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The “Veepstakes”: Strategic Choice in Presidential Running Mate Selection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Lee Sigelman  and
Paul J. Wahlbeck
Lee Sigelman
Affiliation:
The George Washington University
Paul J. Wahlbeck
Affiliation:
The George Washington University
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Abstract

We examine the presidential nominees' choice of running mate in each election since 1940, when Franklin Roosevelt established a precedent by naming his own. To analyze the 22 choices made from the pool of 127 serious possibilities, we employ a discrete choice model. We find that the presidential nominee's choice is explained primarily by the size of the prospective vice president's state, by whether the running mate finalist was a rival for the nomination, and by the balance in age for the ticket.

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American Political Science Review , Volume 91 , Issue 4 , December 1997 , pp. 855 - 864
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1997

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