Presumptive Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton summoned at least three contenders vying to become her running mate to her Washington home on Friday as she closes in on a pick for vice president.
Clinton met separately with US Senator Elizabeth Warren, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, according to a person familiar with the process.
The person would speak only on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting.
Warren and Hickenlooper were seen in separate cars departing the former secretary of state’s home on Friday afternoon. It was unclear if other potential vice presidential candidates met with Clinton during the day. The meetings came a day after the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee campaigned alongside another potential vice presidential choice, US Senator Tim Kaine, in northern Virginia.
Clinton’s meeting happened the same day presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump named Indiana Governor Mike Pence to be on the GOP ticket. For Clinton, the Pence selection offered clarity on the composition of the Trump ticket and certainty of whom her eventual running mate will meet in a fall debate.
While the choice of a vice president has rarely had a dramatic impact on the outcome of a presidential race, the decision is among the most consequential for a presidential nominee and offers a window into the candidate’s priorities and values.
A small group of Clinton campaign confidants have reviewed publicly available information about the potential contenders for more than a month. The in-person meetings come less than two weeks before Clinton formally accepts her party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
Kaine, 58, a former mayor and governor from a key general-election battleground state, is considered to be a safe choice for Clinton, someone who could help her appeal to moderates who have been turned off by Trump’s divisive rhetoric.
Warren, 67, spent about an hour at Clinton’s home, her second visit in the past month. The senator is an economic populist and a favorite of liberals who would help Clinton connect with many of the progressives who backed US Senator Bernie Sanders during the primaries.
Hickenlooper, 64, would bring a Western presence to the ticket and offer a small businessman’s appeal to a candidate who frequently mentions her father’s work as the owner of a small drapery business.
Castro is a 41-year-old former San Antonio mayor who delivered the keynote address at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. If selected, he would be the first Latino on a presidential ticket.
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