Does the Vice Presidential candidate really matter?
Photo credit: U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
While it may not have been as fiery as the presidential debate between former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Vice Presidential debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz provided key insights into the priorities of each administration and insights into the VP candidates themselves. Still, why does the Vice President even matter?
The Vice President would step in as President should the sitting president resign, be impeached or otherwise removed, die or be incapacitated by a serious illness or other condition. Fifteen vice presidents have gone on to become president, with the first being John Adams, who ran after George Washington stepped down and became the United States' second President.
Additionally, throughout the history of the United States, six vice presidents have become presidents during the middle of an administrative term. The 13th President, Millard Fillmore, took over after his predecessor died of cholera. Calvin Coolidge became president when Warren G. Harding had a heart attack. Gerald Ford rose to the seat when Richard Nixon resigned after the Watergate scandal.
The last three were Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson, who all took office when their president was assassinated.
Trump, the current Republican candidate for this presidential election, is 78 years old. By the end of his term, should he be elected, he would be the oldest to hold the position. Furthermore, the current political climate has trended towards violence.
Trump has faced two assassination attempts, one of which was extremely close to killing him. Before these attempts, there was the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. Should this trend continue there is a very real chance of violence against whoever is elected.
The country has always voted for both a president and a vice president. But now more than ever, he who sits as vice president could play a huge role in the next four years.
