Veep auditions in overdrive

They’ve been popping up on the Sunday talk shows, taking part in high-profile protests and hitting the campaign trail alongside the presumptive presidential nominees.

With the Cleveland and Philadelphia conventions around the corner, those auditioning for vice president are raising their national profiles and showcasing the talent and experience they could bring to a Republican or Democratic ticket.

{mosads}Stumping with Hillary Clinton in Ohio, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the liberal firebrand, seemed to relish the role of campaign attack dog, ripping into Republican Donald Trump as a “thin-skinned bully who is driven by greed and hate.”

Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine, a former Virginia governor and Democratic Party chairman, declared on NBC’s “Meet the Press”: “I am boring,” a bid to show he can be an effective and steady surrogate for Clinton rather than an unneeded distraction.

And when Democrats seized control of the House floor with a 1960s-style sit-in to protest gun violence, vice presidential hopefuls rushed to join the media spectacle.

Warren tweeted a photo of her delivering Dunkin’ Donuts to the protesters, while social-media savvy Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) snapped a series of selfies on the floor. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), also floated as a potential Clinton running mate, delivered a passionate speech flanked by his House colleagues.

“We are here making history,” Becerra said.

On the GOP side, presumptive nominee Donald Trump is carrying out his VP search on his own nontraditional terms.

The New York real estate mogul and reality TV star hasn’t campaigned around the country with everyone on his shortlist, unlike Clinton, who has been holding try-outs with each of the top Democratic contenders.

“Hillary Clinton is trying to test each of her potential nominees in public to see which one will be least controversial towards the Bernie Sanders supporters who don’t like her and won’t vote for her. And they all have massive problems,” said Matt Moore, the South Carolina GOP chairman who will be a Trump delegate later this month at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

“On our side, the element of surprise will excite the media, our donors, and the delegates who will be in Cleveland,” he said. “And that’s what’s needed in this Twitter era of 24/7 news.”

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Trump’s onetime GOP primary opponent, has appeared onstage with Trump, most memorably standing silently in the background with a blank stare during a March campaign event — an image that quickly went viral. But Christie has mostly operated behind the scenes, heading up Trump’s transition team and providing advice.  

Since clinching the nomination, Trump has spoken regularly by phone with former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), GOP sources said. And the two appear to have smoothed things over after trading barbs earlier this month over Trump’s racial attacks against a Mexican-American federal judge.

He’s also privately huddled with others on the shortlist. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) made the trek to Trump Tower in Manhattan in May, fueling vice presidential chatter, though his support for Trump has appeared lukewarm at best. And Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, chairwoman of the National Governors Association and a former House lawmaker, recently led a contingent of governors to meet with Trump.

When asked what she could bring to a Trump ticket, Fallin told KOCO 5 News in Oklahoma City, “Having governor experience, congressional experience and knowing how to deal with the federal government from the standpoint of being a governor would certainly be beneficial.”

But she added that her sole focus was on serving Oklahoma.

For Clinton, Kaine is viewed to be the favorite, followed by either Warren or Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro. Trump has proven to be less predictable: He could go with a household name like Gingrich or Christie, or shake things up with a fresh face like freshman Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) or Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), both of whom have military experience.

Others who’ve been mentioned include Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), an early Trump backer; Sen. John Thune (S.D.), a well-respected member of GOP leadership; Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), chairwoman of the special House panel investigating Planned Parenthood; and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a former member of GOP House leadership who’s flirted with a presidential bid himself.

Even as some rising Republican stars are running away from Trump, others are rooting for their hometown politicians to be drafted for the party’s ticket. Tennessee boasts two in contention for the No. 2 slot: Corker, a folksy former mayor of Chattanooga, and Blackburn, a former state senator, either of whom could help shore up doubts about Trump’s conservative credentials. 

“Tennessee has long history of individuals impacting national races. This is something Tennesseans are accustomed to seeing,” said Brent Leatherwood, executive director of the Tennessee GOP, who pointed to past presidential campaigns by Sens. Howard Baker, Fred Thompson and Lamar Alexander.

“Both Corker or Blackburn are deep policy thinkers. They are not afraid to call balls and strikes and both are incredibly articulate on conservative principles.”

Reporters are pestering the House and Senate lawmakers who’ve appeared on Clinton’s or Trump’s shortlists on a daily basis. In some cases, their own congressional colleagues have been ribbing them about being the next vice president.

Riding a Senate elevator with Kaine one recent day, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) joked to a reporter that the next vice president could be standing right in front of them. The affable Virginia Democrat replied that it felt just like 2008, when he was a finalist to be Barack Obama’s running mate but was ultimately passed over.

Kaine’s “a centrist, and that’s what she needs,” one senator said.

A House Democrat who’s backing Clinton also has her money on Kaine, describing him as moderate, likable and genuine.

“Though Warren is trying hard, I don’t think she gets it,” the House lawmaker said. “The Sanders people are already coalescing behind Hillary, so she doesn’t need lefty McWarren as much.”