Second in Command: Reevaluating the Role of Vice Presidents and Running Mates in Modern American Politics

ISBN 10: 0472078097 / ISBN 13: 9780472078097

Published by University of Michigan Press, 2026

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 409730755

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Second in Command: Reevaluating the Role of Vice Presidents and Running Mates in Modern American Politics
• Publisher: University of Michigan Press
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0472078097
• ISBN 13: 9780472078097
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

In recent years, the office of the vice president has become a focal point of presidential politics and governance. From the emergence of the modern vice presidency under Walter Mondale to Mike Pence’s and Kamala Harris’s dramatic influence on the outcome of the 2020 election, Second in Command explores how vice presidents and vice-presidential candidates have shaped the direction of the country and changed American politics. The frenzy of speculation surrounding the “veepstakes” every four years and extensive media coverage of the vice-presidential debate may seem odd, given the vice presidency’s limited constitutional powers and dismal public reputation.

Dispelling the myth that the vice presidency is a powerless or merely ceremonial role, Second in Command draws on the multidisciplinary expertise of more than a dozen leading vice-presidential scholars to reveal the complex, consequential, and often misunderstood nature of the office. With accessible language and vivid examples, it traces the transformation of vice-presidential power over the past half-century, reveals the evolving electoral significance of vice-presidential running mates, and highlights the need for a deeper public understanding of these pivotal figures. Chapters employ a range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including elite interviews, archival research, case studies, and advanced statistical modeling to cover topics such as gender and media effects in running mate selection and the representation of vice presidents in popular culture. This book offers a fresh, engaging, and essential perspective on a vital institution at the heart of American democracy.

About the Author

Karine Prémont is Professor in the School of Applied Politics at the Université de Sherbrooke and Deputy Director of the Center for the United States Studies at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Christopher J. Devine is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Dayton.