Every nominee has something different in mind when selecting their vice presidential candidate, but the end goal is to have a name of the ballot that will increase turnout for the candidate without giving an edge to the opponent. This means that a running mate must complement the candidate’s abilities, reinforcing them where they are weak and emphasizing their strengths. 

Joe Biden, President Obama’s running mate, was a prime example in 2008 for many reasons. First, he appealed to the conservative edge of the Democratic Party, who felt left behind in the fast-paced, energetic election. Second, he alleviated worries about how a newcomer to the political world would handle the commander in chief role. This was important for Obama, who at that point had rushed into the campaign limelight only four years after beginning his work for the federal government. 

Now, Biden and sixteen other candidates are vying for the 2020 Democratic nomination. One of those candidates will last long enough to select a running mate, and historically, nominees like to consider defeated presidential candidates who have experience on the tough campaign trail. With that in mind, here’s how each candidate for the 2020 election would fare in the passenger’s seat.

Julián Castro

Castro has served in the executive branch before, as the first Hispanic Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. This experience will go a long way for whoever chooses him. Like Harris, Castro has a progressive agenda for his political career, and he has many years to push it. Unlike Harris, Castro’s accomplishments have not risen to the limelight at any point during this campaign, so he will be receiving more, not less, attention as a VP candidate.

With that said, Joe Biden should not consider Castro if he gets the nomination. The tension between the two in the public eye would be hard to overcome, for Castro repeatedly called Biden’s old age to attention in the October debate. A ticket with two Obama cabinet members would also aggravate the conservative Americans who put Trump in office.

John Delaney

If it’s true that long-shot candidates only stay in a race to boost their name recognition and have a chance at a cabinet job, John Delaney may be hungry for a VP slot. 

The former congressman would have an uphill battle for the slot, as many of his past contributions to the House of Representatives have gone unknown. He spent his terms in the Committee on Financial Services and the Joint Economic Committee, two relatively unheard-of legislative groups. Nevertheless, Delaney is a respectable moderate in American politics, and he’s been known to put his values over his party’s. This includes plans to end partisan gerrymandering and create a top-two primary system. Thus, Delaney would be effective at gaining the conservative vote.

Tom Steyer

Tom Steyer is one of the few candidates in this race to have gained his momentum after the first round of debates. Though he’s become more popular in the presidential race, a VP selection would be significantly more likely.

Steyer has certainly been politically active since leaving his legacy business, Farallon Capital, in 2012. He has been outspoken about his disapproval of the Keystone Pipeline, and he has started multiple organizations to address climate change. While Steyer has made headway in liberal activism, he still connects with the rural Americans who put Donald Trump in office, making him a valuable asset for a bipartisan agenda campaign. If Cory Booker advances to the next stage, Tom Steyer may be the man for him.

Andrew Yang

The candidate has potential to become the right-hand man, but he must solidify his stance on foreign policy and national security issues and cast aside the defamatory supporters first. If chosen, he could generate support from Asian-Americans as the first Asian-American vice presidential candidate.

Pete Buttigieg

Buttigieg’s campaign has been floundering for the last few months, with the former South Bend, Indiana mayor struggling to gain minority voters. However, Buttigieg has great chances of being vice president and significant motivation to do so.

Buttigieg isn’t your typical elite political candidate. Although he has the coveted Harvard education that boosted Barack Obama to his early career, he took the unconventional route of military service soon after receiving his degree. After returning from Afghanistan, Buttigieg ran for mayor in his hometown, winning a remarkable 74 percent of the vote for his first term and 80 percent for his second. 

Buttigieg has many of the qualities of a treasured vice president. An obvious one is that he has had experience fighting for our country and putting a promising life on the line in an act of patriotism. Also, his mayoral background gives him executive experience, which is looked for in the potential successor to the President. But most importantly, Buttigieg’s youth brings him a fresh mindset that millennial voters will want to see on the ballot.

However, he needs to build up more name recognition to be on par with other young politicians in future elections. Of course, with his consistent top five performance, a nomination from the Democratic party is not out of the picture in this election, but looking long term, Buttigieg’s career will accelerate even more if he’s second in command.

Tulsi Gabbard

Gabbard has had many highlights in the 2020 race so far, including her launch of attacks against Kamala Harris in the second Democratic debates. Gabbard’s rise to fame has ensured that even though the presidency may be a long shot, there will be new opportunities for the more recognized politician.

Unfortunately, Gabbard’s background and eccentricity makes her a target for liberal and conservative media outlets. Her prior work for her father’s anti-LGBT group, as well as her controversial meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, will be more heavily scrutinized when her name is on the ballot. All in all, Gabbard’s charismatic flare can only be used to overcome these problems when she is in the driving seat. As a running mate, she would only be an anchor that holds back a campaign.

Cory Booker

Booker’s campaign has been shaped by a vision for a bipartisan America in which civil and political problems can be taken care of swiftly. His career has backed his aspirations, as his Bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Bill will show. Unfortunately for Booker, his vision for America has not had a large effect on this gritty, topical race.

Though he can’t break 1 percent in national polling, Booker has some of the desirable features of a VP candidate. His vivid ideals for America’s future would be advantageous on a Joe Biden ticket, as it would excite more voters and in turn, more turnout. Booker’s public speaking skills would help on the campaign trail, and his work for African-American communities in urban New Jersey would help his presidential nominee get attention from minorities. Like Buttigieg, Booker’s long term plan would be aided by a chance to work with the President on a daily basis.

Amy Klobuchar

The Minnesota Senator has branded her campaign as the centrist candidate who can suppress Trump voters. While she has backed this up with moderate turnout in the Midwest, Klobuchar has not entered top-five contention at any point in this race. Regardless of her fundraising potential, Klobuchar’s staff must be thinking about alternatives to the presidency.

The VP position is a very possible option. Klobuchar’s experience in crossing party boundaries and appealing to the Trump American will prove useful for a leftist candidate. 

Bernie Sanders

Sanders is 78 years old and has already experienced a heart attack on the national stage. Though it would be unfair to call the vice president position demeaning to someone with so much experience (and so high an age), it’s clear that Bernie’s going for the oval office. It’s quite possible that Sanders’ age limits him to one side of the ballot.

Elizabeth Warren

Warren has reached immediate fame for her advocacy and staunchness, and many see the presidency as a logical next step. However, if she struggles to cement herself over fellow leftist candidate Bernie Sanders before the South Carolina primary, then the vice presidency may be more likely.

As a relatively new politician in the Democratic field (she left Harvard for the US Senate just seven years ago), Warren brings the fresh reformist mindset to the Executive Branch. Like Sanders, she wants to dismantle the workings of the partisan establishment, but unlike Sanders, she wants to go through the establishment to do it. If Warren is selected as a running mate, she may become one of the most interesting Vice Presidents ever, as her tenacious, revolutionary attitude is matched by nobody else in the Democratic field.

Joe Biden

Provided that he is not the nominee himself then Joe Biden should already be flagged as the most likely to get the position. Biden served as the 47th Vice President of the United States, aiding President Obama on many key issues, including national security and foreign policy. That job has been—so far—the most prestigious honor of his career, but it’s one that he’s unlikely to take again.

Article by Shariar Vaez-Ghaemi of Montgomery Blair High School

Graphic by Nicole Fang of Richard Montgomery High School