2016 VP Thoughts

Hillary Clinton - it would probably behoove Hillary Clinton to reach out to Bernie Sanders for her VP slot if she wins the Democratic nomination, he has energized millions with his vision for America and she needs to keep those voters solid.  I'm guessing Bernie would feel that he could continue to make more of an impact by staying in the Senate though, so don't look for it to happen.  Another name that makes a lot of sense for Clinton is Julian Castro, he's one of the rising stars of the Democratic party and would appeal to a lot of Latino voters.  Tim Kaine would probably be the other top candidate, he is very well respected, he's got legislative experience and is a former civil rights attorney.  Longshot candidates would include Corey Booker, Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden.

Bernie Sanders - I think it's safe to say that Hillary Clinton would not be on Bernie Sanders list, nor would she want that position.  The ideal VP candidate for Bernie would be Elizabeth Warren, they would form quite the progressive tandem and I'm guessing they would really energize the base.  She may feel she can have more of an impact by staying in the Senate though.  Outside of Warren, I'm guessing you'd be looking at people like Martin O'Malley & Sherrod Brown, both are from the progressive wing and well respected by the base.  Longshot candidates would include Corey Booker, Kate Brown, Donna Edwards and Tulsi Gabbard.  Bigger longshots, but worth considering would include Governors like Jerry Brown and Mark Dayton and current Secretary of State John Kerry.

Donald Trump - from what I've heard, he'd want to pick someone with some political experience.  I wasn't real sure who he'd consider until Chris Christie gave him an endorsement, I wondering if a VP offer was the price of that endorsement.  Christie still has some fans on the right wing and his personality would probably form a formidable duo to many.  I could see Trump reaching out to John Kasich too, he has had a decent showing this primary season and is very popular in swing state Ohio.  Ben Carson has indicating that he'd be open to the slot, but I'm guessing that Trump goes a different direction.  A hard right conservative politician like Jeff Sessions would make a lot of sense too.  Longshot candidates would include Sarah Palin and Scott Brown.

Ted Cruz - this is a tough one, he doesn't have many friends on the campaign trail and doesn't have many allies in the Senate.  I could see him reach out to swing state candidates like Rubio and Kasich, but I'm not sure either would want to work with him.  If I had to make a guess I could see him reaching out to the Freedom Caucus and tabbing Jim Jordan or perhaps Mike Lee from the Senate.  Either would certainly solidify his support among the far right base.  Longshot candidates would include the likes of Mia Love and Bobby Jindal.

Marco Rubio - the 2 names that immediately jump to mind for Rubio are John Kasich and Nikki Haley.  Kasich because he'd help in swing state Ohio, Haley because she would help with women and the far right base.  Lonshot picks, would include his mentor Jeb Bush, Susana Martinez, Rob Portman and Tim Scott.

I'm not even going to bother with John Kasich or Ben Carson, they are both on borrowed time at this point, I could see both dropping out after Super Tuesday.