Article: Running mates don't sway presidential election results.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

As the summer veepstakes competition nears its crescendo, with pundits and politicians weighing the various prospects on the basis of ideology, personality, geography, biography, ethnicity and spirituality, it might be tempting to believe that running mates sway the results of presidential elections.

But they don't.

It's ironic that voters generally bypass the running mates because the number-two job has become far more visible and powerful in the postwar television era. Moreover, five of the last 10 presidents once toiled as junior partners. And that is why experts contend that it matters greatly whether Republican George W. Bush picks Pennsylvania ...

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