With Bernie Sanders Vanquished, Hillary Clinton Turns to Veepstakes

Only 37 shopping days left until Hillary Clinton has to have a name for the No. 2 spot on her ticket.

The presumptive Democratic nominee hasn’t shed much light on who she’s sizing up as a possible running mate but with that person expected on stage July 27 to accept the Democrats’ vice presidential nomination at their national convention in Philadelphia, the guessing game is in full throttle.

PEOPLE breaks down some of the most buzzed-about candidates:

Elizabeth Warren

Rumors are rife that Clinton might enlist Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren to be her vice president – especially after the two women had an hour-long sit-down in Washington, D.C., on June 10.

The former secretary of state recently declared Warren “an incredible public servant, eminently qualified for any role,” but has not commented further on whether she’s considering a Clinton-Warren ticket.

CNBC‘s Jake Novak insists that Warren, a nationally recognizable progressive for years, is not only “the best choice” for Clinton, “she’s the only choice,” particularly in light of the enthusiasm many Democrats have shown for Clinton’s rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. “Warren is arguably a more popular standard bearer for the progressives than Sanders.”

And she would get – and keep – people talking. “Even Trump routinely acknowledges her,” says Novak, “if only to demean her in a ferocity he usually reserves for those running against him, even though she’s not running against him for anything yet.”

Former Dartmouth professor James Heffernan also proclaims Warren “the ideal choice” in an essay for The Huffington Post, calling the senator “the best possible solution to the biggest problem Hillary now faces: how to propitiate the Berniphiles.”

Not everyone is Team Warren, however. Retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has said he would “yell and scream” to stop Clinton from choosing Warren or Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown as her running mate, arguing that she should not pick a senator from a state with a Republican governor.

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“If we have a Republican governor in any of those states, the answer is not only no, but HELL NO,” the senator told MSNBC last month. “I would do whatever I can, and most of my Democratic colleagues would say the same thing So I would yell and scream to stop that!”

Vox‘s Dylan Matthews praised Warren, who has ramped up attacks on presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump in recent weeks, as a “very effective and eager anti-Trump campaigner, making headlines for her attacks on the Donald’s business record, for sparring with him on Twitter, and most recently for a speech accusing the GOP nominee of exploiting the financial crisis for profit.”

But Matthews argues that “the real reason Warren is dominating the conversation is simple: The rest of Clinton’s options are very, very weak. And that means she’s in a tougher spot than Trump is when it comes time to pick a running mate.”

Mark Cuban

Clinton, viewed by many as an “establishment politician” in a race that has been largely dominated by “outsiders” like Trump – or even Sanders if you ask certain people – has said she will cast a wide net in her search for a running mate.

After Dallas Mavericks owner and Shark Tank star Mark Cuban said last month that he’d be open to serving as Clinton’s running mate, she told NBC’s Meet the Press that she’s “absolutely” intending to look “far and wide” to find a potential vice president.

“I think we should look widely and broadly. It’s not just people in elective office. It is successful businesspeople. I am very interested in that. And I appreciate his openness to it,” she added of Cuban.

Politicos Share Their Picks

Political experts have also cast a wide net on Clinton’s behalf. The Washington Post narrowed her vice-presidential possibilities to 27 and told readers: “Now you pick one.”

The paper broke down the contenders into several different categories: “insiders” ( including Vice President Joe Biden, Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand) vs. “liberals/minorities” (including New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro); “historic firsts” (including U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobucher, former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano) vs. “others” who would counter Trump well (including Democratic hopeful and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley).

“Clinton’s pick could fire up wary liberal voters,” or “emphasize her history-making candidacy,” or in the case of a contender from a swing state, “help deliver that state’s electoral votes in November,” The Post writes.

The paper concluded by sharing The Fix’s Chris Cillizza’s most recent ranking of Clinton’s likely VP choices, along with his commentary. PEOPLE has also included additional commentary from other outlets and experts.

