The “most striking thing … heard from Trump allies yesterday was the second-guessing of JD Vance—a selection, they acknowledged, that was borne of cockiness,” MSNBC said on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, a day after Kamala Harris became Trump’s opponent. Trump made the choice, and the cockiness was his. Few other people in the GOP thought it was wise.
As MSNBC sees it (read story here),
“[T]here were plenty of ‘safe’ choices … Vance wasn’t necessarily one of them. The 39-year-old Ohio senator — the least experienced major-party running mate in nearly nine decades — has no accomplishments to speak of. He has a record of extremism on key issues. He comes from a state the GOP ticket is almost certain to win anyway.
“He actually hated Trump in the recent past … the guy doesn’t exactly radiate charm and charisma, either. Even in his home state, Vance is hardly a powerhouse. In 2022 … the young senator ‘underperformed every other statewide Republican on the ballot by a large margin. Ohio went strongly for Republicans; it did not go strongly for Vance.'”
So why did Trump stoop to picking Vance? Because he thought the election was in the bag, and he had the “luxury” of padding his ticket with a MAGA freak. But, with Biden gone from the Democratic ticket, “That luxury is now gone,” too.
Picking a vice president is something of a holy grail in presidential campaigns. The choice can make or break a campaign. “Trump did not choose wisely,” MSNBC says, “and it’s apparently not just Democrats who’ve noticed.”
Now, what about the Democratic side? The two leading veep prospects are Sen. Mark Kelly and Gov. Josh Shapiro, and organized labor is balking at Kelly (see story here), which leaves Shapiro as the favorite (see story here). There’s another reason as well: Harris and Kelly are both from the west, and the governor of Pennsylvania would better the ticket geographically, and make an important nod to the upper midwest.
Related story: Might Trump replace Vance? It’s unlikely, read story here.