Hillary Clinton is not considering Bernie Sanders as a running mate, a Democrat familiar with the decision tells CNN.
Sanders, who has still not yet officially conceded the Democratic presidential primary to Clinton, was not expecting to be considered as Clinton’s vice president and he does not view her decision as a slight, according to a person close to him.
Instead, Sanders remains committed to changing the Democratic Party, and not “becoming her partner.”
He would risk being considered a sell-out by loyal supporters if he joined the Clinton ticket, another person close to Sanders said Wednesday, so the news is not unexpected.
The Vermont senator did not bring up the issue in his private meeting with Clinton on Tuesday night that lasted about 90 minutes.
Sanders, once thought to be a long-shot candidate, mounted a strong challenge to Clinton and the two grappled much of the primary season on issues such as gun control, minimum wage, reining in Wall Street and the role of money in politics.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on Sanders’ exclusion from the list of potential Clinton running mates.
And a Bloomberg poll on potential vice presidential candidates, released Wednesday, showed that Democratic voters’ top choice for Clinton’s No. 2 is Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Thirty-five percent said Warren would be the best pick, ahead of New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker at 17%, followed by HUD Secretary Julian Castro at 12%. Sanders was not included in the poll.
