As the race narrows down, frontrunners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are beginning to shift their focus toward the general election. Historically, vice presidential picks have been used to convince voters who are on the fringe or haven't quite made up their minds. If she wins the nomination, Clinton must choose her Vice President wisely because he or she will have the potential to either boost or injure her campaign. From this point on, the stakes only become higher, and because of this, there are six potential vice presidents that Clinton shouldn't pick because they could easily tank her campaign.
In an interview with The New York Times, Richard W. Riley, former education secretary under President Bill Clinton, hinted that the likely Democratic nominee understands the importance of this looming decision.
Hillary understands how the vice presidency can work well, and not work well, far better than anyone running or anyone on her staff. And she and Bill Clinton know he’d have to be very careful about how he relates to the vice president. Hillary is the decision maker now.
In order to avoid criticism from the Right and ensure her Veep choice is received well by voters, Clinton should steer clear of choosing any politician affiliated with corporate interests or Wall Street. Additionally, choosing a Democrat who sides with social conservatism could cost her any young voters that she's managed to attract. While considering these possible candidates, Clinton — who was heavily involved in her husband's hunt for a vice president — will surely take these concerns into account.
1) Bill Clinton
There's no question that the former president has a lot of experience. But if Clinton chose her husband as her running mate, it may take away from the fact that it's her turn to hold the reigns. After all, she should be noticed foremost for her own accomplishments, not for those of her husband.
2) Evan Bayh
As The Washington Post's Ezra Klein bluntly pointed out, the former Senator of Indiana Evan Bayh has made some hypocritical moves since his retirement. For example, Bayh became a member of the board of directors for Marathon Petroleum Company in 2011. For anyone concerned about passing legislation that supports renewable energy instead of oil companies, that position could be perceived as a major conflict of interest. Additionally, Bayh signed on as a contributor for Fox News. In short, he's committed a political crime — flip-flopping.
3) Bob Casey
After the recent Supreme Court case on the Texas anti-abortion law, pro-choice activism has claimed a spot in the public arena. For pro-choice voters, the Democratic Party is the only alternative to Trump's socially conservative views. Bob Casey's pro-life stance could get in the way of that.
4) Deval Patrick
Patrick is definitely not a bad choice, but there would be some concerns among voters who already doubt Clinton because of her ties to big business interests. The former Governor of Massachusetts is now an investor for Mitt Romney's Bain Capital.
5) Tim Kaine
As a devout Catholic, Kaine also opposes abortion but wouldn't necessarily overturn Roe vs. Wade. There have been rumors that many Democrats want Kaine as Clinton's VP, saying that the Virginia Senator could help Clinton in swing states and grab the independent voters' support. However, Kaine has rejected the rumors and made it clear that he doesn't want to be on the ticket with Clinton because he loves his current job as senator.
6) Brian Schweitzer
The former Governor of Montana is quite a controversial figure and expressed multiple times that he does not think Clinton is the best choice for Democratic nominee. Aside from agreeing on policy, the vice president and potential president should actually get along. Seeing as Schweitzer is a Democratic version of Donald Trump, their strong personalities might clash.
Clinton's vice president announcement could come sooner than you think, as she would want to publicize her strong ticket ahead of the general election. But whoever Clinton selects as her running mate, I know it shouldn't be any of these six men if she wants to continue her positive momentum through November.
