Elizabeth Warren, senator from Massachusetts
The liberal firebrand has led the crusade to tighten regulations on Wall Street and beat back the influence of big money and corporate power in politics. She proved a ferocious attack dog on the trail for Hillary Clinton, railing against Donald Trump for his treatment of women and racial minorities as well as his policies. She was top of the progressive wishlist to run in 2016 and resisted early attempts to draft her into the race. After Clinton won the nomination, she helped heal the divide between the establishment and leftwing factions of the party.
Julián Castro, secretary of housing and urban development
The Texas native is young, telegenic and often referred to as a “Democratic rising star”. He has an inspiring biography – the kind of only-in-America stories that fans thrill to on the stump and would serve as a clear contrast to Trump’s silver-spooned upbringing. The grandson of a Mexican immigrant, raised by a single mother in a poor neighborhood of San Antonio, the city that would eventually elect him mayor. His twin brother Joaquín Castro serves in the US House of Representatives. Clinton considered him as a potential running mate, and though he wasn’t her pick, he traveled the country on her behalf in an effort to whip up enthusiasm among Latino voters antagonized by Trump’s anti-immigrant campaign.
Cory Booker, senator from New Jersey
The charismatic New Jersey senator gained national prominence for his tales of derring-do, including saving a woman from a burning building and helping Newark residents dig out after a snowstorm. He fired up young people on Clinton’s behalf during the 2016 campaign and was considered among her shortlist pick for VP. Health and stamina became an unexpected flashpoint of the election, but Trump would have a hard case against Booker, who avidly works out, maintains a vegan diet and abstains from alcohol.
Kirsten Gillibrand, senator from New York
The New York senator was appointed to the seat vacated by Clinton when she left the Senate to became secretary of state. Gillibrand won in a special election in 2010 and was elected to a full term in 2012. As a senator, Gillibrand played a big role in repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, which barred gay people from serving openly in the military. Fulfilling a campaign promise to bring more transparency to Washington, she became the first member of Congress to post her official public schedule, personal financial disclosure and federal earmark requests online. The move would certainly set her apart from Clinton, who was dogged by criticisms that she was secretive.
Sherrod Brown, senator from Ohio
The pro-labor senator hails from the key battleground state of Ohio, a state no Republican has won the presidency without capturing. His blue-collar appeal would help win back voters in the rust belt, a bloc that thrilled to Trump and upset Clinton’s path to the presidency. His seat on the Senate banking committee offers plenty of opportunities to take on Wall Street reform and issues related to economic inequality, which is a top priority for the leftwing faction of the Democratic party. As a plus, his wife Connie Schultz is a Pulitzer prize-winning feminist columnist.
