Running mate

Running mate

A running mate is a person running for a subordinate position on a joint ticketduring an election.

The term is usually used in the United States, in reference to a prospective Vice President.

In United States politics

In the US, a running mate is usually a reference to a candidate for the vice presidency, whom the prospective president appoints sometime during the course of hiselection campaign. The term is also applied in US states where the governor and lieutenant governor run together on the same ticket.

In American presidential elections, the vice-presidential candidate is chosen by the presidential candidate. In some states, the gubernatorial candidate chooses their running mate while in other states parties hold separate ballots for governor and lieutenant governor. The two then run together as running mates in the general election.

This practice is rooted in the original design of the Electoral College,Fact|date=August 2008 in which each elector had two votes, thus encouraging parties to run two candidates for president, with the intent that these candidates would finish first (becoming president) and second (becoming vice-president) in the election. The 12th Amendment separated the elections for President and Vice-President, but the fact that the same electors vote for both continues to preserve the running mate system.

In some states, separate elections are held for governor and lieutenant governor. In this case, the governor and lieutenant governor run separate campaigns and can be from two different political parties. This was the case when George W. Bush was Governor of Texas. His first lieutenant governor, Bob Bullock, was a Democrat. In cases like this, the governor and lieutenant governor are not considered running mates because they are not elected on the same ticket.

Running mates are often chosen to balance the ticket. That is to create more widespread appeal for a ticket by expanding its appeal across geographic or ideological lines. This was especially true in presidential elections before the American Civil War when northern candidates were often paired with southern candidates and vice versa.Fact|date=August 2008

Electoral votes also play a part in modern presidential running mate selection. Vice-Presidential candidates are often from populous states with a large number of electoral votes that may be swayed by having a favorite son on the ticket.

In the United States the choice of the presidential running mate is strategic and depended mostly on the size of the running mate's state, by whether the running mate was a rival for the presidency, and by the age balance in comparison to the president.http://www.jstor.org/pss/2952169]

References


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • running mate — running mates N COUNT: oft poss N In an election campaign, a candidate s running mate is the person that they have chosen to help them in the election. If the candidate wins, the running mate will become the second most important person after the …   English dictionary

  • running mate — n [C usually singular] the person chosen by someone who is trying to become president, leader etc to help win an election, and be the second most important political person if they are elected …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • running mate — running ,mate noun count AMERICAN someone who takes part in an election for two jobs with another person, and who will get the less important job if they win …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • running mate — ► NOUN 1) chiefly US an election candidate for the lesser of two closely associated political offices. 2) chiefly N. Amer. a horse entered in a race in order to set the pace for another horse which is intended to win …   English terms dictionary

  • running mate — ☆ running mate n. 1. a horse used in a race to set the pace for another horse from the same stable 2. a candidate for the lesser of two closely associated offices, as for the vice presidency, in his or her relationship to the candidate for the… …   English World dictionary

  • running mate — noun a nominee for the lesser of two closely related political offices • Hypernyms: ↑campaigner, ↑candidate, ↑nominee * * * noun, pl ⋯ mates [count] chiefly US : the person who runs with someone in an election (such as an election to choose a new …   Useful english dictionary

  • running mate — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms running mate : singular running mate plural running mates American someone who takes part in an election for two jobs with another person, and who will get the less important job if they win …   English dictionary

  • running mate — noun (countable usually singular) the person who someone who is trying to become president, leader etc chooses to help them in an election: Al Gore was Bill Clinton s running mate in the 1992 election …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • running mate — run′ning mate n. 1) gov a candidate for an office linked with another more important office, as for the vice presidency 2) spo a horse entered in a race with another horse from the same stable • Etymology: 1865–70 …   From formal English to slang

  • running mate — noun Date: 1727 1. companion 2. a horse entered in a race to set the pace for a horse of the same owner or stable 3. a candidate running for a subordinate place on a ticket; especially the candidate for vice president …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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