Rednal wrote:
I think there's still one way in which the VP matters - stepping in if something happens to the President. Even if the VP doesn't really influence the outcome to any statistically significant degree, it's probably worth knowing who they are and how they'd lead.
I don't think anyone is saying vice-presidents don't matter at all. Just that they don't matter in terms of electoral politics.
LBJ certainly mattered when JFK was shot. Cheney mattered even without Bush dying. From what Trump has said, he'd likely leave boring government stuff to Pence. Pence would matter.
But likely not to the outcome of the election.