Biden By the Numbers: A Solid Choice

Some argued Hillary Clinton was Barack Obama’s best VP choice because she could unite the Dems. But in crunching Rasmussen's favorable-unfavorable numbers, the New Republic finds Joe Biden can do that almost as well, while pulling in more independent voters and keeping Obama backers in the fold. Biden scores the fewest “unfavorable” ratings among Democrats, and the highest net score among Independents.

Moreover, imagining a scenario in which a “reasonable” number of McCain voters would vote Democrat based on Obama’s VP choice, while the same percentage of Obama voters would leave their candidate based on his selection, Biden holds up well. While he won’t do much to swing McCain backers, he does the best among potential VPs when it comes to holding onto Obama’s faithful, providing Obama’s best overall result, the New Republic finds. (More Barack Obama stories.)