Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is considering retired four-star Navy Adm. James Stavridis as her potential running mate this fall, according a report in the New York Times.
The 61-year-old Naval Academy graduate spent 30 years in the service before his retirement in 2013. His last post was a four-year stint as Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, overseeing the alliance's military operations across the globe.
In recent weeks, Stavridis has not been mentioned in most speculation of Clinton's potential vice presidential picks. Campaign officials would not comment on the new report.
But the campaign has hinted in the past that the former secretary of state may consider a retired military official as her running mate, and Stavridis earned generally positive remarks from both the White House and Congress during his military career.
He currently serves as dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, one of the oldest international affairs study programs in the country. Prior to his NATO appointment, Stavridis served as head of U.S. Southern Command and in various other Defense Department leadership roles.
The news leak comes as both campaigns head into the party conventions later this month, with Republicans launching their event this weekend.
GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is expected to name his vice presidential pick in coming days, and has stated publicly that at least two retired military officials are under consideration. One of them is presumed to be campaign advisoer retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Flynn has been a vocal critic of both Clinton and President Barack Obama, but the 57-year-old veteran has come under criticism in conservative circles for his left-leaning stances on abortion and same sex-marriage.
Both candidates have made foreign policy and national security centerpieces of their respective campaigns, making the addition of a military leader to either ticket a distinct possibility.
But not everyone sees that as a good idea. In an interview with Foreign Policy magazine on Monday, retired Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly called the involvement of retired generals in politics a danger to civilian trust in the military, and encouraged his peers to stay out of the "cesspool of domestic politics."
Leo Shane III covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He can be reached at lshane@militarytimes.com.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
