Two Ohioans are reportedly on the shortlist for Hillary Clinton’s running mate, according to Wall Street Journal’s Laura Meckler and Colleen McCain Wilson.
Who are they? One you’ve already heard about: Sen. Sherrod Brown. The other? U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Northeast Ohio, who also has been mentioned as a potential Democratic gubernatorial candidate for 2018. Ryan, who regularly sends out news releases in support of Clinton, also has considered running for U.S. Senate.
Who else is on the list? Sen. Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts; Labor Secretary Tom Perez; Sen. Tim Kaine, of Virginia; Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro; Sen. Cory Booker, of New Jersey; Rep. Xavier Becerra, of California; and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.
According to the Associated Press, Castro deflected questions Friday while in his hometown of San Antonio about whether he would accept an invitation from Clinton to become her vice presidential running mate. The 41-year-old former San Antonio mayor says he doesn’t think an offer is “going to happen.”
Vox.com’s Dylan Matthews laid out a case for and against Brown. The case for him is that he could “help Clinton shore up left-leaning Bernie Sanders supporters and perhaps win some white working-class voters away from Trump,” Matthews writes.
If they win, that leaves Brown’s Senate seat open, which allows Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, to pick a replacement. This year, every Senate seat matters so it’s unlikely Democrats will give that up.
Brown has said previously that he’s not interested in the job and wants to stay in the Senate.
The case for Ryan — a former college football player who is an advocate for meditation — is that he’s young and qualified, having spent 14 years in the U.S. House.
“That kind of shtick could help in the Rust Belt and win back some of those drawn to Sanders’ economic platform. Ryan is a staunch labor ally, which could prove helpful given unions’ crucial role in voter turnout operations. And he’s hugely charismatic,” Matthews writes.
But Ryan also just had a change of heart and dropped his opposition to abortion rights. And his mentor was also Rep. Jim Traficant, who went to prison for bribery.
“Regardless of who is chosen as vice president, I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure Hillary Clinton is the next president of the United States,” Ryan said Thursday in a statement his staff emailed to cleveland.com. “As recent events have shown, we are living in trying times and we need a serious leader who has the experience and temperament necessary to tackle our immensely complex global and domestic issues.”
Clinton’s Wednesday stop in Columbus has been moved to Tuesday. No other details have been released.