August 1 – “I’m vice president. In this I’m nothing. But I can be everything.” – John Adams
With his terse statement, Adams set the tone for how insiders viewed the vice presidency.
John Nance Garner, a boorish Texan who was Franklin Roosevelt’s vice president, reportedly said that the job itself wasn’t worth a pitcher of hot spit. Some historians believe that Garner actually cited a different bodily fluid and was angered when writers sanitized his quote.
If politicians claim they don’t think highly of the vice presidency, many reporters and editors are captivated by it.
Susana Martinez In 2011, she was in her second month as governor of New Mexico when metropolitan newspapers began listing her as a vice presidential possibility on the 2012 Republican ticket. The coverage was silly. Nothing but gossip put Martinez under consideration for vice president.
But she was New Mexico’s first female governor and the nation’s first Hispanic governor. Why not come up with a story or ten about broadening the appeal of Republicans in a presidential election?
Gary Johnson, who was a two-term Republican governor of New Mexico, tried to drown in icy waters any rumors that Martinez would be on the national ticket. Johnson told Politico, “This is a Sarah Palin kind of choice.” Palin, the telegenic but clumsy governor of Alaska, was John McCainwas chosen as vice president in 2008.
Every time someone promoted the idea of Martinez moving onto the national stage, Martinez herself rejected it. She said she wasn’t interested. Her ambition did not extend beyond the fourth floor of the Capitol in Santa Fe. She had much work to do in her adopted home state.
Martinez’s position would have changed quickly if 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney had been interested in her. Romney never considered Martinez his running mate. The governor herself said this.
Second place on the ticket is again a hot story, this time legitimately.
Vice President Kamala Harris’s sudden ascendancy as this year’s presumptive Democratic presidential nominee presents her with an executive decision. She must choose the running mate who increases her chances of winning.
Some Democrats favor Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. transportation secretary and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Others mention the right-leaning Democratic governors of Kentucky and North Carolina, Andy Beshear and Roy Cooper, respectively.
But could any of the three hand over their home state to Harris, much less help her at the regional level? Probably not.
Sen. Cory Booker from New Jersey would be a strong choice. You can see how it works by watching the excellent 2005 documentary Street Fight. Free online, the film chronicles Booker’s courageous campaign for mayor of Newark, NJ, against incumbent Sharpe James.
Booker, however, has too much voltage to be cast as a subordinate. Position him second on the ticket and many voters would wonder why he is not the presidential candidate.
The same goes for the governor of Michigan. Gretchen Whitmer. During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, she faced off against Republicans President Donald Trump. He derisively called Whitmer “that woman from Michigan.”
Detroit rapper Gmac Cash responded with a song defining Trump’s opponent as Big Gretch. She would torture Trump in this year’s campaign, but she could also upstage Harris.
Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona would be useful in his own swing state. Whether Harris, a Californian, would benefit nationally from teaming up with another Westerner is an open question.
Who makes the most sense for Harris?
That would be the governor. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. He knows how to win a state that Harris must have.
Shapiro in the 2022 gubernatorial election won 17 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, but defeated Republican Doug Mastriano, 56.5% to 41.7%.
There is an explanation for these statistics. Democratic political strategist James Carville once said, “Pennsylvania is bordered by metropolises on both ends, with Alabama in the middle.”
Harris will need overwhelming support in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and the Philadelphia suburbs to sustain the state. This was the winning formula for Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Shapiro himself.
Hillary Clinton in 2016 lost Pennsylvania to Trump on her way to losing the presidency. Without Pennsylvania, Harris could still win, but she couldn’t afford to lose another swing state.
Shapiro would help Harris in the Big Gretch State, and perhaps in Wisconsin, Minnesota and even Ohio.
Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance is from Ohio, but that could turn into an advantage for Harris. Vance’s outlandish pronouncements on childless voters and other topics could pave the way for Democrats to be competitive in Ohio for the first time since Obama’s 2012 victory.
The contrast between Vance and Shapiro would be stark. One is qualified and a political asset, not a liability.
Fifteen US vice presidents have become president. John Adams was the first. If Harris wants to place 16th, she needs a beacon in the Rust Belt.
It takes more than showing up to try a cheese steak and wave a Terrible Towel. Shapiro can lead in his state, the cornerstone of victory.
Ringside Seat is an opinion column about people, politics and news. Contact Milan Simonich at msimonich@sfnewmexican.com or 505-986-3080.
