Miami (CNN) Hillary Clinton is poised to reveal her vice presidential candidate Friday in a message to supporters, people close to the search say, and is planning to make her first appearance with her running mate at a campaign rally in Miami on Saturday. 
 
 Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia has emerged as a leading contender after a methodical search, several Democrats close to the campaign say, receiving spirited backing from President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton. 
 
 In selecting the battleground of Florida to make her public announcement, Clinton is hoping to seize the spotlight from Republicans after their convention in Cleveland. She is set to visit Orlando and Tampa on Friday, but her new partner is not expected to join her until Saturday at a rally here at Florida International University, where the student body is more than half Hispanic. 
 
 Kaine speaks fluent Spanish, and last week, Clinton beamed at a Virginia rally as he declared: "Estamos listos para Hillary!" or "We are ready for Hillary!" 
 
 Clinton has yet to reveal her choice beyond her tight inner circle, fearful of it leaking before a well-orchestrated weekend rollout is set into motion. Her campaign, looking to build their email and text list, has offered supporters the chance to be the "first to know" their vice presidential pick, much like Barack Obama did in 2008. 
 
 The focus of her search in the final days also centers on Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, according to several Democrats close to the process, confident either Kaine or Vilsack would fit her chief criteria of being a strong governing partner and ready for the presidency. 
 
 "She's not going to be waffling at the 11th hour like (Donald) Trump," one Democrat close to the process said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the secrecy surrounding the selection. "By now, she knows who she wants and will be confident in her choice." 
 
 JUST WATCHED Who is Tom Vilsack? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Who is Tom Vilsack? 01:31 
 
 She also was considering Labor Secretary Tom Perez, who would be the first Hispanic candidate on the party's ticket, or Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who would be the first African-American vice presidential nominee. Democrats close to the process said Perez and Booker had considerable strengths, far beyond their diversity, but their limited experience in national security and government made them less likely to be selected. 
 
 The Clinton campaign watched the closing day of the Republican convention with great interest, particularly Trump's speech , but decided against making an announcement early Friday morning. Her campaign is trying to rally excitement around the Democratic ticket heading into the party's convention next week in Philadelphia. 
 
 The consensus, even among several Democrats close to other finalists, is that Kaine will be tapped as Clinton's vice presidential candidate. Yet others close to Clinton still cautioned against counting out Vilsack, who has the most state and federal governing experience and the longest personal relationship with Clinton. 
 
 For Clinton, the selection of a running mate opens a new and important chapter in her political life. 
 
 Her first presidential campaign ended long before any serious consideration of a running mate began, so this phase of her campaign is uncharted terrain, a moment where she can choose her own partner. 
 
 She was deeply involved in the selection of Al Gore to be her husband's running mate in 1992, but this choice is hers. Her husband favors Kaine, people close to him say, but one added this week: "He gets a say, but doesn't have a vote on this." 
 
 The weekend debut of the Democratic ticket is designed to build anticipation for the party's convention starting Monday in Philadelphia. After they are formally nominated, Clinton and her new running mate are expected to embark on a bus tour to key campaign battlegrounds, similar to the "First 1,000 Miles" caravan in 1992 that took the Clintons and Gores to eight states on their way to winning the White House in November. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Clinton VP announcement Thursday or Friday Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Clinton VP announcement Thursday or Friday 01:55 
 
 For her part, Clinton has intentionally not informed anyone who has gone through the vetting process of her final decision, Democrats close to the process said, in hopes of keeping her choice a secret until the last possible moment. 
 
 Booker, who often fires up audiences for Clinton, appeared with other Democrats in Cleveland on Thursday to push back against Trump and Republicans, who have spent the week assailing her character. 
 
 "I don't know who the nominee is," Booker told CNN's Jake Tapper Thursday. "The good thing about it is she has tremendous choices." 
 
 JUST WATCHED Who will Hillary Clinton pick for VP? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Who will Hillary Clinton pick for VP? 02:23 
 
 But two Democrats close to Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and one close to Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, both of whom were on Clinton's list of contenders, said Thursday they were all but certain they had not been selected. 
 
 Warren told Stephen Colbert on CBS' "Late Show" that she thought "if it were me, I would know it by now." 
 
 All the finalists have met with Clinton at different times, Democrats close to the process say, including Perez, Booker and Warren during one-on-one meetings last Friday at Clinton's home in Washington. But this week, the Clinton campaign had a meeting with top Warren aides, trying to work out a surrogate schedule for her for the rest of the summer and fall, leading Warren's team to believe she had not been chosen. 
 
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 The selection of either Brown, Warren or Booker would influence the balance of power in the Senate. Their replacement would be named, at least initially, by a Republican governor in their state, and Clinton is intent on trying to win a Democratic majority in the Senate. 
 
