Bernie Sanders name drops Elizabeth Warren as possible vice president

Bernie Sanders may face increasingly long odds in his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination, but the Vermont senator is already thinking about potential running mates — and he wants voters to know Elizabeth Warren is in the mix.

Appearing on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Tuesday, Sanders floated the possibility of a progressive dream team, name-checking the Massachusetts senator and implacable foe of big banks as one of his prospective picks.

"I'm not going to commit" to selecting a woman, Sanders said. "You have to look at the best candidates you can. The women of this country, the people of this country understand it would be a great idea to have a woman as vice president and something I would give very, very serious thought to."

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"[T]here are people in life today, Elizabeth Warren, I think, has been a real champion in standing up for working families, taking on Wall Street," he added. "There are other fantastic women who have been active in all kinds of fights who I think would make great vice presidential candidates."

Sanders' remarks come days after rival Hillary Clinton's campaign hinted that the former secretary of state may opt for a female running mate — a development widely regarded as a sign that Warren would be considered for the slot.

Warren, who resisted entreaties to mount a bid of her own, hasn't made an endorsement in the Clinton-Sanders contest.