Nikki Haley among top picks for vice president

As the list of presidential candidates begins to dwindle down, talk about who the nominees will choose as their running mates is buzzing. There have been many names thrown out by political analysts and experts including South Carolina’s Gov. Nikki Haley.

On the right, we have the remaining candidates: frontrunner Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich. Since dropping out of the race, Chris Christie has announced support of Donald Trump, and experts say it’s because he’s gunning to be Trump’s VP. This isn’t something that should be shrugged off; it’s very possible that Trump could choose Christie for a running mate. While Trump has thrown some names around and none of them have been Christie, we all know Trump is one for surprises.

Susan Martinez, governor of New Mexico, originally supported Marco Rubio, but now that he is no longer in the race, many say she would be a positive VP choice. Many Hispanic organizations have strongly supported Martinez to become the next VP.

Finally, we come to Haley, and there are a number of reasons she would be a good choice for VP for any of the remaining candidates. She’s young, she’s a woman and she’s a strong leader in the Republican Party. Haley had a good year in 2015 improving many things for South Carolina, and experts say she’s ready to take on the White House.

The race continues to be a close call on the left, and we are still not sure who will take the nomination. There have been names thrown out for VP for either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. Tom Perez serves as the U.S. Secretary of Labor, and he generally keeps a low profile. However, his name being shouted out as possible pick for VP has thrust him into the spotlight. Perez is a more moderate Democrat who is in support of Clinton, but analysts say if Sanders were to take the nomination, Perez could get behind him. Elizabeth Warren is another strong contender for VP. She said she does not want the position, but it’s still possible she could change her mind. The former Harvard professor is a more liberal senator who has allied with Sanders in the Senate and supports a lot of his ideas for the future. Lastly, Julian Castro, the U.S Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, could be a potential Democratic VP. Castro has experience in executive office and could be a good leader for the more urban direction the U.S. is headed in.

We still have a long way to go before we know who our next president and vice president will be, but this list is full of strong politicians who would make excellent additions to the White House.