 Clinton started this process before her primary fight with Bernie Sanders ended with what aides described as a "fluid" list, including several potential running mates. Several were eliminated, including Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro and James Stravidis, the former supreme allied commander of NATO and a retired four-star Navy admiral. ||||| Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, a leading contender to be Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's pick for vice president, waves to the crowd before attending a private fundraiser event in Newport,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, a leading contender to be Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's pick for vice president, waves to the crowd before attending a private fundraiser event in Newport,... (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — Delegates to the Democratic National Convention gave mostly positive reviews to Hillary Clinton's choice for vice president Friday, saying he will appeal to moderates but also do little to soothe disenchanted Bernie Sanders supporters. 
 
 Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine received praise for his wide-ranging experience, even as many delegates acknowledged that he would not generate the level of enthusiasm or party unity as a progressive or first-ever Latino pick. Sanders delegates in particular hoped for the selection of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who aligns more closely with Sanders on positions such as regulating Wall Street. 
 
 "People are going to discount Tim Kaine, and have in the past, and it's going to be a lot more exciting than maybe what Bernie Sanders delegates will think," said Katie Naranjo, a Clinton superdelegate from Austin, Texas. She said that while Kaine may seem like a "conventional choice," he will balance the ticket well for the general election. 
 
 Delegates were heading to Philadelphia for the convention starting Monday, with those who support Sanders indicating uncertainty about embracing a Clinton ticket. Sanders endorsed Clinton last week. 
 
 It "was a horrible pick," said Angie Morelli, a Sanders delegate from Nevada. "In a time when she is trying to cater to Sanders supporters, it was more catering to conservative voters and she's not going to get any wave from it." She said she's bothered by Kaine's association with the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a global trade pact that Sanders and Clinton oppose. 
 
 Dwight Bullard, a Florida state senator, said not one of the 70-plus Sanders delegates in his state including himself is happy with Kaine's selection. He worried that the centrist choice could magnify progressives' view that Clinton will backtrack on issues important to them, such as climate change and tuition aid for college students. 
 
 "If you bring in someone with great credentials, that's fine, but inclusivity of the progressive agenda can be a more important message," Bullard said. 
 
 Sanders delegates were mulling ways to show support for Sanders during the convention, such as a walkout after the roll call of states Tuesday, according to excerpts of a Slack thread Friday obtained by The Associated Press. But many others also said they wanted to get direction from Sanders, who was scheduled to meet privately with his delegates Monday. 
 
 "Delegates are intensely discussing and considering options," said Norman Solomon, a San Francisco delegate who called Kaine's selection "unacceptable." Solomon leads the Bernie Delegates Network, a loose organization of more than 1,200 delegates. 
 
 Clinton settled on Kaine after vetting a diverse group of candidates that included Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro and Labor Secretary Tom Perez. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, one of two black senators, was also considered. 
 
 Clinton delegate Roger Salazar of California said he was rooting for Clinton to select Rep. Xavier Becerra, a Hispanic and one of the most powerful Democrats in the House. But Salazar, a longtime party strategist, called Kaine "a pretty solid choice." 
 
 Jocelyn Bucaro, an Ohio superdelegate and Clinton supporter, praised Kaine as someone who will appeal to a broad range of voters in swing states, even Republicans uncomfortable with Trump. 
 
 "The most important consideration is his ability to step in as president, and he clearly has the experience, knowledge, intelligence and temperament to do that," Bucaro said. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Will Weissert in Austin, Texas; Michelle Rindels in Las Vegas; Michael Blood in Los Angeles; and Dan Sewell in Cincinnati, Ohio, contributed to this report. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Follow Hope Yen on Twitter at https://twitter.com/hopeyen1
– The Wall Street Journal has revealed a list of potential running mates being vetted by Hillary Clinton, and it doesn't include Bernie Sanders. Possible future vice presidents currently in the early stages of vetting include Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Labor Secretary Tom Perez, Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Rep. Xavier Becerra of California, and Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio. A national poll conducted by Bloomberg found Warren leads in popularity among Clinton supporters, 35% of whom wanted to see her as vice president. She was followed by Booker, Castro, and Al Franken. (Newt Gingrich was the most popular VP choice on the GOP side.) While some Sanders supporters had been hoping for a vice presidential nomination for him, Sanders himself wouldn't be interested in the position anyway, according to a source close to him. CNN reports Sanders would rather work to change the Democratic party from the Senate than be seen as a "sell-out" or Clinton's "partner." That may explain the interest in Warren, whose policies are close to those of Sanders and who could possibly bring some of his supporters over to Clinton. Bustle calls her a "shiny apple to Sanders' orange." Sources close to Clinton say the top priority for a running mate is someone who would be ready to step in as president, and that advisers aren't really looking at what a nominee does for Clinton's campaign in terms of demographics and geography.