In your veep, you need a guy who can actually attract votes from all groups. That’s the theory, at least. You never see a congressman as a veep-—last time that was tried, with Geraldine Ferraro, even as a “first ever” woman in the slot-—they got killed. There is a reason he isn’t “Senator Hunter.”
That is one reason why Hunter is not in the top tier. I know he served in the military, and in Congress, but what other experience does he have? I think we need someone with some kind of leadership experience.
Forgive me if my memory fails - it seems to do that more often than not - but wasn't Bush 41 once a congressman? (I concede he wouldn't have been the last one) Or perhaps I'm thinking of Gerald Ford, though he was not on the ticket to be either veep or POTUS when he served in both posts.