1. Julian Castro: U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Cillizza: “He is a telegenic 41-year-old Latino from Texas. He complements her in virtually every way, demographically speaking. My working belief has long been that Castro was picked to be secretary of housing and urban development in the Obama administration at least in part so that he would have the experience and profile to be part of a national ticket.”

Former San Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros, a Castro mentor and former HUD secretary, told Politico that Clinton and Castro would make “a very nice pairing.” “When you consider all of the balancing factors – female/male, baby boomer/gen x, traditional American/minority American, Northeastern-Midwestern orientation/Southwestern orientation, long heritage in office/representative of a new generation, a lot of things suggest a very nice pairing,” he said.

One person familiar with HUD told Politico, “People like Julian Castro and he’s not stopping them from doing their work. He’s also not driving it. He’s not interested and engaged like that. But it’s hard not to like him.”

The suggestion could be a non-starter, though. Although Castro endorsed Clinton last year, when asked by CNN whether he’d consider being her VP, he said, “That’s not going to happen.”

2. Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown
Cillizza: “Stylistically, Brown, who has been a member of Congress and Ohio secretary of state and who is now a U.S. senator, is Clinton’s opposite. Gruff to her polished. Populist to her, um, not populist. Blue collar to her white collar. And he’s from Ohio – one of the swingiest states in the country. One downside for Brown: Picking him and winning puts a very competitive Senate seat in play.”

“He seems like a logical choice,” one former Clinton aide told The Hill last month. “He has sterling progressive credentials, he’s from Ohio, a key swing state, and he would be a pretty welcome choice for Bernie Sanders supporters.”

However, as Harry Reid pointed out, if Brown upgrades from senator to vice president, that means Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, would get to pick Brown’s replacement. “That could endanger a possible Democratic Senate majority,” The Hill writes.

3. Virginia Sen. Timothy Kaine
Cillizza: “Kaine’s profile – Christian missionary, fluent Spanish speaker, governor and now senator of a swing state – is outstanding. The one issue for him: He’s a white male with ‘senator’ before his name right now.”

Others have highlighted Kaine’s positives. A top official who worked with Kaine when he was Democratic National Committee chair told Politico last month, “He would have been a great candidate for president, and I think he’ll make a fantastic VP.”

And The New York Times‘ Alan Rappeport and Patrick Healy write that Kaine “could help drive up the Hispanic vote with his fluency in Spanish.”

However, Rappeport and Healy add, “Mr. Kaine might be too moderate for the activist base, and a white man does not bring much ‘wow’ factor for Democrats these days. He might also be too obvious a pick to make a splash, and his support for trade deals could hurt the ticket, as well.”

4. Thomas Perez: U.S. Secretary of Labor
Cillizza: “The labor secretary checks two boxes for Clinton (and, yes, some of vice presidential picking is box-checking): He’s well regarded in liberal circles, and he’s Hispanic. The problem for Perez? Politico gets at it: “Aside from the wonkiest of Washington circles and the most progressive corners of the left, no one’s heard of Tom Perez.’ ”

One White House Aide told Politico in March: “My strong guess is that if you took a straw poll of staffers here about who they’d pick for the ticket, Tom would do very well.”

Politico notes, however, that Perez has no foreign policy experience and “the highest office he’s been elected to is a suburban county council.”

5. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar
Cillizza: “Klobuchar is an up-and-coming star in the party who represents a state, Minnesota, where Democrats would be favored to hold a seat in the Senate.”

The New York Times‘ Rappeport and Healy argue that “an all-female ticket could supercharge the women’s vote and would be seen as a powerful statement.”

Tapping Klobuchar, a longtime Clinton supporter, “would not mean losing a Senate seat in a Republican state, and she is known to have a sense of humor,” they add.

Stay tuned to PEOPLE.com for ongoing coverage on Clinton’s veepstakes and more 2016 election news.