CONNOR HOFFMAN
Assistant News Editor
After the last few primaries, the focus of the election has shifted to the general election. Who the nominees will pick as their running mates has been a hotly contested issue in the media lately.
This election will be a very close one, and the vice presidential nominations could make a huge difference. Hillary Clinton may be trouncing Donald Trump, but come general election season, that gap will shrink.
Traditionally, the role of the vice president as a running mate has been to help the president attract a voter group or win a swing state. Ronald Reagan chose George H.W. Bush as his running mate to help attract more moderate and independent voters. Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate to attract voters that were scared he was too inexperienced.
It looks like Trump is going to be the Republican nominee unless a contested convention does happen this August. Sen. Ted Cruz, the most poised to benefit from a contested convention, just announced that Carly Fiorina would be his pick for a running mate.
If Trump hopes to win come November he must choose the right running mate, because that person will have to appeal to all of the groups that Trump has turned off.
Trump has an approval rating of 7 percent with African Americans, 15 percent with Latinos, 24 percent with women and 31 percent overall, according to an April 14 ABC News poll.
With all that in mind, there have already been several suggestion for who Trump should pick for his running mate.
Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich are obvious choices that Trump could use to claim the nomination. He could use Cruz to appeal to the outsiders more and run an even more anti-establishment campaign, or he could use Kasich to appeal to moderates and independents. Personally, I think both would be terrible running mates for Trump.
One of the best suggestions I’ve heard so far was actually from Bill O’Reilly, believe it or not.
He suggested Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico in one of his recent shows, according to Politico. Martinez would be a huge asset to the Trump campaign. She would be able to appeal to Latinos, women and conservative voters.
Dr. Ben Carson has also been another name mentioned. Carson could be a serious asset to Trump, but I think Trump would benefit more from announcing he’s appointing him to his cabinet.
I think Sen. Marco Rubio would be a great running mate for Trump. They are both pretty conservative, and Rubio isn’t too tied to the establishment. Also, Florida is a key state for anyone hoping to win in the upcoming election.
On the other side, it looks all but locked up for Clinton. However, she’s in almost as bad as shape with her public image as Trump is. Clinton has an overall average favorability rating of 38.1 percent, according to Real Clear Politics.
I think Sen. Elizabeth Warren is one of the best nominations that Clinton could make. She is as progressive, if not more, than Sen. Bernie Sanders. Also, she could attract the youth vote for Clinton.
Another name that has been thrown around is Julian Castro, the Urban Development secretary, according to The Hill. Castro is only 41 years old and is Latino American. He would be able to garner votes from the Latino community and young voters.
Clinton could try to get former Sen. Jim Webb, a former Marine, to enhance her conservative credentials for average voters, but he did just recently endorse Trump over Clinton, according to CNN.
There are also the crucial swing states that Trump and Clinton both need to win in this election. Michigan is a key state Clinton must win, seeing as she lost there and Trump won. A candidate with working class background would really help Clinton here. Florida is a key state that Trump must win, and Rubio could help with this. Also, Ohio is another state Trump needs, and Kasich could help greatly in Ohio.
The parties better vet whomever they chose heavily. The Republicans can’t afford another Sarah Palin.