This article lists those who were potential candidates for the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

nomination for

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) 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 ...

in the 2000 election. On March 7, 2000, Texas Governor

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

won the 2000 Republican nomination for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

, and became the

presumptive nominee In politics of the United States, United States politics and government, the term presidential nominee has two different meanings: # A candidate for president of the United States who has been selected by the Delegate (American politics), delegate ...

. On July 25, 2000, former Secretary of Defense Richard B. Cheney was chosen as his running mate. The Bush–Cheney ticket would go on to defeat the Democratic tickets of Gore–Lieberman in 2000 and Kerry–Edwards in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

Selection process

Bush had initially chosen Dick Cheney to lead the search for his vice presidential running mate. In 1992, Bush had supported Cheney as a replacement for

Dan Quayle James Danforth Quayle (; born February 4, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 44th vice president of the United States from 1989 to 1993 under President George H. W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republic ...

on his father's ultimately unsuccessful national ticket. After more than three months of extensive research, Cheney recommended

John Danforth John Claggett Danforth (born September 5, 1936) is an American politician, attorney and diplomat who began his career in 1968 as the Attorney General of Missouri and served three terms as United States Senator from Missouri. In 2004, he served br ...

to be the nominee, as the other choices' strengths were offset by liberal stances. Bush heavily considered Danforth, but ultimately asked Cheney himself to be the nominee. By picking Cheney, Bush had a running mate who had years of experience as well as an extensive foreign policy expertise. After Cheney, who was serving as CEO of

Halliburton Halliburton Company is an American multinational corporation responsible for most of the world's hydraulic fracturing operations. In 2009, it was the world's second largest oil field service company. It has operations in more than 70 countries ...

, reported his findings back to Bush, Bush surprised pundits by asking Cheney himself to be his running mate. Bush told supporters that regional considerations would have less bearing on his decision than the candidate's ability to take over the office of the presidency. At the selection announcement, Bush said that Cheney, who had worked under all five presidential administrations between 1969 and 1993, was qualified, respected and shared his vision for America. There was a short-lived movement to draft

Elizabeth Dole Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford Dole (née Hanford; born July 29, 1936)Mary Ella Cathey Hanford, "Asbury and Hanford Families: Newly Discovered Genealogical Information" ''The Historical Trail'' 33 (1996), pp. 44–45, 49. is an American attorn ...

, but that effort did not move forward.

Shortlist

File:Secretary of Defense Richard B. Cheney, official portrait (cropped).jpg, File:JohnDanforth.jpg, File:John McCain.jpg, File:George Pataki NYC 2000 (cropped1).jpg, File:Congressman Tom Ridge.jpg,

Media speculation on George W. Bush's possible running-mates

After his selection by Republican primary voters as presumptive presidential nominee, Bush asked Dick Cheney to lead the selection committee for his vice president nominee. As the vice presidential vetter, Cheney required at least 11 potential candidates to fill out "an extraordinarily detailed, 83-question form" delving into their backgrounds. This list includes names that had been mentioned in several sources as the candidates

Members of Congress

File:JohnDanforth.jpg, File:Bill Frist black and white photo.jpg, File:Hagel BioGuide.jpg, File:John Kasich.jpg, File:Jon Kyl.jpg, File:Connie Mack III.jpg, File:John McCain.jpg, File:Fred Thompson-cropped.jpg,

Governors

File:Vern Ehlers and John Engler (cropped).jpeg, File:Frank Keating at a conference, Oct 20, 2001 - cropped.jpg, File:Congressman Tom Ridge.jpg, File:Christine Todd Whitman 412-APD-A5-EPA13a.jpg,

Other Individuals

File:GEN Colin Powell.JPG, File:Elizabeth_Dole_official_photo.jpg,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection, 2000 George W. Bush 2000 presidential campaign Vice presidency of the United States Dick Cheney