What Trump can learn about picking a vice president from Kamala Harris
By Elaine Mallon
May 9, 2024 1:32 pmWith the Republican National Convention two months away, Donald Trump is honing in on his choice for a running mate, but political scientists suggest that picking a candidate in an effort to win over key voting groups may not be the best strategy — just look at Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump’s strategists have a variety of approaches when it comes to who Trump should pick for his vice president, according to the Wall Street Journal. Some suggest that Trump should pick a running mate that will win over black and Hispanic voters. Other advisers say Trump should pick someone who will appeal to swing-state voters, and some say Trump should pick a candidate not directly involved in the Republican Party in an effort to strengthen his “outsider image.”
However, political scientists Christopher Devine and Kyle Kopko suggest in their 2020 book Do Running Mates Matter? that choosing a vice president has just a small influence on key voter groups and fails to have a lasting effect on voters’ decisions. Devine and Kopko said research shows having a vice presidential candidate on the ticket from a state the presidential candidate wasn’t expected to win did little to change that outcome.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/2997890/what-trump-can-learn-picking-vice-president-from-kamala/