Of course, the best example is that of John Kennedy choosing Lyndon Johnson in 1960. In a superb piece of ticket balancing, the young, liberal, Catholic New Englander selected Lyndon Johnson, a southern and western conservative, older and more experienced, and Protestant. By uniting the two wings of the Democratic Party as well as balancing the ticket geographically and philosophically, Kennedy gained an edge that may have made the difference in one of the closest elections in our history.
Certainly, the name at the top of the ticket is by far the most important. But the running mate should not be completely ignored. As proven by Lyndon Johnson, Spiro Agnew and Dan Quayle to name a few, the choice of the Vice Presidential candidate can affect elections and bring strength or weakness to an administration. Voters should look carefully at the name on the bottom of the ticket. In electing a Vice President, they may very well be choosing a future President.
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