After weeks of speculation by the press and by the public, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama selected Sen. Joe Biden, a Democrat representing Delaware, as his running mate Saturday.
Biden, who has been in the Senate since 1972 and is known for his foreign policy experience, is bringing praise from Democrats and shaking heads from Republicans.
In the end, one UF professor said the choice may not matter.
"Voters look at the top of the ticket," said Michael Heaney, an assistant professor of political science at UF.
Vice presidential candidates hardly shape the campaign and election process, Heaney said.
Obama now may win a few more points in Delaware - Biden's senatorial state - but Obama was expected to win that state anyway, he said.
The only way for a vice presidential nominee to make a strong impact on the ticket is through scandal and controversy, Heaney said.
"Barring a huge scandal, this is a fairly safe pick," he said. "It will neither help him nor hurt him."
Heaney said Obama's choice in Biden shows how Obama may be concerned about weaknesses in foreign policy and experience.
Still, Democrats at UF are cheering for Obama's running mate.
Mark McShera, a member of UF's College Democrats, said Biden offers foreign policy experience no other candidate can offer and appeals to undecided voters.
"We think it's a fantastic addition," McShera said.
Garrett Garner, a member of Gators for Barack Obama, agreed.
"I think that people can really connect with Biden and with the values he has," Garner said.
But Bryan Griffin from UF's College Republicans said the choice could cause Americans to question Obama.
"Obama's philosophy in his campaign has been about changing Washington," Griffin said. "I think that this choice exposes a little bit of hypocrisy and a little bit of the fundamental flaws in Obama's message and his experience."
Although he believes Biden wasn't the best choice, Griffin said he thinks there could have been a worse pick.
"It was a better choice than picking Hillary," he said.
