(C) Ohio Capital Journal
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Is J.D. Vance ready to govern on Day One? • Ohio Capital Journal [1]

['Robert Alexander', 'Ph.D.', 'David B. Cohen', 'Christopher Devine', 'Charlie Hunt', 'Guest Author', 'Marilou Johanek', 'More From Author', 'August', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow']

Date: 2024-08-09

Former President Donald Trump’s selection of J.D. Vance as his running mate has come under increased scrutiny after a series of questionable comments from the Ohio Senator. This comes after many wondered what Vance added to the ticket apart from being able to carry the MAGA label beyond a Trump presidency. He has an abysmal favorability rating, which has led some to question whether Trump might try and drop him from the ticket. The response to Vance’s selection is very relevant to Vice President Kamala Harris’s choice of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate given that a running mate must 1) be qualified, and 2) help, not hinder the ticket.

Trump’s answer to the question: “When you look at J.D. Vance, is he ready on day one?” is telling. Rather than standing by his running mate, he avoided the question, by instead focusing on Vance’s electoral impact: “Historically, the vice president, in terms of the election, does not have any impact, virtually no impact.” Setting this claim aside, Trump’s unwillingness to address the question of Vance’s qualifications head-on suggests that, in choosing Vance, he had not taken seriously the most important consideration any nominee must entertain when evaluating vice-presidential candidates: is this person, who would be a heartbeat away from the presidency, qualified and competent to be president, if necessary?

The urgency of this question is all the more apparent given the fact that Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt only two days before choosing the freshman Senator. Indeed, Trump reportedly told Fox News journalist Harris Faulkner, just a few hours before he was nearly murdered at the Butler County, Pennsylvania rally, that his choice of a running mate was important because “bad things happen.” On this point, Trump is no doubt correct. Eight previous vice presidents have been elevated to the presidency because of the death of a president and one, in 1974, because of a resignation. The U.S. Constitution also empowers the vice president to take over when the president is impeached and removed from office, or temporarily when the president is incapacitated.

In 2016, Trump seemed to take the notion of qualification seriously. Mike Pence had the political resume and experience to be POTUS himself. He was a former member of Congress (twelve years in the House) and the governor of Indiana at the time he was chosen. There was no question about whether he was qualified — in fact, he was much more qualified Trump, himself, given Trump’s complete lack of governing experience. Pence’s selection had the added benefit of being a smart political choice as well. He calmed the fears of establishment Republicans and was cheered by evangelical Christians — a key constituency of the conservative base that did not trust Trump given his checkered personal history, numerous marriages, and moral foibles.

There were clear electoral reasons Trump chose J.D. Vance as his running mate. Though Ohio is not a swing state in 2024, Vance’s Midwestern upbringing and roots in Appalachia weave a personal narrative thought to resonate with white working-class voters in the Blue Wall states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, the latter two bordering Ohio. Vance has also been a prominent and often effective public messenger who can articulate the MAGA agenda better than many other Republicans.

From a governing perspective, however, Vance has little experience. Vance was sworn in as a U.S. Senator, his first ever political office, only early last year. There is no other experience in 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 — easily would have passed this critical test, thus reassuring voters about Trump’s judgment and perhaps winning him additional votes.

Vance’s rocky vice-presidential “roll-out” — including the resurfacing of past statements in which he railed against “childless cat ladies” — have caused a great deal of embarrassment to the Trump campaign and have perhaps led to buyer’s remorse. Recent reports reveal many Republican strategists and Congressional Republicans are now highly critical of the Vance pick. Amid speculation that Trump may be considering the possibility of replacing Vance on the Republican ticket, Trump and his campaign have been forced to defend Vance. As of Aug. 8, Vance has a net unfavorability rating of 9.3% which is historically unpopular for a newly named nominee. Much like the Hippocratic oath counsels, a running mate should “first do no harm” — and the Vance pick may be violating this tenet.

Kamala Harris and her campaign staff certainly took note of Vance’s struggles with the selection of Tim Walz. Harris had many factors to consider, not the least of which was concern about her potential running mate’s impact on the electoral aspects of the campaign—delivering key swing states, energizing the base, and reassuring moderates. While these factors are critical for any presidential campaign to consider, Harris had to ultimately ask herself whether Walz is ready to serve as vice president — or even president — on Day One.

Tim Walz, whose political experience is strikingly similar to that of former Vice President Mike Pence, is currently in his fifth year of service as Minnesota governor, having been reelected in 2022. Previously, Walz spent a dozen years in the U.S. House of Representatives with a seat on the Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, Armed Services, and Veterans Affairs (ranking member) committees. Walz also spent 24 years in the Army National Guard achieving the rank of command sergeant major before retiring in 2005. How he performs on the campaign trail will indicate whether Walz was a positive choice for the campaign; however, it is clear from his resume that Walz has the qualifications and experience necessary to serve at the nation’s highest level if called upon to do so. The same cannot be said of his vice-presidential opponent.

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[1] Url: https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2024/08/09/is-j-d-vance-ready-to-govern-on-day-one/

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