Former President Donald Trump’s selection of JD Vance as his vice presidential candidate has come under increasing scrutiny following a series of questionable comments made by the Ohio Senator. many wondered what Vance added to the ticket apart from being able to carry the MAGA label beyond a Trump presidency. He has a miserable approval rating that has led to Some wonder if Trump might try to remove him from the ballot.The reaction to Vance’s selection is highly significant to Vice President Kamala Harris’ decision to choose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, because a running mate must 1) be qualified and 2) help, not hurt, the election.

Trump’s answer to the question: “When you look at JD Vance, is he ready from day one?“ is telling. Rather than stand by his running mate, he dodged the question by focusing instead on Vance’s influence on the election: “Historically, the Vice President has no influence, practically no influence, when it comes to the election.” That claim aside, Trump’s unwillingness to directly address the question of Vance’s qualifications suggests that in choosing Vance, he did not take seriously the most important consideration any candidate must make when evaluating vice presidential candidates: Is this person, who is just a stone’s throw away from the presidency, qualified and competent to take over the office of President if necessary?

The urgency of this question becomes all the more clear when you consider that Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt just two days before the new senator was elected. In fact, Trump reportedly said Fox News Journalist Harris Faulkner said just hours before he was nearly assassinated at a rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, that his choice of a vice president was important because “bad things happen.” Trump is undoubtedly right on this point. Eight previous vice presidents have been appointed to the presidency due to the death of a president, one in 1974 due to a resignation. The U.S. Constitution also empowers the vice president to assume office if the president is impeached and removed from office, or temporarily if the president is no longer able to hold office.

In 2016, Trump seemed to take the concept of qualification seriously. Mike Pence had the political resume and experience to be president himself. He was a former member of Congress (12 years in the House) and was governor of Indiana at the time of his election. There was no question that he was qualified—in fact, he was far more qualified than Trump himself, given Trump’s complete lack of government experience. Pence’s selection had the added benefit of being a smart political decision as well. He calmed the fears of the established Republicans and was cheered by evangelical Christians – an important group of voters in the conservative base, which did not trust Trump in view of his turbulent personal past, his numerous marriages and his moral weaknesses.

There were clear electoral reasons why Trump chose JD Vance as his running mate. Although Ohio is not a swing state in 2024, Vance’s Midwestern upbringing and Appalachian roots weave a personal story that is likely to resonate with white, working-class voters in Blue Wall states. of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, the latter two of which border Ohio. Vance was also a prominent and often successful public ambassador, able to articulate the MAGA agenda better than many other Republicans.

From a government perspective, however, Vance has little experience. Vance was sworn in as a U.S. Senator just early last year, his first political office ever. He has no other experience in an elected or appointed office. This is not a resume that would lead most voters to conclude that a Vice President Vance would be “ready on day one.” Other candidates on Trump’s short list – including North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott – would have easily passed this crucial test, convincing voters of Trump’s judgment and potentially winning him additional votes.

Vance’s bumpy “rollout” as vice president – including the revival of previous statements in which he opposed “childless female cats” – have caused much embarrassment and perhaps regret for the Trump campaign. Recent reports show that many Republican strategists and congressional Republicans are now extremely critical of Vance’s electionAmid speculation that Trump is considering the possibility of replacing Vance on the Republican ticket, Trump and his campaign team was forced to defend Vance. Since August 8, Vance has a net dissatisfaction rate of 9.3% which is historically unpopular for a newly appointed candidate. Much like the Hippocratic Oath advises, a running mate should “first do no harm” – and the choice of Vance could violate that principle.

Kamala Harris and her campaign team have certainly taken note of Vance’s difficulties in selecting Tim Walz. Harris had to consider many factors, not least of which was concern about her potential running mate’s influence on the electoral aspects of the campaign — voting in key swing states, mobilizing the voting base, and appeasing moderates. While these factors are critical to any presidential campaign, Harris ultimately had to ask herself whether Walz would be ready to serve as vice president — or even president — from day one.

Tim Walz, whose political experience is strikingly similar to that of former Vice President Mike Pence, is currently in his fifth year as governor of Minnesota after winning re-election in 2022. Previously, Walz served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 12 years, serving on the Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, Armed Services, and Veterans Affairs committees (ranking member). Walz also served in the Army National Guard for 24 years, reaching the rank of Command Sergeant Major before retiring in 2005. His performance on the campaign trail will show whether Walz was a good choice for the campaign, but it is clear from his resume that Walz has the qualifications and experience needed to serve at the highest level in the country if called upon. The same cannot be said for his vice presidential opponent.