Does the Vice President Matter in Elections?

When November 6^th arrives, voters will cast their ballots
for the next President of the United States, but at the same time they’ll be
picking the next Vice President as well. 
But does the second name on the ticket matter when it comes to make a
choice to which candidate a voter picks for President? 

Political Science professor and researcher Dr. Keith Gaddie says the
short answer is ‘No.’  “The long answer
is that a vice presidential nominee can do some things for the ticket that can
ensure interest in the ticket or bring balance to the ticket.”

Professor Gaddie says a majority of voters already have their minds
made up as to who they want to choose for President.  However the VP pick does play into efforts by
parties to boost turnout from the base voters.  
“More so than any election in recent memory, this is a base mobilization
election,” Gaddie told Fox 25, “Whoever turns out their base is going to be the
guy who wins.”

Dr.Gaddie says research shows there was one election that may have been
decided based on a vice presidential pick. 
He says when John F. Kennedy picked Lyndon Johnson it helped shore up
support for him in Texas and Kennedy went on to win the Presidency.  “Bringing Lyndon Johnson in who was viewed as
a pretty moderate Texan, bringing him in could help shore up Texas and help
shore up the southern states and Kennedy basically won by about two states.”

In this election, Mitt Romney’s pick of Wisconsin Representative Paul
Ryan did little to guarantee a state like Wisconsin.  Dr. Gaddie says research in Wisconsin shows
while Representative Ryan enjoys wide support in his district that does not
translate to a guaranteed win for the entire state.  However, by picking Ryan, it did shore up
support with fiscal conservatives and other traditional Republican voters.

By contrast, Dr. Gaddie says President Obama’s pick of Vice President
Joe Biden during the 2008 election was a sign he was adding Washington
experience to the ticket.

In the end though, the race will be about bring out the base for both
candidates.  Dr. Gaddie says that is
especially true in the swing states.  “Everyone
knows where to go shopping for the votes and right now this election is down to
about 16 counties across about 8 states.”

Posted: Monday, October 8 2012, 10:16 PM CDT