Hillary should be thinking about a VP candidate -- not out loud of course. She would not want to be seen as arrogant. Perhaps with a very small task force leading the way.
She should be thinking about someone younger than she is -- early sixties at the oldest. And she should be looking in conventional places among governors and senators. That would give her a long list of almost 20 possibilities.
As she considers these possibilities, it is probably most important for the candidate to resonate with her. We can't know who she will feel compatible with, but we can tell her about who we value.
If Hillary wants someone who would help her consolidate, even inspire her base, she could choose sixty-six year old (1) Elizabeth Warren, Democratic Senator from Massachusetts. Born poor in Oklahoma, she became a law professor at Harvard and Senator from Massachusetts because she is passionate about creating a fairer American and because she is the clearest and best explainer of how to achieve the goal of a fairer America.
Hillary may not prefer to select someone so likely to be seen as a rival; or she may believe that the ticket simply cannot have two women. In that case, another candidate capable of moving the base would be Ohio Senator, (2) Sherrod Brown. Like many of the Democratic possibilities, Brown is an Ivy League graduate (Yale) moved to do good works. He has done many good works as one of the strongest liberals in the Senate.
It would be regrettable, in my opinion, but Hillary might feel a need to go toward a more centrist or conservative Democrat. (3) John Tester, Senator from Montana gets her a forceful voice from the heartland. Either Virginia Senator, both former governors and both moderate Democrats, (4) Mark Warner and (5) Tim Kaine fit this description. Another possibility would be Pennsylvania Senator (6) Bob Casey, Jr. who has somehow found a way to reconcile with the rest of the Democratic Party while continuing to be anti-abortion.
There are two moderate women from the Senate if Hillary prefers likes two women on the ticket, but wants a moderate. (7) Senator Clarie Mcaskill, is from a swing state. Would having her on the ticket bring Missouri and any other border states along? (8) Senator Maria Cantwell of more solidly Democratic Washington might prefer not being described as a centrist, but the description probably fits for this pro-business Democrat.
There are other women who might grow on the electorate and might strike us as partners with Hillary in the way that Bill Clinton and Al Gore initially struck us as a pair. (9) Governor Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire has been a very successful governor in a swing state and is being touted as a candidate for the Senate against a Republican incumbent. (10) Senator Amy Klobucher of Minnesota has been elected handily in a Democratic, but not exclusively Democratic state.
There are governors and senators who some consideration. Here are four governors. (11) John Hickenlooper of Colorado is a Quaker, a geologist, a businessman, and a successful governor. (12) Dannel Malloy of Connecticut had a closer race than we would like in solidly Democratic Connecticut, but can be described as having taken some hard decisions during his first term. (13) Jack Markell, Delaware's first Jewish governor has been successful in Delaware. Ordinarily, Democrats do not need to reach out to Jewish voters, but maybe they do this year. Former governor of Maryland, (14) Martin O'Malley is acting like a candidate for president. Reaching out to an opponent is not an unusual tactic, though probably not a necessary one for Hillary.
Here are four senators. (15) Michael Bennet, Senator from swing state Colorado has a great resume. (16) Jeff Markely from Oregon distinguished himself in the effort to change the filibuster rules. (17) Sheldon Whitehouse from safely Democratic RI has been a thoughtful and effective Senator. (18) Jack Reed from Cranston, RI (my home town) is a West Point graduate with military experience, and could conceivably bring a usually Republican constituency to the ticket.
I would invite you to pick five in a poll, but the polls only offer fifteen spots. And the poll structure requires you to select only one. So...pick your five preferences on your own -- including possibilities that I have not included.