Hillary Clinton to bring potential VP pick to Portland for fundraiser

Hillary Clinton waves to supporters at a political rally in Scarborough in October 2015. BDN file photo by Troy R. Bennett.

Hillary Clinton waves to supporters at a political rally in Scarborough in October 2015. BDN file photo by Troy R. Bennett.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro will be in Portland on Monday for a fundraiser for Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton, who has stoked rumors that he could be her running mate.

The private event will be on Monday morning at Preti Flaherty, the law and lobbying firm headquartered at One City Center, according to an invitation provided by the Clinton campaign.

It’s being hosted by U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of the 1st District, who was an early Clinton endorser, along with lobbyist Tony Buxton and Bonnie Porta and Karen Harris, who co-chaired President Barack Obama’s Maine fundraising effort together in 2012.

Maine’s heaviest-hitting Democrats have endorsed Clinton, including Attorney General Janet Mills, House Speaker Mark Eves, Senate Minority Leader Justin Alfond and 2nd Congressional District candidate Emily Cain.

But Clinton’s main rival for the nomination, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, figures to give her problems in Maine. The two were statistically tied in the only public Maine poll of the race in September.

Sanders opened a Portland office last week and was endorsed by Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, House Majority Leader Jeff McCabe and about 40 other legislators on Tuesday.

Castro, a 41-year-old who was mayor of San Antonio until he assumed his post in 2014, is a heavy-hitting Clinton surrogate who is considered one of the top rising Democratic stars. His twin brother is U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro.

Both Clinton and Castro have long fueled speculation that he could be her running mate. In October, she said she’d “look hard” at him for any position. With his Mexican-American background, many have speculated that he could help her woo Hispanic voters in swing states.

Michael Shepherd

About Michael Shepherd

Michael Shepherd joined the Bangor Daily News in 2015 after covering state, federal and local issues for the Kennebec Journal for three years. He's a Hallowell native who now lives in Gardiner. He graduated from the University of Maine in 2012 and is a graduate student at the University of Southern Maine's Muskie School of Public Service.