Hillary Clinton Sherrod Brown

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is greeted by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, as she arrives to speak at the Ohio Democratic Party Legacy Dinner at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in March. Clinton has reportedly discussed Brown as a potential running mate this year.

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

COLUMBUS, Ohio--Vice President Sherrod Brown?

That's been the chatter in political circles lately, as the U.S. senator from Ohio is considered a top contender to be named Hillary Clinton's running mate.

Clinton has reportedly discussed Brown as one of several potential vice-presidential picks, even though the 63-year-old Cleveland Democrat has repeatedly said he doesn't want the job.

Would Sherrod Brown be a good vice-presidential pick for the Democrats this year? Here are five pros and five cons to the idea.

Pros:

He could win over Bernie Sanders' supporters: Considered one of the most liberal U.S. senators, Brown would appeal to many Sanders voters who see Clinton as too conservative. His nomination could be a signal by Clinton that she's serious about following through on her policy promises to the Democratic left.

He could help the Democrats win Ohio: Traditional political wisdom holds that vice-presidential nominees help their ticket win their home states. While there's conflicting evidence about how much VP picks help win votes in their home states, it certainly wouldn't hurt Clinton to choose a native son of perhaps the most crucial swing state in the nation.

He could be a good attack dog: Vice-presidential picks often have the job of laying into the opposing side, allowing the presidential nominee to remain positive and untarnished by political mudslinging. Brown's contentious 2012 U.S. Senate race against Josh Mandel shows that he can be an effective, hard-hitting campaigner who knows how to attack opponents without alienating voters.

He could help attract white, blue-collar voters: Clinton - and Democrats in general -- have had problems winning over white, male voters. In addition, many working-class voters have cast their ballots this year for Donald Trump. Brown, a populist with blue-collar appeal from a Rust Belt state, could help reach out to these voters.

He's compatible with Clinton: Good running mates don't just provide electoral advantages - they also must be able to work well with the president, both on the campaign trail and (potentially) in the White House. Brown, a longtime supporter of Clinton for president who campaigned with her in Athens on Tuesday, would likely be able to do that, said Ohio State University political scientist Paul Beck. "They get along very well with each other. They were senators together," Beck said. "Those kinds of things can matter a lot."

Cons:

He might appeal to the same voters Clinton already does: Brown, a 63-year-old white man, would appeal to the same types of voters who would likely support Clinton anyway. A black or Hispanic running mate, on the other hand, could generate additional support from the minority voters Democrats need to hold the White House.

If he wins, a Republican would likely take his Senate seat: If Brown is elected vice president, Ohio Gov. John Kasich would almost certainly appoint a fellow Republican to serve the final two years of Brown's U.S. Senate term. Such a switch could frustrate Democratic hopes of recapturing the Senate this year.

He might not want to run: It's traditional for potential vice-presidential picks to deny any interest in the job, so most political observers discount Brown's repeated statements that he doesn't want to be Clinton's running mate. But there's always the chance that he's - shock! - telling the truth. As Gannett D.C. correspondent Deirdre Shesgreen recently wrote, "Most politicians lap up the vice presidential speculation and are happy to stoke it with non-committal no comments or bashful demurrals. But Brown doesn't seem to be playing that game."

His wife says she doesn't want him to run: Brown's wife, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Connie Schultz, said on The Rachel Maddow Show last year that she is also opposed to him running for vice president. She made fun of the idea on Facebook as well, adding in a comment, "If one more person who should know better calls me with a mini-lecture on what I should be doing to support my husband....Never mind."

He might have drawbacks as a VP candidate: As the Washington Post has noted, "Former staffers of his note that he lacks both an ability to make sound bites and the desire to climb the ladder of success necessary to be an enthralling national candidate. ...Most descriptions of him include the adjective "rumpled" to describe the attire that accompanies his unruly hair." And his life story, the paper noted, is "not the stuff of inspirational biopics" - the son of a Mansfield doctor, Brown was elected to the Ohio legislature the year he graduated Yale University.