CLEVELAND -- U.S. Sen. Cory Booker is the fifth most likely candidate to be chosen by former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as her running mate, according to National Journal's final ranking of potential Democratic vice-presidential nominees.

"The amount of time and effort he's put into supporting Clinton is hard to ignore," the website said. "The senator from New Jersey has been a major fundraiser for Clinton and regularly makes the rounds as a loyal surrogate. If loyalty is a major consideration, Booker's efforts since the start of the campaign remain tough to beat."

Booker (D-N.J.), the first black elected to the U.S. Senate from the Garden State, is the only New Jersey politician with a chance to be on a national ticket now that presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump passed over Gov. Chris Christie and chose Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate.

National Journal, which covers politics and government out of Washington, ranked Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine as Clinton's most likely pick, calling him "the safe choice."

"He is experienced, has proven fundraising chops, and could appeal to key constituencies including Hispanics (he's fluent in Spanish) and moderates turned off by Trump," the website said.

Kaine was followed by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown and Labor Secretary Tom Perez.

Clinton is expected to announce her choice before the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, which begins July 25.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook