Passed over for No. 2 slot, Brown praises Clinton's VP pick
WASHINGTON — Sen. Sherrod Brown did not win the veepstakes, as presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton passed over the Ohio Democrat to name Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine as her running mate.
The Clinton campaign announced the choice of Kaine in an email to supporters on Friday, saying the 58-year-old senator and former governor has "devoted his life to fighting for others."
In a statement, Brown said Kaine would be a great addition to the Democratic ticket.
"My friend Tim Kaine brings an incredible depth of knowledge and experience to what is already the most qualified presidential ticket in my lifetime," he said. "I look forward to working with Hillary and Tim to win the White House and fight for working people in Ohio and across the country."
Brown is still expected to play a high-profile role in Clinton’s campaign — serving as her biggest booster and a key adviser in Ohio. And he will likely come away from the 2016 race with his own political boost, after receiving reams of media attention as a contender on Clinton’s shortlist.
As speculation about his prospects intensified, Brown repeatedly said he was not interested in the No. 2 spot. But he also suggested that he wouldn’t turn it down if Clinton asked.
Brown would have brought two key benefits to the Democratic ticket. As a native son of Ohio, he would have strengthened Clinton in the Buckeye State, a battleground that will help determine who wins the White House.
And as a vocal progressive and fierce opponent of free-trade deals, Brown also would have helped Clinton gin up her party’s left flank. Some liberals have been slow to warm to Clinton after her bruising primary with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose populist pitch resonated with young progressives across the country.
But Senate Democrats voiced concern about the prospects of Clinton tapping Brown, because if the Democrats win the White House in November, Ohio Gov. John Kasich would appoint Brown’s replacement to the Senate. The GOP governor would almost certainly tap a Republican to fill the seat, which could tilt the balance of the Senate to the GOP.
"Hell, no," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said earlier this year when asked about Clinton tapping a senator from a state with a GOP governor as her running mate. “I would yell and scream to stop that,” Reid added.
Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win control of the Senate if the party also snags the White House, and five seats if Republicans win the presidential election. The vice president can vote in the Senate to break a tie.
In the past, Brown has made it clear he had little interest in a national campaign. His real aspiration, he told the Enquirer in 2014, was to become chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, a post that would be within reach if the Democrats win a majority in November.
USA TODAY reporters Heidi M. Przybyla and Eliza Collins contributed to this story.