Washington DC – In the United States, the vice presidency does not have much power, but the names of vice presidential candidates appear on ballots, yard signs, and campaign items alongside the leading presidential candidates. presidency.
Vice presidents can play an outsized role in the White House, beyond the narrow powers granted by the U.S. Constitution. And as candidates, they can help convey and energize their campaign message.
This year, President Joe Biden is expected to stay with the vice president. Kamala Harris as his running mate. Former President Donald Trump is expected to announce his vice presidential pick during or shortly before the Republican National Convention next month.
The vice-president is elected as part of the presidential list. So if people vote to re-elect Biden as president, they are indirectly electing Harris to another four-year term as vice president.
As election season heats up, Al Jazeera takes a look at the office of vice president in the United States and how vice presidential candidates are chosen.
What is the role of the vice president in the constitution?
Christopher Devine, a political science professor at the University of Dayton and author of two books on vice presidential candidates, said the vice president has a “very limited set of responsibilities” under the Constitution.
“The vice president replaces the president in the event of a problem – death, resignation or even temporary incapacity. That’s the biggest problem,” Devine told Al Jazeera.
The vice president also casts the deciding vote in the Senate – which Harris did it regularly during the first two years of Biden’s presidency, when the chamber was split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats.
The vice president is also president of the Senate, but vice presidents have largely stopped presiding over legislative proceedings — a largely ceremonial role — in recent decades.
What does the vice president do beyond his official duties?
Today, vice presidents serve as presidential advisors. They are expected to be “the last person in the room” before the president makes major decisions, Devine said.
“They also play other roles, such as liaison to Congress, helping to negotiate on legislative issues,” he told Al Jazeera.
“Of course, they play some role in foreign policy – meeting foreign heads of state or carrying out diplomatic missions, attending funerals, etc. So vice presidents do a lot of things. But most of their actions are not required by the Constitution.”
Who defines the role of the VP?
Modern U.S. history has seen powerful vice presidents – like Dick Cheney, particularly during George W. Bush’s first term – as well as others who had a low profile and were not considered a essential element of their administration, as Mike Penceformer vice president of Trump.
Devine said the president ultimately shapes the role of the vice president.
“It really depends on each president. Vice presidents can therefore be used as a valuable asset to advise the president on important issues. They could also be sidelined,” he told Al Jazeera.
Lindsay Chervinsky, a presidential historian, said another factor that determines the level of influence vice presidents have is their own experience and relationships.
For example, Cheney served as Secretary of Defense, Congressman, and White House Chief of Staff.
“They need to be able to bring something to the table that allows them to use their expertise and their relationships in order to make an impact,” Chervinsky said of vice presidents.
How are VP candidates chosen?
Unlike presidential candidates, vice presidential candidates do not run in party primaries. They are chosen after the determination of the presidential candidate.
Presidential candidates choose their own running mates who then obtain the official nomination during their term. party congress.
Devine said applicants typically start with a long list of candidates, then begin to narrow it down after rounds of interviews and background checks.
“The vetting process is incredibly invasive because they’re trying to find out if there are any skeletons in the closet that might come out about the vice presidential candidate during the campaign,” Devine said.
“So they ask for tax records, medical records, they do interviews with people who have worked with the candidates, with members of their family. They want to know everything.
What do presidential candidates look for in a running mate?
Chervinsky said candidates generally want their vice presidential choice to be a good public speaker to advance the campaign message; being an “attack dog” capable of effectively reprimanding opponents is also useful.
“They are also usually looking for someone who is different from them in some way,” Chervinsky added.
Considerations could include race, age, gender and experience, to help with so-called ticket balancing, meant to broaden the campaign’s appeal.
For example, Biden chose Harris – a black woman who is considerably younger than him. Barack Obamasenator for his first term at the time, chose Biden, who had been in the Senate for 35 years.
Devine said that beyond electoral politics, candidates are also looking for a capable leadership partner.
“They’re looking at who can help win elections, but they’re also looking long term at who can help govern once they’re in power,” he said.
Do vice presidential choices matter in elections?
Devine and Chervinsky said vice presidential candidates don’t make or break campaigns.
“To the extent that they matter, it’s in influencing how people perceive the judgment of presidential candidates,” Devine said. “Are they making responsible decisions or not? »
What about Trump’s VP pick?
Trump had fallen out with his former vice president after Pence refused to use his ceremonial role to count the Electoral College votes in Congress to overturn Biden’s victory.
“It’s clear that Trump is looking for someone who is loyal to him above all else, including the Constitution,” Chervinsky said.
She added that he could choose a woman or a person of color as his running mate to appeal to those subsets of voters.
Trump’s rumored vice presidential picks include Rep. Elise Stefanik and Sen. Tim Scott, Senator JD Vance and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. Scott is the only black Republican in the U.S. Senate.
“Ideally, he should be looking for someone who could be the responsible partner for the ruling party, but I don’t really think that’s generally how his considerations are framed,” Chervinsky said of Trump.
