Who Will Be Hillary Clinton's Running Mate?

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has secured nearly 1,100 delegates over the last month, putting her on the path to win the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination — though anything could happen. Democratic challenger Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont currently trails Clinton with 432 delegates won, and he has no plans to suspend his passionate campaign. But with Clinton in the lead and, at this time, the projected Democratic nominee, let's focus on her first: Who will be Hillary Clinton's candidate for vice president? There are a few possible — and popular — choices, and one may just be her current challenger.

Yes, there's speculation that Clinton may choose Sanders as her running mate if the latter fails to secure the Democratic nomination. Adding the progressive idol to her ticket may help Clinton unite the Democratic Party, which is staunchly split between the old-school establishment and the Feel the Bern progressives who continue to distrust Clinton and her liberal credentials. Although the Clinton-Sanders voter relationship can sometimes appear hostile and antagonistic over Twitter and Facebook timelines, the two candidates have remained incredibly civil throughout this primary season — and they seem to generally like each other, more so than Clinton and then-Sen. Barack Obama did in 2008. (Remember when Sanders asked America to stop asking about Emailgate? And when Clinton retweeted Sanders?)

It's more likely, however, that Clinton will look beyond her identity as a white woman and pick a running mate who has ties to a more marginalized community. A name that has been tossed around every since Clinton announced her candidacy is Julián Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio and current Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. A Democratic darling, Castro, who's Hispanic, made a name for himself on the national stage at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, where he gave the keynote address and won over America with lines like this:

A couple of Mondays ago was her first day of pre-K. As we dropped her off, we walked out of the classroom, and I found myself whispering to her, as was once whispered to me, "Que dios te bendiga." "May God bless you." She's still young, and her dreams are far off yet, but I hope she'll reach them. As a dad, I'm going to do my part, and I know she'll do hers. But our responsibility as a nation is to come together and do our part, as one community, one United States of America, to ensure opportunity for all of our children.

Yes, Castro's pretty perfect. While Castro seems to be the vice presidential front-runner, there are a few other politicians who are currently bidding for the job. One may be another former mayor, Sen. Cory Booker, the energetic New Jersey politician who rose to national fame as the mayor of Newark. (He also runs the best Twitter account of any politician, ever.) Booker, though, is not too well-liked in Newark, where residents have accused him of caring more about his public image than the state of the city.

Still, Clinton seems to love him — and how could you not? "I think you all got more than a little taste about why this young man is still so special to so many," Clinton said when she introduced him at a recent campaign event in Iowa. "He has given of himself in very personal ways, living with people who felt left out, left behind, working to improve their lives, to create economic and educational opportunity."

Both politicians would be a solid choice for Clinton and further diversify her ticket. It would, indeed, be an amazing thing to see: a woman and a Hipsanic man, or a black man, on the same presidential ticket? Welcome to 2016.