(CNN) -- After emerging as victor in the long and bruising contest to seize the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential race, Barack Obama's next move is to choose a running mate.





And that search for a vice president is getting some added support.





Caroline Kennedy has joined Obama's vice presidential selection team, a campaign spokesman said Wednesday.





Former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson is heading up the search team, and former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is also serving on the committee.





Kennedy, the daughter of President Kennedy, formally endorsed Obama late January in a New York Times op-ed piece titled, "A President Like My Father."





"I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them," Kennedy wrote. "But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president -- not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans."





Sen. Hillary Clinton, whose tenacious refusal to surrender the nomination contest turned the Democratic race into one of the most nail-biting in modern U.S. political history, has indicated that she would be willing to sign up on a joint ticket.





But while Clinton's appointment could help heal rifts in the party after weeks of divisive campaigning from both candidates, Obama has the pick of a broad field of candidates from across the political spectrum. iReport.com: Whom do you see as VP?





Here is a list of possible front-runners:





Other names mentioned in the running include: Former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, former Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sam Nunn and Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland.





CNN's Candy Crowley and Roland Martin contributed to this report.
What field is wide open? Who has Obama picked for the search committee? What type of choice does Obama have? What has Clinton said? Who has indicated she is open to a joint ticket?
candidates from across the political spectrum. Jim Johnson to choose a running mate. she would be willing to sign up on a joint ticket. Sen. Hillary Clinton,
question: What field is wide open?, answer: candidates from across the political spectrum. | question: Who has Obama picked for the search committee?, answer: Jim Johnson | question: What type of choice does Obama have?, answer: to choose a running mate. | question: What has Clinton said?, answer: she would be willing to sign up on a joint ticket. | question: Who has indicated she is open to a joint ticket?, answer: Sen. Hillary Clinton,