2024 election: A focus on VP candidates

As President Biden begins his campaign for re-election to the United States Presidency, and months after Donald Trump announced his third bid for the Oval Office, many have expressed concern about the ages of both Trump and Biden. As the incumbent president and as a Democrat, Biden is expected to easily win the Democratic primary with little opposition. Donald Trump isn’t that much younger than Biden. (Trump would be 78 at the time of his inauguration if he were to win in 2024.)

Trump is currently the favored candidate to win the GOP nomination for president, setting up a potential rematch between Biden and Trump in 2024. If this comes to pass, both candidates would be the oldest that their party has ever nominated for president of the U.S.Therefore, I believe that it is now more important than ever to pay attention to who Biden and Trump select as their VPs, assuming both candidates win their parties’ respective nominations for president. With Biden being 82 (if he wins re-election to a second term), the chance that one of these two men could become incapacitated and rendered incapable of discharging their duties as president increases, especially as they get older, which means that those duties and responsibilities of the presidency could end up falling to their VPs. With Biden saying he will stick with Kamala Harris for a second term and Trump’s VP pick for 2024 still unknown, it is imperative that the American people have confidence not only that their president can discharge their duties bestowed upon them by the Constitution, but that should the president become incapacitated, Americans should be confident that their VP is willing and able to effectively assume the role of president.

Currently, I believe that Kamala Harris is not that person. I believe that she will not be a unifying force for the Democratic Party. I also believe that Harris would not be an effective legislator or be good at fostering bipartisanship within the Oval Office if the duties of president were to fall to her. With all that being said, I believe that two highly qualified candidates that have shown willingness to work across the aisle and foster bipartisanship within their home states would be Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina or former Louisiana Lieutenant Governor and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. These two men have shown that they can be effective leaders and foster bipartisanship within their home states, and I believe that they are both highly qualified and experienced candidates for the job of VP. I also think that they would be effective and respected by their colleagues on Capitol Hill.

With Trump’s VP pick still unknown, I believe that qualified and strong candidates that have shown themselves to be fierce bipartisan legislators within the GOP and have the experience that I believe is imperative if they are to hold the office of VP, and potentially president, are Governors Phil Scott of Vermont and Chris Sununu of New Hampshire. As Republican governors of blue states, these two men have shown that they are willing to reach out and work across the aisle to get things done for the people of Vermont and New Hampshire. These two men have also proven to be fierce and highly skilled bipartisan legislators who I believe could bring unity, as well as a voice of reason, to the GOP in Washington D.C.

I believe that these choices for VP on the Democratic and Republican side are extremely competent and experienced individuals who would bring a lot of good to Washington D.C. and would be a valuable voice of reason for their parties. I also would hope that perhaps a VP, like the ones listed above, could bring new enthusiasm to voters on both sides of the aisle and get them excited about who is on the ticket in 2024.

As Washington continues to get more divided and our choices for POTUS continue to get older, I believe these potential nominees for VP could bring about a new generation of leadership, and I believe that their ideas, beliefs and values can greatly benefit our nation and hopefully be able to foster bipartisanship in this very polarized age.