Washington DC – The U.S. vice president doesn't have much power, but the vice presidential candidate's name appears on ballots, yard signs and campaign merchandise next to the presidential lead candidate.
The vice president can play an outsized role in the White House beyond the narrow powers granted to him by the U.S. Constitution, and as a candidate, he can also play a role in communicating and amplifying his campaign message.
This year, President Joe Biden is expected to continue to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate, after former President Donald Trump is expected to announce his running mate during or shortly before next month's Republican National Convention.
The vice president is elected as part of the presidential nomination, so if people vote to re-elect Biden as president, they will indirectly elect Harris as vice president for another four-year term.
As the election campaign heats up, Al Jazeera takes a look at the US vice presidency and how the vice presidential candidate is selected.
What is the Vice President's role under the Constitution?
Christopher Devine, a political science professor at the University of Dayton who has written two books about vice presidential candidates, said the vice president's responsibilities are “very limited” under the Constitution.
“The vice president acts in place of the president if something happens – death, resignation or temporary incapacity – and that's a big event,” Devine told Al Jazeera.
The vice president will also cast runoff votes in the Senate, something Harris did regularly during Biden's first two years in office when the Senate was split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats.
The vice president also serves as president of the Senate, but over the past few decades the vice president has largely abandoned that role, which is primarily ceremonial and involves presiding over legislative proceedings.
What does the Vice President do outside of official duties?
Currently, vice presidents serve as advisors to the president and are expected to be “the last people in the room” before the president makes important decisions, Devine said.
“They also have other roles, such as acting as liaisons with parliament and helping to negotiate legislative matters,” he told Al Jazeera.
“Of course, they have some role in foreign policy – they meet with foreign heads of state, they send diplomatic missions, they attend funerals, etc. So there's a lot that vice presidents do. But most of what they do is not required by the Constitution.”
Who defines the VP role?
Modern U.S. history has seen some powerful vice presidents, such as Dick Cheney, who was central to George W. Bush's first term, but also some who were less prominent and not considered key to the administration, such as President Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence.
Devine said ultimately the president will shape the vice president's role.
“That's really up to each president, so vice presidents can be a great resource to advise the president on important issues. They can also be pushed aside,” he told Al Jazeera.
Presidential historian Lindsay Cherbinski said another factor that determines a vice president's level of influence is their own experience and relationships.
Cheney, for example, served as Secretary of Defense, a member of Congress, and White House Chief of Staff.
“The vice president needs to bring something to the table that allows him to leverage his expertise and connections to have an impact,” Cherbinski said.
How are vice presidential candidates chosen?
Unlike presidential candidates, vice presidential candidates do not run in party primaries; they are selected after the presidential candidate has been selected.
Presidential candidates choose their own running mate, who is then formally nominated at the party convention.
Devine said candidates typically start with a long list of candidates and then begin to narrow them down after several interviews and background checks.
“The vetting process is incredibly thorough because they're trying to find out whether there are any hidden facts that may have come to light about the vice presidential nominee during the election period,” Devine said.
“They ask for tax records, medical records, they interview people who worked with the candidate, family members. They want to know everything.”
What do presidential candidates look for in their running mate?
Cherbinski said candidates typically want their running mate to be a good speaker who can deliver the campaign message, and it also helps if he or she is an “attack dog” who can effectively chastise their opponents.
“They're usually looking for someone who is different from them in some way,” Chervinsky added.
Factors taken into account could include race, age, gender and experience, which would help with so-called “ticket balancing” aimed at broadening the appeal of campaigns.
For example, Biden chose Ms. Harris, a black woman much younger than him, while Barack Obama, then a first-term senator, chose Ms. Biden, who had served in the senate for 35 years.
Devine said candidates look beyond electoral politics and are also looking for capable governing partners.
“They are looking at who can help them win the election, but also who can help them govern in the long term once they are in power,” he said.
Does the choice of vice presidential candidate matter in an election?
Both Devine and Cherbinski said the vice presidential pick won't make or break a campaign.
“What they're important for is to influence how people view the decisions of presidential candidates,” Devine said. “Are they going to make responsible decisions or not?”
What happened to Trump's running mate?
Trump had been at odds with the former vice president after Pence refused to use his ceremonial role in Congress counting the electoral votes to overturn Biden's victory.
“It's clear that Trump wants someone who will be loyal to him above all else, including to the Constitution,” Cherbinski said.
She added that Trump could choose a woman or a person of color as his running mate to appeal to this demographic of voters.
Possible running mates for Trump include Rep. Elise Stefanik, Sen. Tim Scott, Sen. J.D. Vance and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. Scott is the only black Republican in the U.S. Senate.
“Ideally, Trump should be looking for someone who can be a responsible governing partner, but I don't think that's what's generally being considered,” Cherbinski said of Trump.
