Donald Trump's campaign for a vice presidential candidate has been unusually public, with the running mates attending the New York trial that led to his historic conviction. Trump has signaled he may not choose a running mate until the Republican convention this month, but journalists and commentators are busy reading the signs. Which candidate received the toughest response from the conservative media? Who dined with the former president's family? Who most vigorously defended Trump against judges and prosecutors he now despises?
Who will do the best job as vice presidential nominee may not be of much concern to many commentators, but it is the question that interests us most and the question that matters most to the country.
So, we recently Presidential Greatness Project In our survey of scholars, we asked experts to rate not only presidents but also vice presidents. The resulting rankings are fascinating and range from Franklin D. Roosevelt's first vice president, John Nance “Cactus Jack” Garner, to Kamala Harris.
Al Gore tops the list as the greatest vice president of the modern era, closely followed by Joe Biden, who also recently joined the presidential rankings. Top thirdThe remaining top five were rounded out by Lyndon B. Johnson (Kennedy), George H. W. Bush (Reagan), and Walter Mondale (Carter).
Nixon's Vice President Spiro Agnew, who resigned in a bribery scandal, ranked last, along with Dan Quayle (George H.W. Bush), Henry Wallace (Franklin Roosevelt), Garner and Alben Barkley (Truman), who rounded out the bottom five.
Harris and Mike Pence, who both served under last-place Trump, placed in the bottom half of vice presidents, coming in 11th and 13th out of 18, respectively. The low rankings of the current vice president and his predecessor reflect experts' view that they have not been particularly willing partners in the administration.
This is a departure from conventional wisdom about the role of the vice president, which boils down to a role as a marginal asset in the election — representing key states and districts, for example — and essentially keeping the pulse going. Historically, vice presidents have been like offensive linemen in football: if their name was in the news, it was probably a bad thing.
From top to bottom, left to right: Vice Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Harry S. Truman, Dan Quayle, Gerald Ford, Al Gore, Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Spiro Agnew, Joe Biden, George H. W. Bush, Dick Cheney and John Nance Garner.
But the importance of the vice presidency has grown dramatically in recent decades. While Garner's infamous comparison of the vice presidency to a bucket of “warm spit” may have been accurate during the administration of President Franklin Roosevelt, a modern vice president can be the president's partner in policymaking. Today, a successful vice president provides advice, works with Congress, and conveys the president's message.
Beyond the overall ranking, we were also able to evaluate recent vice presidents going back to Mondale on various aspects of the modern vice presidency that further highlight the policy partner aspect of the institution.
For example, Gore is not only considered the best vice president of modern times, but he also became a top policy adviser, reflecting projects such as the “Reform Government” initiative to shrink the bureaucracy and reduce government costs and make it more efficient.Big deal…Dick Cheney played a “key role” in helping pass the Affordable Care Act, and although he was not highly rated overall, he was still considered a key policy adviser to President George W. Bush.
Who is the best vice president of all time? Joe Biden and Al Gore (pictured here presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the latter) both received high marks in an expert panel's evaluation of the last 18 vice presidents.
(Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)
When we asked respondents to define their own definition of a great vice president, we received a wide range of responses, but several concepts and themes recurred consistently. The words that appeared most frequently in these definitions were “policy,” “effective,” “support,” “office,” and “agenda,” all of which are more related to White House policy than electoral politics.
This is consistent with responses to another question we asked about the most important traits in a vice president: Respondents indicated that the ability to serve as a policy advisor and surrogate for the president was far more important than a traditional focus on electoral politics.
Many of the running mates Trump is considering have at least the experience to succeed as vice president. Governors Ron DeSantis of Florida and Doug Burgum of North Dakota have administrative experience, as do South Dakota's Kristi Noem, who is seemingly on the fast track, and Trump's primary foe, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. Senators Tim Scott of South Carolina, J.D. Vance of Ohio, and Marco Rubio of Florida could serve as bridges to Congress. Any of them might have the makings to be effective policy partners in the White House, given the opportunity and the willingness. Neither is a given, given Pence's fate as vice president.
That's a shame, because a stable, capable running mate is especially important this year: Given the advanced age of both candidates and the possibility that Trump's legal problems could extend into a second term, it's more likely than usual that one of them will become president.
There is no Mount Rushmore for vice presidents. But if there was one, our survey of experts suggests it would be shaped more by productive governing partnerships than by political vote balance. In a year of widespread public dissatisfaction with the presidential candidates and strong perceptions of their shortcomings, many voters may look to their running mate for that possibility.
Justin Vaughn is an associate professor of political science at Coastal Carolina University. Brandon Rottinghaus is a professor of political science at the University of Houston.
