How much did Lloyd Bentsen affect the 1988 Presidential Election?

[Lechasseur]

It's interesting.

I had thought my Dad had voted for HW in 1988, but he told me yesterday he can't remember 100% but he believes he actually voted for Dukakis that year.

He hated Dukakis and said that had it just been a 1 vs 1 between him and Bush, he would have voted Bush; but he was a big fan of Lloyd Bentsen and voted for the Democratic ticket that year for him.

How many voters like my dad do you think were out there in 1988?

And do you think we would have had a President Bentsen had the Democratic ticket been in the reverse? After hearing what my dad said, I actually think Bentsen would have probably won.

[RFayette 🇻🇦]

Bentsen probably helped the ticket, and I agree that he would have done quite well against Bush 1 v. 1.  That being said, Bentsen may have appeared more 'Presidential' than Dukakis to many voters and this apparent awkwardness may have blunted the positive effects of Bentsen in terms of affecting the overall outcome.

[Skill and Chance]

Bentsen probably helped the ticket, and I agree that he would have done quite well against Bush 1 v. 1.  That being said, Bentsen may have appeared more 'Presidential' than Dukakis to many voters and this apparent awkwardness may have blunted the positive effects of Bentsen in terms of affecting the overall outcome.

IDK, he was a great debater, but I'm not sure how much VP picks and VP debates matter?  If we accept that Bentsen swayed a meaningful number of votes in 1988, that leads us to the conclusion that Biden definitely saved Obama in 2012 and Kaine probably sunk Clinton in 2016.

[darklordoftech]

Bentsen wouldn’t have been vulnerable to Atwater.

[Alcibiades]

Bentsen would have won, just like Dukakis (and any Democrat really) should have won. It was Dukakis’ completely ineffectual response to Atwater’s smears which did him in. Not only would have Bentsen fought back against any accusations thrown his way by Atwater (and generally, as his superb debate performance shows, taken the attack to the not-exactly-popular Republicans) but it would have been much harder to paint him, a Texan moderate, as a dangerous liberal than to do the same to the Massachusetts Governor.