Can a vice presidential candidate be the decisive factor in a presidential race?We can do this.
Most analysts will tell you that no presidential contest has ever been decided by a vice presidential pick. But Paul Ryan is putting that record to the test.
Since picking Ryan, Mitt Romney's poll numbers have risen, the GOP has unified and Romney has added the dimension of entitlement reform to his campaign.
And the Obama campaign seems worried enough that it put out an Internet ad attacking Ryan almost exclusively.
History weighs against Ryan having a big effect. In 1988 Lloyd Bentsen, vice presidential candidate for Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis, destroyed Republican George H.W. Bush's running mate, Dan Quayle, in one of the most lopsided debates ever. Yet Dukakis lost to Bush.
Some delegates still think Ryan's impact will be sizable.
"Ryan is a real, true asset to Romney," said Will Deschamps, a delegate and state chairman of Montana. "Watch how they react between themselves. They seem very comfortable together."
On Aug. 9, the day before Romney announced Ryan as his running mate, the Real Clear Politics average of national polls showed President Obama leading 48.4%-44%. Since then, his lead has shrunk to 46.8%-45.7%.
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Image Credit: The Looking Spoon.
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