Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection, 2004

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North Carolina Senator John Edwards (right) was chosen as the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004. John Kerry & John Edwards (47904107).jpg
North Carolina Senator John Edwards (right) was chosen as the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004.

This article discusses John Kerry's presidential campaign's vice-presidential candidate selection process that began after Kerry became the presumptive Democratic Party candidate for president of the United States of America in the 2004 election campaign.

John Kerry 68th United States Secretary of State

John Forbes Kerry is an American politician who served as the 68th United States Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United States Senator from Massachusetts from 1985 until 2013. He was the Democratic nominee in the 2004 presidential election, losing to Republican incumbent George W. Bush.

Vice President of the United States Second highest executive office in United States

The Vice President of the United States is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the President of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The Vice President is also an officer in the legislative branch, as President of the Senate. In this capacity, the Vice President presides over Senate deliberations, but may not vote except to cast a tie-breaking vote. The Vice President also presides over joint sessions of Congress.

Contents

Kerry announced on July 6, 2004 that his choice for running mate was Senator John Edwards of North Carolina. [1] The discussion of the possibilities is preserved below for historical interest:

A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as by saying Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla, and Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto, were running mates in relation to the presidential elections held in Indonesia in 2014 and Kenya in 2013 respectively.

John Edwards American politician

Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.

North Carolina State of the United States of America

North Carolina is a state in the southeastern region of the United States. It borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west, Virginia to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. North Carolina is the 28th-most extensive and the 9th-most populous of the U.S. states. The state is divided into 100 counties. The capital is Raleigh, which along with Durham and Chapel Hill is home to the largest research park in the United States. The most populous municipality is Charlotte, which is the second-largest banking center in the United States after New York City.

Vice presidential candidate possibilities

Some of the candidates mentioned as potential picks included the following individuals who held high political offices:

Governors

Phil Bredesen American politician

Philip Norman Bredesen Jr. is an American politician and businessman who served as the 48th Governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected in 2002 with 50.6% of the vote and reelected in 2006 with 68.6%. He previously served as the 66th Mayor of Nashville from 1991 to 1999. Bredesen is the founder of the HealthAmerica Corporation, which he sold in 1986.

Tennessee State of the United States of America

Tennessee is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th largest and the 16th most populous of the 50 United States. Tennessee is bordered by Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi to the south, Arkansas to the west, and Missouri to the northwest. The Appalachian Mountains dominate the eastern part of the state, and the Mississippi River forms the state's western border. Nashville is the state's capital and largest city, with a 2017 population of 667,560. Tennessee's second largest city is Memphis, which had a population of 652,236 in 2017.

Jim Doyle 44th Governor of Wisconsin

James Edward Doyle Jr. is an American lawyer, politician, and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 44th Governor of Wisconsin, serving from January 6, 2003 to January 3, 2011. He defeated incumbent Governor Scott McCallum by a margin of 45 percent to 41 percent; the Libertarian Party candidate Ed Thompson carried 10 percent of the vote. Although in 2002 Democrats increased their number of governorships, Doyle was the only one of them to unseat a sitting Republican governor. He is currently an attorney 'of counsel' in the Madison, Wisconsin office of the law firm of Foley & Lardner and serves on the corporate board of Epic Systems.

Senators

Evan Bayh American politician

Birch Evans Bayh III is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and politician of the Democratic Party who served as the junior United States Senator from Indiana from 1999 to 2011 and the 46th Governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997.

Joe Biden 47th Vice President of the United States

Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is an American politician who served as the 47th vice president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate from 1973 to 2009.

Delaware State of the United States of America

Delaware is a state located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, north by Pennsylvania, and east by New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor.

