Minneapolis — A big decision awaits Vice President Harris, who is expected to be the Democratic presidential nominee and will make her announcement soon. Her Vice Presidential CandidateShe is making choices in an incredibly short amount of time.
J.D. Vance, former President Trump's right-hand man, He rallied supporters in Minnesota last weekend.Candidates for Harris' second-in-command continued to hold open auditions.
“She's prepared for the fight ahead,” Pennsylvania Gov. John Shapiro said of Harris at a weekend rally.
“She brings a positive vision,” Gov. Tim Walz said in a recent television appearance.
Does the vice presidential nominee influence the election? Voters have mixed opinions, telling WCCO that sometimes it doesn't matter, while others say they at least want to know the candidate's background and experience.
To some extent, that's very important, said Christopher Devine, an associate professor of political science at the University of Dayton.
“This selection gives us a lot of clues about what kind of person a future president will be,” Devine said.
He is co-author of the book “Do Running Mates Matter? The Vice Influence.”
“Our conclusion based on the evidence is that people's perceptions of the presidential candidate – who they're really voting for – can be shaped by their choice of running mate. Their choice of running mate says a lot about the kind of person they are,” he said.
Essentially, who a presidential candidate chooses as their running mate reflects their own views of the candidate. For Democrats, their running mate may be portrayed as more liberal or more centrist, depending on their track record.
Should a vice presidential candidate demonstrate presidential potential? Devine answered with a resounding yes.
“I think it's really important for voters to know whether this is a person who is truly qualified to be the next president,” he said.
“Everything a president should be able to do, a vice president should be able to do and more, because they're the one who holds the president accountable,” said Chris, a voter, as he walked through downtown Minneapolis. “The second seed is often harder than the first seed because you're not famous and you're doing the behind-the-scenes work.”
What qualities in a vice presidential candidate will influence voters? “First and foremost, qualifications matter. Voters respond favorably to a choice of a credible vice presidential candidate,” he said.
That means we need someone with foreign policy expertise and federal government experience.
Devine said Vance has talent but a lack of political experience, having served in the Senate for less than two years.
Devine said it's usually wise to make safe choices rather than risky, flashy choices.
“Voters see through that. They can tell someone was elected for political reasons,” he said.
Devine said his research dispels two common misconceptions about vice presidential picks: The first is that it will deliver victory in a candidate's home state in November, and the second is that it will deliver victory among a particular voting group.
“What my co-authors and I found is that there is generally no change in voting patterns,” he said.
Choosing a woman as a vice presidential candidate to attract female voters, or an evangelical vice presidential candidate to attract religious support, rarely produces the results one would expect.
That's why the choice of vice presidential candidate is just one of many factors influencing voters, who are likely to be focused on the two candidates for the presidency and their policies.
“I'm going to focus on the people (running) and the issues,” one voter told WCCO.
A source close to the Harris campaign told CBS News that the front-runner will likely make her choice by August 7th.
