(CNN) – Hillary Clinton herself directly raised the issue of serving as Barack Obama's running mate in a conference call with New York lawmakers earlier Tuesday, a source who was on the call tells CNN's Candy Crowley.
According to the source, Clinton told those on the call that if asked by Obama, she would be interested in serving as his running mate. That comment was not in response to a particular question.
The Clinton campaign maintains the New York senator merely said she would do whatever is in the party's best interest, and that her comments Tuesday are no different than what she has been saying for weeks.
The source also said all the lawmakers on the call thought that Clinton needed to be on the ticket.
Rep. Nydia Velazquez, one of the call's participants, told CNN that she expressed on the call that Clinton needed to be on the ticket in order for Latino voters to cast ballots for Barack Obama.
"I expressed to her how the Latino community felt so strongly about her leadership and how she became a champion for Latinos, in fact a Latino leader in the eyes of so many Latinos," Velazquez said.
"I said to her at that I felt and I hear from many Latinos that there is a problem regarding Obama connecting to them and talking to them and I mentioned that also the same is true with blue collar workers and the women sector and so I say if we really want to win we need to have a ticket that can bring people together that can unify the party," she also said.
The representatives on the call included Reps. Charlie Rangel, Joseph Crowley, Steve Israel, Nydia Velazquez, Nita Lowey, Gregory Meeks, Eliot Engel, Jose Serrano, and Brian Higgins.
From CNN Politics
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BYE BYE DEMOCRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With Michelle Obama sitting with Farrakhan and slamming whitey.
. Here’s my question for all of the Obamabots, Barry was raised by WHITE WOMEN yet he sat and listened to 20 years of “whitey bashing” and never once said this isn’t the truth about my Mother and Grandmother why? His Grandmother paid his way to private schools and Harvard. What do his daughters think of their Grandmother and Great Grandmother? Do they hate them as see them and great oppressors as Rev. Wright does?
She should NOT serve as VP. Obama will lose in November. She can run against McCain in 2012 – and win then.
its not up to her.this would be obama's only mistake ,so far.
Idiots!
Hillary should NOT even be a member of the Dem party, after this process.
Hillary does NOT have the experience needed. She has been running under Bill's past fortunes. But Bill has screwed all this stuff; so Hillary's service is useless!
Let the Hispanics keep their vote. It's for rum and beer anyway.
Just a typo:
"Hillary Clinton herself directly raised the issue of serving as Clinton's running mate..."
Should read Obama's running mate (though I'm sure she'd be overjoyed to be both pres and veep!)
Obama should make his own choice on who to trust as VP. Stop shoving Clinton down his throat!!!
By accepting second place when she won the popular vote, she will set back the womens' rights movement 10 years.
Hillary, wait until 2012 and then run again. Obama either won't win this year or will surely implode during his first term. Another Jimmy Carter.
CNN, give up. We all know you are in Obama' s camp. You can stop pretending to be otherwise.
Please leave Hillary alone. You and your Obama supporters are just making us hate you even more than we do now.
John McCain will be getting my Hillary vote.
whatever gets the democrats in!!!
We donated easily over 15 times more money to Hillary Clinton than our family could afford, and we will not vote for an unknown, inexperienced and unqualified candidate for president of the United States, even if a great candidate like Hillary is running as his VP.
Sorry, but as responsible Americans we will not vote for Obama.
We will vote for the most qualified and moderate candidate on the ballot...
McCAIN DEMOCRATS '08
I really do not think he should even CONSIDER Hillary as his running mate. She will be very useful in the cabinet somewhere, but not as VP..... not after she talked all that junk.
I don't care what they think. We need to give OBAMA some time to think about this. Stop pressuring him! There are other potential female V.P. candidates out there, not just Hillary. Get over it!
OBAMA / SEBELIUS-08!
NOOOOOOOOOOO. She got too much baggage. sorry !
Bill, just take her home.
OBAMA, the Next President of the United States.
YEAAAAH BABY !!!!
NO, NEVER!!!! NOT HILLARY!!!! HE'D HAVE TO WATCH HIS BACK EVERY SECOND!
"Hillary Clinton herself directly raised the issue of serving as Clinton's running mate in a conference call...."
A Hillary Clinton / Hillary Clinton ticket would be unstoppable.
Editors- don't you mean Obama's running mate...
If she needed so much to do what is in the best interest of the party she should have bow out gracefully some time ago
I urge all Hillary Clinton supporters to vote for McCain in November. This way, she can run in 2012 – and win this time. With an Obama loss in November – he is done politically. And that's sticking it to the Democratic Party for what they did to her. Traitors!
Clinton supporters – think smart. Vote McCain in November. We'll have Hillary winning in 2012 for sure.
If Obama wins in November – we have him for 8 God awful years, and it will be over for Hillary.
Just leave it. Wait for her to actually say something. Just leave it alone. Won't you?
He can not win without her.
Remember, she actually has the other half of the supporters and they clearly do not like him at all...
and according to CNN...she will "extort" her way into it.
Talk about bias reporting!! CNN should be ashamed of itself.
Barack you have run an excellent campaign. Please take your time in choosing a VP.
Obama, Clinton and Clinton - I don't think so. Hillary and Bill also come with a lot of baggage – ie: Monica, Whitewater, Vince Foster, etc. There is so much. The Republican's are just waiting to drag up her baggage.
YES WE CAN – CONGRATULATIONS
TEXAS
Please fix:
Hillary Clinton herself directly raised the issue of serving as OBAMA's (not Clinton's) running mate.
She can't be her own running mate.