Would a less bland VP pick have helped either candidate?

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Both Mike and Tim were pretty much boring non-entities. If someone more exciting and less bland were the VP pick for either side, would it have helped or were Pence and Kaine as good as they could have gotten?

[pikachu]

Imo, VPs can only hurt a candidate, not help one so I don't any realistic veep choice other than Kaine would've done anything for Hillary. Otoh, I think if Trump chose Christie as he originally wanted to, then he would've lost the election. October 2016 was actually a pretty big drip-drip-drip month for bad Bridgegate news (and that was only from NJ media) and I can see that flipping a couple thousand votes if it got a lot more national attention.

[Mister Mets]

It's possible that Cory Booker would've helped Hillary with turnout among younger and minority voters.

[J. J.]

In terms of a national figure, Trump could have chosen Condoleezza Rice (who declined).  It might have flipped NH, and had a slight chance in taking NV.   Susan Martinez could have done the same thing.

Hillary, I might go with Jim Webb, nationally. It would have also have helped in Virginia.  It would look less partizan and might attract some moderates.  Strategically, Bob Casey.  PA has 20 electoral votes.  It could have possibly helped in the close state of WI.  It would attract the people that really don't want Trump, but don't want a liberal.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

The Republican ticket really didn't need any extra excitement - the Pence choice was one of the best picks in years (in an objective sense, not trying to claim he's a good person).

[Karpatsky]

While he might not have accepted and it's true that it's bad to have the VP overshadow the top of the ticket, I believe Hillary would have done well to choose Bernie as VP.

[libertpaulian]

While he might not have accepted and it's true that it's bad to have the VP overshadow the top of the ticket, I believe Hillary would have done well to choose Bernie as VP.

Too old.  Maybe someone like Sherrod Brown.

[Senator Incitatus]

A bland pick was right for Trump, to reassure conservatives that if he really failed the country wouldn't devolve into chaos. Pence was a much better option than Gingrich and Christie.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Kaine was overrated as Veep, Perez could of been nominee

[Co-Chair Bagel23]

How can you get anymore bland than Tim Kaine?

[TPIG]

Trump benefited from the picking of mild-mannered, old guard Pence; it helped to bring social conservatives and more traditional Republicans out to vote for him and provided a good contrast to Trump's erratic behavior. In Clinton's case though, I think she would have definitely benefited from a more enthusiastic VP pick like Elizabeth Warren or someone of that grain. Hillary already had a problem of coming off as inauthentic, robotic, and cold. Picking someone with similar traits as her VP was a terrible decision.

[Pericles]

Trump benefited from the picking of mild-mannered, old guard Pence; it helped to bring social conservatives and more traditional Republicans out to vote for him and provided a good contrast to Trump's erratic behavior. In Clinton's case though, I think she would have definitely benefited from a more enthusiastic VP pick like Elizabeth Warren or someone of that grain. Hillary already had a problem of coming off as inauthentic, robotic, and cold. Picking someone with similar traits as her VP was a terrible decision.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Trump benefited from the picking of mild-mannered, old guard Pence; it helped to bring social conservatives and more traditional Republicans out to vote for him and provided a good contrast to Trump's erratic behavior. In Clinton's case though, I think she would have definitely benefited from a more enthusiastic VP pick like Elizabeth Warren or someone of that grain. Hillary already had a problem of coming off as inauthentic, robotic, and cold. Picking someone with similar traits as her VP was a terrible decision.

This. Pence was objectively a very good VP pick. Kaine wasn't.

[Da2017]

Trump benefited from the picking of mild-mannered, old guard Pence; it helped to bring social conservatives and more traditional Republicans out to vote for him and provided a good contrast to Trump's erratic behavior. In Clinton's case though, I think she would have definitely benefited from a more enthusiastic VP pick like Elizabeth Warren or someone of that grain. Hillary already had a problem of coming off as inauthentic, robotic, and cold. Picking someone with similar traits as her VP was a terrible decision.

This. Pence was objectively a very good VP pick. Kaine wasn't.

I think Hillary wanted someone who she could work with and get things done. Kaine might of worked if her public persona was better. There were many better choices. She needed someone young and more dynamic. Some of the others choices might of overshadowed her,but that might be more of a positive than negitive, because the more people are reminded of her, her poll numbers drop.

I think Pence was the best pick for Trump.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Pence was a good choice for Trump to bring home the conservative base. Kaine was a total f**k you to progressives.

[Karpatsky]

I read somewhere that Vilsack was the #2 choice. With hindsight, I think he would have been much better, though I suppose at the time the Midwest was considered safe and Clinton was focusing on expanding the map in FL, AZ, TX, for which Kaine's Spanish language skill must have been a big plus.

[Spark]

How can you get anymore bland than Tim Kaine?

[Mr. Smith]

Nope, more likely it would've hurt them.

They needed blandness as a means of proof of being rooted, not being upstaged, and keeping all negative press down...which wouldn't happen with a Biden-Palin-Quayle-kind of pick now would it?

Pence was a better gaslighter though.

[Dukakisite1988]

Given the problems that Hillary had, perhaps a VP pick that would have taken attention away from her would have helped.

On the other hand, VP picks who get more attention than the presidential nominee often do so for the wrong reasons - see Eagleton, Palin, Quayle.

[Kleine Scheiße]

I'm quite certain there are at least two or three million registered Democrats that voted for Tim Kaine for vice president without actually knowing who he is.

[Jags]

I read somewhere that Vilsack was the #2 choice. With hindsight, I think he would have been much better, though I suppose at the time the Midwest was considered safe and Clinton was focusing on expanding the map in FL, AZ, TX, for which Kaine's Spanish language skill must have been a big plus.

Lol at picking a white man as VP to pick up latino votes just because he speaks spanish.

[Karpatsky]

I read somewhere that Vilsack was the #2 choice. With hindsight, I think he would have been much better, though I suppose at the time the Midwest was considered safe and Clinton was focusing on expanding the map in FL, AZ, TX, for which Kaine's Spanish language skill must have been a big plus.

Lol at picking a white man as VP to pick up latino votes just because he speaks spanish.

Why not? You don't have to look like someone to appeal to them.

[Fuzzy Says: "Abolish NPR!"]

I'm not certain Hillary would have carried VA without Kaine.

I don't think Kaine was Hillary's problem; the problem was Hillary, period.

[SCNCmod]

I will always think... that if Hillary had chosen Castro ... or even Booker... that she would have won.  I tweeted when she didn't chosen either of them (particularly Castro)- the it may end up being a sentinel mistake.  Either would have given her campaign the extra nudge to turn out enough minority & youth voters in the Larger cities in the few swing states to make the difference.

[The Mikado]

Pence was and remains a positive for Trump.

He's the ultimate insurance policy that quells any anxiety the religious right may have over their fundamentally pagan President.