Hillary Clinton is reportedly vetting Elizabeth Warren, but not Bernie Sanders, for running mate

Sen. Elizabeth Warren after meeting with Hillary Clinton — (Image credit: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Hillary Clinton's campaign isn't considering Democratic primary rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as her running mate, but Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is being vetted, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing "people familiar with the process." The winnowing, led by Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, is in its early stages and is using only publicly available information so far.

Warren, 66, and Sanders, 74, both represent the populist left faction of the Democratic Party. Sanders, for his part, "isn't particularly interested in the job, nor is he expecting to be offered it, though he doesn't mind being part of the conversation," The Journal reports, citing a senior Sanders adviser. Instead, the junior senator from Vermont expects to return to the Senate with a higher profile and more influence. Clinton has said she is looking for a running mate prepared to step in as president, and someone who can help enact her policy agenda.

Other names reportedly up for consideration include Labor Secretary Tom Perez, HUD Secretary Julian Castro, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Rep. Xavier Becerra (N.M.), and Sens. Tim Kaine (Va.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), and Cory Booker (N.J.). Warren, Brown, and Booker all face a hurdle in that their states have a Republican governor who would name their replacement, setting back the Democrats' high hopes of taking control of the Senate.

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Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) recently said "hell no" to Clinton picking Warren or another senator from a GOP-led state, but then he had an election lawyer look at Massachusetts law, The Boston Globe reports, and Reid is now confident they've found a loophole that would allow Gov. Charlie Baker (R-Mass.) to appoint a Republican for an acceptably short period of time.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.