Of the names floating for VP, who do you prefer? (updated x 2 dbl ck on Castro)

[Omaha Steve]

22. The Loophole That Could Make Elizabeth Warren Vice President

http://www.bustle.com/articles/164966-the-loophole-that-could-make-elizabeth-warren-vice-president

SETH MILLSTEIN
4 days ago NEWS

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has emerged as one of the top potential vice presidential picks for Hillary Clinton, but there’s a problem: She’d have to resign from the Senate in order to serve as vice president, thus allowing the state’s Republican governor to appoint her replacement. Luckily for Warren, there’s a loophole that would allow Democrats to circumvent this problem and run Warren as vice president without likely sacrificing a Senate seat to the GOP.

According to Massachusetts law, the governor gets to appoint a replacement when a Senate seat is vacated. But it’s only a temporary arrangement; the law states that a special election must be held within 160 days of the seat becoming vacant. In theory, this means Warren’s interim replacement would only get to serve for the first five months of the next administration.

Here’s the loophole: A Senator from Massachusetts doesn’t have to actually resign in order to start that 160-day countdown timer. They merely have to file a letter with the state announcing their resignation. But there’s no limit on how far in advance a senator can make such an announcement.

So Warren could file a letter now, or next week or whenever, announcing that she’ll be retiring from the Senate in January of 2017 — inauguration day. There are more than 160 days between now and then, so if she timed it right, Massachusetts would be required to hold a special election the day after the next president is sworn in. The Republican governor, Charlie Baker, would not have the opportunity to appoint a replacement.

FULL story at link.