Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who previously led the national Democratic campaign arm, on Monday left open the possibility of joining Hillary Clinton as her running mate.
After a National Governors Association event with President Obama, McAuliffe was asked if he would consider accepting a spot as Clinton’s vice presidential pick. McAuliffe avoided a direct answer, and mostly emphasized his focus on his current job without ruling out the possibility.
“Listen, I’ve been friends with the Clintons a long time,” he said. “I love them dearly. Honestly, I have the greatest job in the United States where I am the governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
“So when you all go home tonight, you think about this: Patrick Henry, our first governor, ‘Give me liberty or give me death.’ Our second governor, Thomas Jefferson, and now Terry McAullife,” he joked. “I have, as you know, two years to go. I’m just warming up.”
McAuliffe then pointed to the state’s two sitting U.S. senators, Democratic Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, as “very qualified” candidates who he said “would be spectacular on the ticket.”
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert then quickly chimed, joking that as the NGA’s incoming chairman it would be a “step back” to accept a position as Clinton’s running mate.
“He is the governor of Virginia, which is a great position to be in, but he’s going to be the chairman of the National Governor’s Association. Why would you want to take a step backwards?” he asked.
McAuliffe seemed relieved to have some help with the question.
“That’s right. That’s a good point,” he said. “Very good, thank you for that.”
McAuliffe is a longtime ally of both Clintons. He chaired Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign, and co-chaired Bill Clinton’s 1996 re-election campaign. He also served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2005.
He lost a bid for the Democratic nomination for Virginia governor in 2009 but came back and ran unopposed in 2013 and won the general election with nearly 47 percent of the vote against Republican Ken Cuccinelli and Libertarian Robert Sarvis.
