over liberal democrats, who see her as too pro-Wall Street and have flocked to Democratic presidential rival Senator Bernie Sanders.
US senators Sherrod Brown —who is a fierce opponent of global trade deals — and Elizabeth Warren — a fierce critic of the banking industry — have both been named as possible vice president picks.
Brown and Warren did not respond to requests for comment.
The Clinton campaign confirmed a report in the Boston Globe that Clinton would include at least one woman in any short list of vice presidential candidates to be vetted.
Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis is skeptical that Clinton needs to spend much time appeasing the liberal wing of her party if she wins the nomination.
“As much as people have made out this race between Clinton and Sanders to be an ideological death match, Donald Trump will do more to bring the Democratic Party together than anyone has ever done,” he said.
Trump is viewed unfavorably by 80 percent of Democrats, according to a Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll.
However, other Democrats fear the increasingly bitter Clinton-Sanders battle has fractured the party.
US Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid’s former top aide Jim Manley said Clinton’s pick “has to be viewed through a prism of, among other things, their ability to bring on Sanders voters.”
Reuters/Ipsos polling suggests Clinton would struggle to attract some Sanders voters. When asked what they would do if Clinton was the nominee, 15 percent of Sanders supporters said they would stay home on election day and 16 percent said they would vote for the Republican nominee. Forty-nine percent said they would vote for Clinton.
Both the Clinton and Trump campaigns refused to comment on the vice presidential speculation, saying they remain focused on winning their respective nominating contests.
Clinton holds a commanding lead among the party delegates who are to pick the party’s nominee, but Sanders has pledged to keep fighting.
Trump might not have the US Republican nomination locked down until the summer, if he can beat off challenges by Republican presidential hopefuls Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich.
Typically, vice presidential selections are vetted for weeks after a candidate has emerged as the party’s nominee and are announced shortly before the party conventions in the summer.
Trump’s polarizing candidacy could make his job of finding a running mate more difficult. For much of the campaign season, many in the Republican establishment, along with well-funded political committees, have been looking for ways to keep Trump from winning the Republican nomination.
Trump has stated his preference for an established office-holder rather than a political neophyte like himself, specifically listing Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, US Senator Marco Rubio, and Kasich.
Walker, who has endorsed Cruz, laughed when he was asked about the prospect, but has been noncommittal.
Rubio has repeatedly rejected the idea.
Kasich two weeks ago said there was “zero chance” of his playing second fiddle to Trump, despite mounting speculation that he would be an ideal candidate because of his deep government experience and Ohio’s crucial role as a general election swing state.
A source close to Kasich told reporters that the governor has no interest in working with Trump as the two do not agree on much.
Cruz last week said he would not be Trump’s running mate, while telling reporters in Hollywood, Florida on Wednesday that “a Trump-Kasich ticket loses to Hillary Clinton.”
Republican strategist Tony Fratto said Trump might be forced to turn to “guys at the end of their careers, not people who believe they have a future. Someone in their last act who has nothing to lose by accepting an offer from Trump.”
That might include New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who has been one or the few establishment politicians to campaign for Trump, or Florida Governor Rick Scott, who has endorsed Trump. Both are in their final terms in office.
Christie was asked about the prospect in an interview with a New Jersey radio station on Thursday.
“The way I think about these things, you never say ‘never,’” he said.
Other names linked to Trump include former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani, US Senator Jeff Sessions, a Trump adviser, and former Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson.
There was no immediate comment from Sessions, Scott and Giuliani.
Armstrong Williams, a close adviser to Carson, said the former White House hopeful does not want the slot.
“At this point he has no interest in being in politics ... none,” Williams said. “I think Trump is looking for someone with government experience, someone who is more political.”
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, people have been asking if Taiwan is the next Ukraine. At a G7 meeting of national leaders in January, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that Taiwan “could be the next Ukraine” if Chinese aggression is not checked. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that if Russia is not defeated, then “today, it’s Ukraine, tomorrow it can be Taiwan.” China does not like this rhetoric. Its diplomats ask people to stop saying “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow.” However, the rhetoric and stated ambition of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Taiwan shows strong parallels with