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People say the VP choice doesn& #39;t matter, per research. That seems to be true, to an extent, but that research is limited along several parameters, sample size being a primary one. I have sympathy for the argument that we care too much, but also for the argument that it matters.
We just don& #39;t have that many elections to look at in the modern era. This is especially true when incumbency is taken into consideration. Regardless, though, Biden is on the older side. He& #39;s also a white guy. These factors combined do mean the VP choice might matter more.
All that said, I think Democrats have it within their power to win this election no matter what. I& #39;m not saying the VP choice will necessarily be a tipping factor. But, we& #39;re talking about a close race around the margins.
Also, and I think this is somewhat important, a lot of "Did the VP make a difference?" literature may be somewhat incompatible with our current considerations, which mainly concern winning the midwest and, more importantly, boosting black & latino turnout.
We haven& #39;t had a black or latino/a VP candidate in a pres race. So, research on how a specific VP helped w/ other demos or their home state might not be pertinent. Whether or not Jon Edwards helped in NC may be irrelevant to whether Val Demmings would boost black turnout overall.
