Do vice-presidential picks matter?
If they have any effect on an election’s result, it is at the margins
SHORTLY AFTER announcing his run for the Democratic nomination in 1960, John F. Kennedy said: “I don’t recall a single case where a vice-presidential candidate contributed an electoral vote.” Still, the north-easterner picked Lyndon Johnson as his running-mate, hoping that the senator from Texas would help him in southern states. Johnson tore across the South in a train nicknamed the LBJ Express, arriving at rallies in a ten-gallon hat to the strains of “The Yellow Rose of Texas”. After he won, Kennedy admitted that “we couldn’t have carried the South without Johnson”. That Johnson “delivered the South” is now received wisdom. But how much difference do vice-presidential picks actually make in elections?
Explore more
Discover more
Is RFK junior right to say America allows more toxins than the EU?
He is, but things are slowly beginning to change
What would it cost to kill coal?
The price of shutting down coal power, and what would be gained
Should America ban fluoride in its drinking water?
The idea by Robert F. Kennedy junior—nominated by Donald Trump as health secretary—may have teeth
Why is Donald Trump keen to use “recess appointments”?
The president-elect is testing the loyalty of the Senate’s next majority leader
Will Donald Trump’s power be unchecked if Republicans win the House?
A “trifecta” of presidency, Senate and House of Representatives would provide a huge opportunity
Why The Economist endorses political candidates
Our independence is protected by our principles and structure