Hillary Clinton is expected to announce her running mate later this week during a two-day swing through Florida, NBC News has learned. The presumptive Democratic nominee has campaigned or met with most of the candidates in recent weeks and is set to appear with her final choice before the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Philadelphia next week.
The news could come as soon as Friday at Clinton's afternoon rally at the Tampa fairgrounds. On Saturday, she heads to Miami for a mid-day event at the Florida International University campus.
Overall, the former secretary of state has said she is looking for someone who can seamlessly step into the job of commander-in-chief if needed. "I know what it's like being president. I've seen it up close, I've worked for one, I've had that experience. 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," Clinton told CBS News on Monday.
So, who will she pick? We don't know quite yet, but here's a guide to her vice presidential shortlist:
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine
Campaign stops together this cycle: 2
Confirmed face-to-face meetings: Unknown
Clinton’s take: She “loves” that Kaine deems himself “too boring” and admitted she does “have a fondness for wonks” in an interview with Charlie Rose this week. Clinton was also quick to point out that “he’s never lost an election” and praised him as a “world-class mayor, governor and senator.”
Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack
Campaign stops together this cycle: 7
Confirmed face-to-face meetings: Unknown
Clinton’s take: They’ve known each other for decades. During a rally together in Iowa last year, she said, “Talk about somebody who studies a problem, asks for advice about what will work, puts together teams, collaborates and then delivers. He is exhibit A.”
Labor Sec. Tom Perez
Campaign stops together this cycle: 3
Confirmed face-to-face meetings: 1
Clinton’s take: She loves his “fire” and often praises his work at the Department of Labor on the trail. Perez also spent considerable time campaigning with former President Bill Clinton during the primary season.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Campaign stops together this cycle: 1
Confirmed face-to-face meetings: 2
Clinton’s take: She told Charlie Rose that Warren was “amazing” and lauded what she has done “in a relatively few years to put the agenda of inequality front and center.” They didn’t have a very close relationship before this year but Clinton “loves” the way she “gets under Donald Trump’s thin skin.”
Housing and Urban Development Sec. Julian Castro
Campaign stops together this cycle: 2
Confirmed face-to-face meetings: 1
Clinton’s take: The two are not very close with each other but she said she “thinks really highly” of him back in October and promised to “look hard at him for anything because that’s how good he is.”
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper
Campaign stops together this cycle: 0
Confirmed face-to-face meetings: 2
Clinton’s take: She has dubbed him a “first-class” public servant and invited him for a private coffee meeting at her hotel when she campaigned in Denver late last month.
Retired Admiral James Stavridis
Campaign stops together this cycle: 0
Confirmed face-to-face meetings: Unknown
Clinton’s take: “I knew him when he was our commander at NATO and worked with him there and I think he's exceptional. And now he has transitioned from the military into diplomacy, running the Fletcher School at Tufts,” Clinton told Charlie Rose. “He’s a very impressive man.”
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker
Campaign stops together this cycle: 4
Confirmed face-to-face meetings: 1
Clinton’s take: Booker has been one of Clinton’s most enthusiastic surrogates and she once referred to his introductory remarks as a “great sermon.” At a recent stop in Newark, she called him “a very special senator” and “very special person” who “probably has more energy and charisma than anybody else I know.”
Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown
Campaign stops together this cycle: 4
Confirmed face-to-face meetings: Unknown
Clinton’s take: When she noticed an adoring crowd in Cincinnati this week, she said: “I saw some of you yelling, 'I love you! I love you!' to Sherrod Brown. I love him too. I think his record of service to not only Ohio but now to the country is just extraordinary.”
