Clinton Interviews Potential Running Mates as Deadline Nears

Hillary Clinton met with three potential running mates at her home in Washington Friday, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, as she and her aides conferred on selecting a vice presidential candidate ahead of the party's national convention, according to people familiar with the talks.

As well as Warren, a favorite of the Democratic Party's progressive wing, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Housing Secretary Julian Castro met separately with the presumptive Democratic nominee, according to the people, who asked for anonymity to discuss the private talks. The list of contenders for the vice presidential nomination is also said to include Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, Labor Secretary Tom Perez and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Clinton is holding multiple meetings at her Washington home related to the decision on a running mate, said one of the people. The meetings were reported earlier by NBC.

Warren, 67, delivered her endorsement of Clinton at a joint appearance on June 27 in Cincinnati that served as an appeal to the backers of primary challenger Bernie Sanders and impressed Clinton's advisers. Warren has also been adept at needling Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee who named Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate on Friday.

Hickenlooper, 64, discussed the vice presidential search with Clinton when she was in Denver at the end of June to unveil her campaign's technology platform. Castro, 41, is a rising star within the Democratic Party who's likely to motivate Hispanic voters, a crucial constituency in the November election.

Conventions Loom

The party conventions have served as deadlines for both presumptive nominees to round out their tickets. Republicans will meet in Cleveland starting on Monday; Democrats gather in Philadelphia from July 25.

Clinton has taken advantage of prospective running mates' willingness to appear as surrogates or warm-up acts for Clinton at campaign events, or on Sunday news shows and in other television interviews.

The Democrat indicated in a June interview with CBS that as she considers her choice, she is more focused on governance than the election.

"I'm going to be looking first and foremost as to who I believe could fulfill the responsibilities of being president," she said.