NY Times: Hillary Clinton’s Campaign, Cautious but Confident, Begins Considering Running Mates
Hillary Clinton’s advisers and allies have begun extensive discussions about who should be her running mate, seeking to compile a list of 15 to 20 potential picks for her team to start vetting by late spring.
Mrs. Clinton’s team will grapple with complicated questions like whether the United States is ready for an all-female ticket, and whether her choice for vice president would be able to handle working in a White House in which former President Bill Clinton wielded significant influence on policy.
While the nomination fight is still fluid, Mrs. Clinton is confident enough of victory that she has described a vision of a running mate and objectives for the search, according to campaign advisers and more than a dozen Democrats close to the campaign or the Clintons.
She does not have a front-runner in mind, they said, but she is intrigued by several contenders and scenarios.
Among the names under discussion by Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Clinton and campaign advisers: Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, former governors from the key state of Virginia; Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who represents both a more liberal wing of the party and a swing state; former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, a prominent African-American Democrat; and Thomas E. Perez, President Obama’s labor secretary and a Hispanic civil rights lawyer.
Other Democrats argue that the running mate should be African-American or Hispanic because those two demographic groups have been such strong supporters of Mrs. Clinton — and their votes, as well as those from women, are the key blocs she would need in a general election. In addition to Mr. Patrick and Mr. Perez, Democrats close to the campaign said her advisers were also discussing Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, who is black, and Mr. Castro, who is Hispanic. (Mr. Kaine is also fluent in Spanish.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/24/us/politics/hillary-clinton-vice-president.html?_r=0
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make up the largest group among Hispanics (by a whopping 65%).
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[center]Julián Castro[/center]
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Who he is: The federal housing secretary and former mayor of San Antonio.[/center]
What he could bring to the ticket: A powerful and telegenic speechmaker, he is one of the Democratic Party’s most high-profile Hispanics, in a race in which Hispanic voters will be a key part of the electorate in the fall. Though Mrs. Clinton is popular with many of them, she could face competition if a Hispanic like Senator Ted Cruz or Senator Marco Rubio is on the Republican ticket.
Why he might not be the best choice: At 41, Mr. Castro is young, often comes across that way, has relatively limited experience, and has few accomplishments outside of politics and government. Many Democrats think he will be on a ticket someday, but needs more seasoning.
Yes, he's young, but don't underestimate him. He can act a bit 'bleu' at times, but I've seen him when he gets a little testy - and he's focused! He's not Cuban-American but Mexican-American, and he's been learning Spanish since at least 2010. I'm certain he's fluent in Spanish by now. He also hails from Texas, a State with 38 electoral college votes, and the fastest growing Mexican-American population just behind New Mexico and California.
From a 2014 (2 years old) article:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/01/24/in-2014-latinos-will-surpass-whites-as-largest-racialethnic-group-in-california/
Just my thoughts.
