Not mine, but my mother’s. She voted for Nixon in 1960 because as much as she liked Kennedy the thought of something happening to him and Johnson’s becoming President was unacceptable.
Never asked her if she voted for Johnson when he ran. Must remember to do that.
No secret I will be voting for Obama, no matter who he picks.
But this time out, I think it will be important for both sides.
McCain is no spring chicken, and in the back of people’s minds, they might like to know who will step in, should the worst happen. Same goes for Obama if you believe the early dire predictions of some racist nutcase with a high powered rifle…
But right now, I think it balances the ticket - you hope your candidate might find someone with stronger experience in a different field; economics, military, diplomacy, whatever…
And let’s be honest - in those swing states, it doesn’t hurt to have a VP candidate stumping who might be far more popular and likeable than the Presidential candidate in that particular area of the country.
Not a vice president, but I would have voted for the Republican candidate (Judy Baar Topinka) in the last Illinois gubernatorial race. However, she picked a candidate for her Lieutenant Governor, Joe Birkett, who tended towards over-the-top zealotry in prosecuting various cases. It turned off both my husband and I, who admired her pro-choice and pro-gay-rights stances but didn’t want Birkett to get into higher office. I’m still regretting it, but mostly regretting that she made that choice.
However, it seems like (at least in Illinois) Lt. Governors do more policy-wise than Vice Presidents do. (Unless you’re Dick Cheney, in which case that may not be true at all.)