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With many saying the Democratic presidential nomination is all but a mathematical certainty at this point for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the vice presidential rumor mill has already begun. The question of late on every politics-obsessed person's mind: Who will Clinton pick as her running mate heading into the Democratic National Convention in June? There are plenty of names floating around out there — some even confirmed by the campaign. But while all the buzz of the moment is around who Clinton might pick for her number two, there are definitely some Hillary Clinton vice president picks that will never happen.
In April, a short list of possible vice presidential candidates being vetted by the Clinton campaign appeared in The New York Times. That short list included political heavyweights like Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, the Old Dominion state's former governor; New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, former mayor of Newark; and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown. But the big name everyone is chattering about is the all-woman ticket that could be Clinton and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Here's the sad truth though: A Clinton-Warren ticket — as amazing as it would be — just isn't going to happen. Here's why, as well as four other very unlikely vice presidential picks for the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Huma Abedin
Huma Abedin has practically been Clinton's shadow this campaign, and for good reason: she is the vice chairwoman of Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. Abedin has worked with Clinton for decades, starting in 1996 as a White House intern to the then-First Lady. She has been Clinton's personal aide almost exclusively throughout her career, serving not only as chief of staff during Clinton's previous presidential campaign in 2008, but as Clinton's deputy chief of staff in the State Department while Clinton served as the Secretary of State.
The pair share a close professional relationship. Actress Mary Steenburgen and longtime Clinton friend told Vogue in 2007 that Abedin and Clinton's relationship was "like an older sister-younger sister" that was "definitely familial." Unfortunately, Abedin's husband, former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner (a.k.a., "Carlos Danger") — and his 2011 sexting scandal that eventually cost him his seat in Congress — have sent Abedin's resume straight to the "no" pile.
Lena Dunham
While she might be one of the biggest — if self-deprecatingly awkward — Clinton cheerleaders, writer, actress, and producer Lena Dunham is definitely not going to be a Clinton VP pick. Earlier this year, the 30-year-old star of HBO's Girls campaigned hard for Clinton on an extensive press tour, including a one-on-one interview with the former Secretary of State herself. In April, Dunham wrote about her fervent support for Clinton in TIME:
I’m with her. Not as some winsome nod to 'girl power,' but because I share her bone-deep belief that when women are strong, families are strong, and that makes our country strong.
As enthusiastic as she might be for Clinton to be the first female president, there's just no way that Dunham will be the one chosen to be just a heartbeat away from the presidency herself.