The real story behind Joe Biden’s running mate saga
If you pay attention to political Twitter, you’ll see that Kamala Harris is the overwhelming favorite to be Joe Biden’s running mate. But if you look at any of the national polls that have been published lately, you’ll see that Elizabeth Warren is the clear favorite. So what’s the real story here?
It’s easy to figure out why there’s such a divergence. When you poll Twitter, you’re talking to solely to people who are politically enthusiastic enough to want a stake in this. You’re also, for the most part, hearing from Democrats and not Republicans. After all, even the most ardent of Trump supporters aren’t spending all that much time focusing on Biden’s running mate pick. In contrast, the national polls are talking to everyone.
There are always reasons to question the accuracy of polls. But let’s say these polls are accurate, and the overall voting populace is currently favoring Elizabeth Warren over Kamala Harris. Part of that could simply be name recognition. While politically savvy Americans are plenty familiar with both Senators, the reality is that the average voter pays far less attention. Harris dropped out long before the primary race heated up, while Warren remained in the race through Super Tuesday, meaning Warren got far more exposure from it. So some people being polled could simply be picking Warren because she’s the name they’re most familiar with.
The real story is that Joe Biden isn’t going to pick his running mate based on a poll. He’s going to base his pick on whom he thinks is qualified for the job, whom he thinks is compatible for him, and how his pick might impact election math. One thing to keep in mind: with this many highly qualified options, some people won’t initially like the pick no matter who it ends up being. But once Biden’s running mate gains the additional exposure of being picked, you can expect that person’s poll numbers to climb.
