Democrat Barack Obama has refused to rule out selecting rival Hillary Clinton as his vice presidential running mate if he ultimately defeats her in a race in which he has an almost insurmountable lead.
"There's no doubt that she's qualified to be vice president, there's no doubt she's qualified to be president," Mr Obama told NBC News.
In a CNN interview, he said he had not wrapped up the Democratic presidential nomination, but when he does, he will start going through the process of selecting a running mate.
"She is tireless, she is smart. She is capable. And so obviously she'd be on anybody's short list to be a potential vice presidential candidate," said Mr Obama, who inched closer to winning the nomination by routing Mrs Clinton in North Carolina and almost defeating her in Indiana on Tuesday.
Many Democrats are saying the two rivals would be a formidable team against Republican John McCain in the race to the November election.
According to a CBS News/
New York Timespoll released last week, a majority of both Obama and Clinton voters say they would favor a so-called "Dream Ticket" involving both candidates.