Presidential campaigns subject potential vice-presidential candidates to a rigorous vetting process, often likened by past participants to “a colonoscopy.”
Candidates may face probing questions such as:
- Have you ever paid for sex?
- Have you ever financed an abortion?
- Have you ever had a homosexual encounter?
The vetting team thoroughly examines a contender’s tax records and medical history. They might also review private social media accounts and even scrutinize the social media activity of the candidate’s family.
Evan Bayh, who was considered as a running mate for Barack Obama in 2008, recalls the process taking nearly three months and likened it to “a colonoscopy performed with a telescope.”
Bayh, a former Indiana senator and governor, recounted a call from the vetting team inquiring about a false rumor that he had undergone psychiatric treatment. He joked, “No, it’s not true. But if you guys don’t hurry up and make a decision, it might become true.”