Representatives

Georgia (U.S. state) State of the United States of America

Georgia is a state in the Southeastern United States. It began as a British colony in 1733, the last and southernmost of the original Thirteen Colonies to be established. Named after King George II of Great Britain, the Province of Georgia covered the area from South Carolina south to Spanish Florida and west to French Louisiana at the Mississippi River. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788. In 1802–1804, western Georgia was split to the Mississippi Territory, which later split to form Alabama with part of former West Florida in 1819. Georgia declared its secession from the Union on January 19, 1861, and was one of the original seven Confederate states. It was the last state to be restored to the Union, on July 15, 1870. Georgia is the 24th largest and the 8th most populous of the 50 United States. From 2007 to 2008, 14 of Georgia's counties ranked among the nation's 100 fastest-growing, second only to Texas. Georgia is known as the Peach State and the Empire State of the South. Atlanta, the state's capital and most populous city, has been named a global city. Atlanta's metropolitan area contains about 55% of the population of the entire state.

Nancy Pelosi 52nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

Nancy Patricia Pelosi is an American politician serving as speaker of the United States House of Representatives since January 2019. First elected to Congress in 1987, she is the only woman to have served as speaker, and is the highest-ranking elected woman in United States history. Pelosi is second in the presidential line of succession, immediately after the vice president.

Other

Some recently retired figures who still had an important place on the national stage were also considered to be in the running:

Max Cleland American politician

Joseph Maxwell Cleland is an American politician from the state of Georgia. Cleland, a Democrat, is a disabled US Army veteran of the Vietnam War, a recipient of the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for valorous actions in combat, and a former United States Senator.

Lee H. Hamilton politician

Lee Herbert Hamilton is a former member of the United States House of Representatives and currently a member of the U.S. Homeland Security Advisory Council. A member of the Democratic Party, Hamilton represented the 9th congressional district of Indiana from 1965 to 1999. Following his departure from Congress, he has served on a number of governmental advisory boards, most notably as the vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission.

Gary Hart American politician

Gary Warren Hart is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He was the front-runner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination until he dropped out over allegations of an extramarital affair. He represented Colorado in the United States Senate from 1975 to 1987.

Kerry selected a vice presidential candidate from among former challengers for the Democratic nomination:

Some moderate or maverick Republicans were also mentioned, especially U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona. McCain caused widespread speculation by suggesting in March 2004 that he might consider an offer from Kerry, although he later claimed that was not a serious comment, and that he supported Bush's reelection. [4] A May 2004 poll showing a Kerry-McCain pairing with a 14% lead over a Bush-Cheney ticket further fueled speculation, [5] reportedly leading to serious overtures from Kerry inviting McCain to join the ticket. However, McCain reportedly personally refused the overtures, laying most further speculation to rest.

Other Republicans that were occasionally mentioned as potential running mates include:

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2016 Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection

This article lists potential candidates for the Republican nomination for Vice President of the United States in the 2016 United States presidential election. Businessman Donald Trump of New York, the 2016 Republican nominee for President of the United States, considered several prominent Republicans and other individuals before selecting Governor Mike Pence of Indiana as his running mate on July 15, 2016. Pence formally won the vice presidential nomination on July 19, 2016, at the 2016 Republican National Convention. As the Trump-Pence ticket won the 2016 presidential election, Pence became Vice President of the United States on January 20, 2017.

The 2020 Republican Party presidential primaries and caucuses will be a series of electoral contests taking place within all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. Sanctioned by the Republican Party, these elections are designed to select the 2,472 delegates to send to the Republican National Convention, who will select the Republican Party's nominee for President of the United States in the 2020 election. The delegates also approve the party platform and vice-presidential nominee.

References

  1. ↑ "Kerry names Edwards his running mate". CNN. July 6, 2004. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Meyer, Dick (February 11, 2009). "Kerry's VP List". CBSNews.com . Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Halbfinger, David M. (June 6, 2004). "THE 2004 ELECTION: THE NO. 2 SPOT; Potential Kerry Running Mates Vie to Sing His Praises Loudest". The New York Times . Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Kuhnhenn, James (March 11, 2004). "Kerry-McCain 2004? Not Likely". The Spokesman-Review . Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 "Poll: Kerry-McCain Would Beat Bush-Cheney". USA Today . Associated Press. May 27, 2004. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  6. ↑ Sobczyk, Joe (May 16, 2004). "McCain `Categorically' Rules Out Running With Kerry". Bloomberg . Retrieved July 16, 2013.
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