There’s a lot going on with the Vice Presidents these days. Here’s a historical look at the office.
The Constitution names the vice president of the United States as the president of the Senate. In addition to serving as presiding officer, the vice president has the sole power to break a tie vote in the Senate and formally presides over the receiving and counting of electoral ballots cast in presidential elections.
Today vice presidents serve as principal advisors to the president, but from 1789 until the 1950s their primary duty was to preside over the Senate. Since the 1830s, vice presidents have occupied offices near the Senate Chamber.
How well they are known
More people have formed opinions both good and bad on the vice presidential candidates in 2024 than in many past elections.
In their home state
Many vice presidential candidates are chosen with the goal that they can win their home state for the ticket. Results are mixed.
In 1972, George McGovern picked Thomas Eagleton to be his running mate. It was later revealed that Eagleton had undergone electroshock therapy. Sargent Shriver replaced Eagleton, but the Democrats lost in a landslide.
In 1973, Spiro Agnew resigned after being charged with bribery, conspiracy and tax fraud.
In 1977, Walter Mondale’s family was the first to live at Number One Observatory Circle, in Washington, D.C., the official vice presidential residence.
In 2010, UC Irvine did a study on the influence a VP has on voters after Sarah Palin received a lot of attention. The study found that the VP had about 1% of influence on a voter’s pick.
Those who became president
Originally, the vice president was the person who received the second most votes for president in the Electoral College. The 12th Amendment, ratified in 1804, refined the process to put forth the president and vice president on the same ticket. Vice President Kamala Harris is seeking to become the 16th vice president to become president and just the sixth to be elected president.
There have been 53 vice presidents of the United States, from John Adams to Kamala Harris. Fifteen of them have become president. Eight succeeded to the office on the death of a president, and five of these were later elected president.
Sources: The Associated Press, Real Clear Politics, The Wall Street Journal, Fivethirtyeight.com, Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections, “Evaluating the Impact of Vice Presidential Selection on Voter Choice” by Bernard Grofman and Reuben Kline, UC Irvine
