As the primary process rolls on, it is looking more and more likely that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee. This article is written acknowledging that things could change between now and the convention. However, I do believe that it is worth giving potential Vice Presidential candidates at least a look. This list of names leaves out the likes of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, because in a realistic world, neither would necessarily leave their Senate seats and essentially, give up power to be the Vice President of the United States. Not to mention, they would do little to “balance the ticket”. With much love to Senators Sanders and Warren, there simply are better picks that Democrats need to look to as the future of the party. Here are a few:

1. Julian Castro (Texas)

Perhaps the name mentioned more than any other is Julian Castro. He is the current Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former Mayor of San Antonio, Texas. He rose to fame after giving the keynote address at the 2012 Democratic National Convention (the same position that gave Obama national attention in 2004). He’s almost the perfect Vice Presidential pick in a sense that he balances the ticket better than just about anyone else. He’s young, hispanic, and exciting. His popularity in Texas and other parts of the South could do well for Clinton as she looks to lock down states like Georgia and Arizona in the General Election. His biggest con, however, may be that he is too new to the political spotlight in an election where Democratic voters are hungry for substance. Castro hasn’t necessarily shown much foreign policy depth yet, a crucial test for anyone who is a heartbeat away from the Presidency. A Clinton—Castro ticket could do a lot of work for preserving the Obama coalition.

2. Cory Booker (New Jersey)

Cory Booker has many of the same redeeming qualities that Julian Castro has — he’s young, black, and exciting. Cory Booker rose to prominence as the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He laid out the Democratic platform at the 2012 Democratic National Convention and went on to become the junior U.S. Senator from New Jersey. Since then, he has built a prolific profile worthy of a look at the executive office. There’s no doubt in my mind Cory Booker has things to offer the executive branch, however, I put him below Julian Castro for a reason. Cory Booker does counter Clinton’s alleged “enthusiasm gap”, he’s stumped with her several times already with no signs of stopping. It’s just that that he does little to balance the ticket geographically. A Clinton—Booker ticket would give us two Northeastern Candidates in an election where swing states are essential.

3. Tim Kaine (Virginia)

Tim Kaine may be perhaps one of the more experienced individuals on this list. A Clinton—Kaine ticket would almost certainly top any possible combination the Republican party would put forward in terms of experience, but it does very little other than that. Tim Kaine is the current Senior Senator from Virginia, a former Governor, and former Chair of the Democratic National Committee. He’s extremely popular in Virginia, a crucial swing state that the Republicans have eyes on. However, that’s just about it. He serves on the Committee on the Budget, Armed Services, and Foreign Relations — he’s ready to be President tomorrow. He just does little to balance a Clinton ticket in a substantial way.

4. Martin O'Malley (Maryland)

We all remember Martin O’Malley — he’s the former Governor of Maryland that ran for President in 2016 and left many unimpressed just to drop out after the Iowa Caucuses. Martin O’Malley is a politician that’s easy to love, I just believe he ran at the wrong time. I believe the Democratic party has a place for him in the future. He’s trustworthy, has a firm grasp on domestic politics, runs to the left of Clinton, and is an all around likable guy. He does, however, fail to fire up crowds in a way that some higher on this list may do.

5. Tom Perez (New York)

Tom Perez is the current Secretary of Labor and has a storied Civil Rights background. The national media is slowly beginning to turn to him as an experienced Vice Presidential pick for Hillary Clinton. He has generally been well received on the stump with Hillary Clinton, he just lacks much national name recognition. On top of that, a lot of what the Vice President does nowadays is work with the Congress and Tom Perez lacks any substantial legislative experience that would lead me to believe he’s ready to serve as Vice President. On top of that, he lacks any real foreign policy experience. He’s qualified, but doesn’t add enough to the ticket to place him higher on the list.

6. John Hickenlooper (Colorado)

John Hickenlooper serves as the current Governor of Colorado. He’s generally well received in the Midwest, an area crucial for Hillary Clinton’s electoral strategy. Colorado has typically been a swing state and it’s likely that this year, regardless of who the Republican nominee is, Colorado will perhaps be more in play than it typically is. That is why it would make sense for Clinton to pick someone like Hickenlooper. Beyond that, there isn’t necessarily anything about him that’d vault him higher not he list.

7. Martin Heinrich (New Mexico)

Senator Heinrich finds himself in a similar situation that Governor Hickenlooper does. Heinrich is the junior Senator from New Mexico, another crucial swing state in any candidate’s path to victory this year. He’s young and certainly has a future in the Democratic party, however, he does little more to balance the ticket. If Clinton was looking for someone young to balance the ticket, I’d almost certainly pick a Cory Booker of Julian Castro while Heinrich would be an almost afterthought. If there is one name I’d look out for in Democratic politics in the future that’s on this list though, it’s Martin Heinrich.

8. Tom Vilsack (Iowa)

There’s a part of me that wants to believe that in another world, Tom Vilsack could have been President. He’s incredibly popular in the Midwest, he’s the favorite son of Iowa having served as their Governor. He even ran for President himself in 2008 (dropping out before the Iowa Caucuses). He has served as President Obama’s Secretary of Agriculture for Obama’s entire term, he’s the only original cabinet member remaining. He’s qualified. His biggest shortcoming, however, is the exact same thing that sunk his campaign in 2008. He simply lacks any real name recognition outside of the state of Iowa.

9. Joe Biden (Delaware)

Because let's face it, we'd all love to see it again.

Honorable Mentions (in no discerning order):

Sen. Michael Bennett (CO), Kamala Harris (CA), Sen. Mark Warner (VA), Wendy Davis (TX), Gov. Jay Nixon (MO), Gov. Bill Richardson (NM), Gov. Evan Bayh (IN), Wesley Clark (IL)