The Veepstakes
A mathematician’s thoughts on a political and historical problem
7 min readMar 19, 2020
It appears very likely that either Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders will be the next Democratic presidential nominee. Actuarial tables suggest that if either is inaugurated, they have about a 1 in 6 chance of dying by the end of their first term in office; in addition to death, incapacity or disability is also a major concern.