1980 Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection

This article lists those who were potential candidates for the Republican nomination for Vice President of the United States in the 1980 election. Former California Governor Ronald Reagan won the 1980 Republican nomination for President of the United States, and chose former CIA Director George H. W. Bush as his running mate.

1980 Republican vice presidential nomination
← 1976 July 17, 1980 (1980-07-17) 1988 →
 
Nominee George H. W. Bush
Home state Texas

Previous Vice Presidential nominee

Bob Dole

Vice Presidential nominee

George H. W. Bush

On July 16 Gerald Ford consults with Bob Dole, Howard Baker and Bill Brock concerning the vice presidential nomination. Reagan would eventually choose Bush.

Reagan had considered naming former president Gerald Ford as his running mate, but after Ford and Reagan were unable to agree to be on the same ticket (a televised interview with Ford brought up possibility of a "co-presidency"), Reagan turned to Bush, his primary rival for the 1980 Republican nomination.[1][2] Though Bush had criticized Reagan's policies, Reagan chose Bush to help unify the party, and Bush agreed to be on the ticket and to support Reagan's platform.[3][4]

The Reagan–Bush ticket would go on to defeat the Democratic tickets of Carter–Mondale in 1980 and Mondale–Ferraro in 1984. Bush was later elected president in his own right in 1988 but ultimately lost to Bill Clinton in 1992.

When Reagan unsuccessfully sought the 1976 nomination he had named Pennsylvania Senator Richard Schweiker as his running mate but was not considered again when Reagan won the 1980 nomination.

Potential running mates

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[1][5][6][7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Allen, Richard (30 July 2000). "George Walker Bush; The Accidental Vice President". New York Times. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  2. ^ Plissner, Martin (27 December 2006). "From Ike To Jerry Ford". CBS News. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  3. ^ Walsh, Kenneth (17 March 2011). "Reagan and Bush's Admirable Partnership". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  4. ^ Witcover, Jules (15 September 2015). "The Dynasty That Almost Wasn't". Politico. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  5. ^ Sigelman, Lee; Wahlbeck, Paul (December 1997). "The "Veepstakes": Strategic Choice in Presidential Running Mate Selection". The American Political Science Review. 91 (4): 858. doi:10.2307/2952169. JSTOR 2952169.
  6. ^ Meacham, Jon (2015). Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush. Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6765-7.
  7. ^ "Reagan Would Rather Go It Alone, but Choose He Must". Washington Post. 2023-12-23. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-06-08.