Editing Vice President of the United States (section)

===Nomination===
[[File:GERALDINEFERRARO.jpg|thumb|right|[[Geraldine Ferraro]] speaks at the [[1984 Democratic National Convention]] following her selection as the party's vice presidential nominee.]]

The vice presidential candidates of the major national political parties are formally selected by each party's quadrennial nominating convention, following the selection of the party's presidential candidate. The official process is identical to the one by which the presidential candidates are chosen, with delegates placing the names of candidates into nomination, followed by a ballot in which candidates must receive a majority to secure the party's nomination.

In modern practice, the presidential nominee has considerable influence on the decision, and since the mid 20th century it became customary for that person to select a preferred running mate, who is then nominated and accepted by the convention. Prior to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940, only two presidents—Andrew Jackson in [[1832 Democratic National Convention|1832]] and Abraham Lincoln in [[1864 National Union National Convention|1864]]—had done so.<ref name=Smithsonian112014>{{cite magazine|last=Py-Lieberman|first=Beth|title=How the Office of the Vice Presidency Evolved from Nothing to Something|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institutions/how-office-vice-presidency-evolved-nothing-something-180953302/|date=November 18, 2014|magazine=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]]|access-date=December 10, 2021}}</ref> In recent years, with the presidential nomination usually being a foregone conclusion as the result of the primary process, the selection of a vice presidential candidate is often announced prior to the actual balloting for the presidential candidate, and sometimes before the beginning of the convention itself. The most recent presidential nominee not to name a vice presidential choice, leaving the matter up to the convention, was Democrat [[Adlai Stevenson II|Adlai Stevenson]] in 1956. The convention chose [[Tennessee]] Senator [[Estes Kefauver]] over [[Massachusetts]] Senator (and later president) [[John F. Kennedy]]. At the tumultuous 1972 Democratic convention, presidential nominee [[George McGovern]] selected [[Missouri]] Senator [[Thomas Eagleton]] as his running mate, but numerous other candidates were either nominated from the floor or received votes during the balloting. Eagleton nevertheless received a majority of the votes and the nomination, though he later resigned from the ticket, resulting in [[Sargent Shriver]] from [[Maryland]] becoming McGovern's final running mate; both lost to the Nixon–Agnew ticket by a wide margin, carrying only [[Massachusetts]] and the [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]].

During times in a presidential election cycle before the identity of the presidential nominee is clear, including cases where the presidential nomination is still in doubt as the convention approaches, campaigns for the two positions may become intertwined. In 1976, [[Ronald Reagan]], who was trailing President [[Gerald Ford]] in the presidential delegate count, announced prior to the Republican National Convention that, if nominated, he would select [[Pennsylvania]] Senator [[Richard Schweiker]] as his running mate. Reagan was the first presidential aspirant to announce his selection for vice president before the beginning of the convention. Reagan's supporters then unsuccessfully sought to amend the convention rules so that Gerald Ford would be required to name his vice presidential running mate in advance as well. This move backfired to a degree, as Schweiker's relatively liberal voting record alienated many of the more conservative delegates who were considering a challenge to party delegate selection rules to improve Reagan's chances. In the end, Ford narrowly won the presidential nomination and Reagan's selection of Schweiker became moot.

In the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries, which pitted [[Hillary Clinton]] against [[Barack Obama]], Clinton suggested a Clinton–Obama ticket with Obama in the vice president slot, which she said would be "unstoppable" against the presumptive Republican nominee. Obama rejected the offer outright, saying, "I want everybody to be absolutely clear. I'm not running for vice president. I'm running for president of the United States of America," adding, "With all due respect. I won twice as many states as Senator Clinton. I've won more of the popular vote than Senator Clinton. I have more delegates than Senator Clinton. So, I don't know how somebody who's in second place is offering vice presidency to the person who's in first place." Obama said the nomination process would have to be a choice between himself and Clinton, saying "I don't want anybody here thinking that 'Somehow, maybe I can get both{{'"}}, by nominating Clinton and assuming he would be her running mate.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/mar/10/barackobama.hillaryclinton|title=Obama scoffs at Clinton's vice-presidential hint|first1=Allegra|last1=Stratton|first2=Daniel|last2=Nasaw|date=March 11, 2008|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|access-date=November 21, 2016|archive-date=November 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122073221/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/mar/10/barackobama.hillaryclinton|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/10/dems.campaign/index.html?iref=nextin|title=Obama rejects being Clinton's No. 2|publisher=CNN|date=March 11, 2008|access-date=November 21, 2016|archive-date=November 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122071859/http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/10/dems.campaign/index.html?iref=nextin|url-status=live}}</ref> Some suggested that it was a ploy by the Clinton campaign to denigrate Obama as less qualified for the presidency.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/trump-obama-clinton-2008-ad-224189 |title= Trump throws 2008 Obama ad in Clinton's face |work= Politico |date= June 10, 2016 |access-date= November 21, 2016 |archive-date= November 22, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161122071709/http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/trump-obama-clinton-2008-ad-224189 |url-status= live }}{</ref>{{failed verification|date = June 2021}} Later, when Obama became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, former president [[Jimmy Carter]] cautioned against Clinton being picked as the vice presidential nominee on the ticket, saying "I think it would be the worst mistake that could be made. That would just accumulate the negative aspects of both candidates", citing opinion polls showing 50% of US voters with a negative view of Hillary Clinton.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jun/04/uselections2008|title=US elections: Jimmy Carter tells Barack Obama not to pick Hillary Clinton as running mate|first=Jonathan|last=Freedland|date=June 4, 2008|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|access-date=November 21, 2016|archive-date=November 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116022610/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jun/04/uselections2008|url-status=live}}</ref>