نائب القائد .. إعادة تقييم دور نواب الرئيس والمرشحين لمنصب نائب الرئيس في السياسة الأمريكية الحديثة

In recent years, the office of vice president has become a major focus in presidential politics and governance. From the emergence of the modern vice presidency under Walter Mondale to the outsized influence of Mike Pence and Kamala Harris on the 2020 election results, The Second President explores how vice presidents and vice presidential candidates have helped shape the course of the country and change American politics. The wave of speculation surrounding the quadrennial "vice presidential contest" and the intense media coverage of the vice presidential debate may seem strange, given the vice president's limited constitutional powers and low public reputation. Drawing on the interdisciplinary expertise of more than a dozen leading vice presidential scholars, Second in Command debunks the myth that the vice presidency is powerless or merely ceremonial, revealing the complex, important, and often misunderstood nature of the position. With fluid style and vivid examples, the book traces the shift in vice presidential power over the past half-century, the growing electoral importance of vice presidential candidates, and highlights the need for a deeper public understanding of these pivotal figures. The book's chapters use a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including interviews with elites, archival research, case studies, and advanced statistical models, to cover topics such as the influence of gender and media in the selection of vice presidential candidates, 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.