Warren is best known, least liked Democratic VP option, poll finds

WASHINGTON – Elizabeth Warren is the only one among Hillary Clinton’s oft-mentioned potential running mates who is well known, but the Massachusetts senator also happens to be the most polarizing of the group, according to a new McClatchy-Marist Poll.

The others – Housing Secretary Julian Castro of Texas, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Rep. Xavier Becerra of California – are largely unknown. Half of those polled, or more, had not heard of the possible vice presidential picks.

In contrast, Warren is known to 77 percent of the country. But just 33 percent of voters see her favorably, while 33 percent do not like her. She is unpopular with Republicans and conservatives, but 1 in 3 independents also have an unfavorable impression of her.

“Democrats like her and the nation as a whole is divided,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in New York, which conducted the nationwide poll.

Warren could help Clinton with liberal supporters who originally preferred her rival, Bernie Sanders, for the Democratic nomination. Rank-and-file Democrats have a favorable opinion of her by 58 to 12 percent while the very liberal have a favorable opinion of her by 65 to 13 percent

Miringoff said Warren could help Clinton with white college graduates, who favor her 47 to 29 percent, a demographic that is not usually carried by Democratic candidates.

Charles Kenney, 53, a senior software developer from Kansas City, Mo., wanted Warren to run for president, and now wishes she would become vice president. “I love Warren’s passion,” he said. “I love her platform and what she stands for.”

Clinton and Warren are not close – the senator did not endorse Clinton until after she secured enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee. But they recently campaigned together.

Denise Brassard, 58, of Altadena, Calif., praised Warren for attacking presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in a way that nobody else has had the guts to do, but doesn’t think Clinton will pick her.

“I think the country’s probably not ready for two women, unfortunately,” she said. “It shouldn’t matter whether someone is male or female or black or white or whatever race, but I don’t know that the whole country is ready for that.”

Americans have gradually come to accept the concept of a female president. In 1937, only 1 in 3 Americans polled said they would vote for a qualified woman for president, according to Gallup. By 2015, it had expanded to more than 9 in 10. But there’s little research on whether they would favor an all-female ticket.

Warren is considered to be on the short list of candidates under consideration, with Kaine and Castro. Others mentioned include Becerra, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado and Labor Secretary Tom Perez. Klobuchar is sometimes mentioned as an alternative to Warren if Clinton is looking for a female running mate.

Clinton held meetings related to the vice presidential search at her Washington home Friday, according to her campaign. Reporters outside her house saw Warren, Castro and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper

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Many people polled said in interviews that they actually prefer Sanders, the 74-year-old self-described democratic socialist who tapped into anger brewing in the country to galvanize a new crop of voters as a champion of the underpaid, overworked American.

“People want a change,” said Marilyn Mordes, 61, an unemployed nurse from Stuart, Fla. “Bernie is a different politician. He offers a different perspective yet with a democratic flair.”

Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio, is blank slate to 47 percent of the country, even in the South. If he were chosen, his strongest support, at least initially, would come from the very liberal.

“I think he’s a young and upcoming politician,” said Michael Washington, 59, a maintenance supervisor in Houston, Texas.

Kaine, a former governor who is fluent in Spanish, tops most insiders’ lists because he is considered a safe bet for the usually cautious presumptive Democratic nominee. He was one of Clinton’s first supporters, endorsing her in May 2014, has executive experience and hails from a swing state.

He is better known than Castro, but just barely. Nearly half of voters, 45 percent, have never heard of him. Even in the South, only one in four view him favorably. But his support comes from liberals, moderates and conservatives. The biggest criticism against Kaine is that the centrist politician wouldn’t likely help Clinton excite the liberal wing that Sanders energized.

Kaine’s more moderate views would likely “have a good appeal,” said John Schwarz, 70, a retired attorney from Reston, Va., who attended a rally with Clinton and Kaine on Thursday. “He would be a good pick,” he said. “I think he’s done a good job.”

Beccera, the son of Mexican immigrants who has represented downtown Los Angeles for more than two decades, is not known by 65 percent. Klobuchar, a lawyer who has served since 2007, is not known by 60 percent. If either were chosen, their strongest support, at least initially, would come from the very liberal.

Clinton has not said when she would name a running mate but some Democrats expect she will announce her pick July 22 after the Republican National Convention ends.

Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump announced Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his vice presidential choice Friday.