Terry McAuliffe, the Virginia governor who was former President Bill Clinton’s top fundraiser and Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign chair, is being pushed for vice president, possibly creating an extended Clinton family dynasty in America’s two top political offices.
A Clinton-McAuliffe pairing would be the most friendly ever and a long road from the usual ticket coalition like the 1980 Reagan-Bush ticket.
McAuliffe can serve only one-term as governor and will be a third-year lame duck when the Democratic nominee picks a veep next summer. And being a one-term governor isn’t a hurdle to higher office. A former Virginia chief executive, Jim Gilmore, is running for the Republican presidential nomination.
McAuliffe’s name has been rumored in the vice presidential mix for months and pushed by experts who believe that Hillary Clinton, or any Democratic nominee, must win Virginia to win the White House.
It was offered by Florida Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings, who backs Clinton. “They’ve got to win Virginia,” he told the Hill. He also suggested Vice President Joe Biden. “Stranger things have happened,” Hastings told the paper.
Clinton and McAuliffe take the stage at Market Square pic.twitter.com/2hrOEIA2c3
— Vernon Miles (@VernonAndOn) October 23, 2015
McAuliffe is currently working overtime to help Clinton win Virginia and having him on the ticket might help. He is also notable cheerleader for Virginia and its industries. And he’s suggested both of his state’s senators — Tim Kaine and Mark Warner — as vice presidential picks.
Kyle Kondik, with the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, is a skeptic of a McAuliffe pick. “I am a skeptic of the idea that VP selections help much in home states. Maybe that person is worth a point or two, but I think especially in our partisan/polarized era there’s so little crossover vote that partisanship trumps home state pride for the vast, vast majority of voters. That said, Virginia could very well be the decisive state in 2016, so any little boost could help,” he told Secrets.
“I also question the optics of Clinton picking McAuliffe: It would really look, fairly or unfairly, like she was simply elevating one of her cronies to a vitally important job, which wouldn’t be a great look for a candidate (Clinton) who often faces questions from the press about whether she is surrounding herself with the right people. It’s a selection that might cause the campaign unnecessary drama, especially because Kaine or Warner would provide the campaign with a similar Virginia asset without the baggage. The best vice presidential selections are like football offensive linemen: If you don’t hear much about them that might mean they are doing a good job,” added Kondik, managing editor of the center’s Larry Sabato Crystal Ball.
Critics on the Republican side are eager to take McAuliffe on, noting his long support for Obamacare, his recent push for gun control, and his long record as a fabulously successful fundraiser for the Clinton family and former Democratic Party boss.
“Terry McAuliffe is perhaps the only politician in America less ethical than Hillary Clinton, and as the Clinton family’s longtime moneyman, it’s not surprising that his name is already being floated as a potential running mate,” said Colin Reed, executive director of America Rising PAC, which is dogging Clinton’s bid.
“Both McAuliffe and Clinton have spent their careers living at the intersection of money and politics, and the idea of a joint ticket should terrify any voter looking for honest and clean government,” he added.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
