This article lists those who were potential candidates for the
Democratic 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
1984 election. Former Vice President
Walter Mondale
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928 – April 19, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. A U.S. senator from Minnesota ...
won the
1984 Democratic 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 chose New York Representative
Geraldine Ferraro
Geraldine Anne Ferraro (August 26, 1935 March 26, 2011) was an American politician, diplomat, and attorney. She served in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1985, and was the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee ...
as his running mate. Ferraro was the first woman to be a part of a national ticket for a major party. Mondale chose Ferraro in hopes of energizing the base and winning the votes of women, but also because he viewed her as a solid legislator who had won the approval of Speaker
Tip O'Neill
Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill Jr. (December 9, 1912 – January 5, 1994) was an American politician who served as the 47th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987, representing northern Boston, Massachusetts, as ...
.
John R. Reilly
John Richard Reilly (June 4, 1928 – October 12, 2008) was an adviser to a number of Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party presidents and presidential candidates.
Reilly was born in Dubuque, Iowa, on June 4, 1928, as the only child ...
, an attorney and a senior adviser to Mondale, managed the search for a running mate.
Mondale seriously considered his major rival for the 1984 presidential nomination, Senator
Gary Hart
Gary Warren Hart (''né'' Hartpence; born November 28, 1936) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He was the front-runner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination until he dropped out amid revelations of extramarital affairs. ...
, but Mondale refused to consider a second rival,
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson (né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American political activist, Baptist minister, and politician. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as a shadow U.S. senator ...
, on the grounds that the differences between their policies were too great.
The Mondale–Ferraro ticket ultimately lost to the
Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
–
Bush
Bush commonly refers to:
* Shrub, a small or medium woody plant
Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to:
People
* Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name
**Bush family, a prominent American family that includes:
*** ...
ticket. This is the last time the Democratic vice presidential nominee was not the incumbent vice president or a Senator, and, not counting the times when the incumbent President (and by extension, the incumbent vice president) was running for re-election, the last time the Democratic vice presidential nominee was not a Senator.
Selection
Finalists
File:Tom Bradley (1).jpg,
File:Henry Cisneros.jpg,
File:Mayor Diane Feinstein Cable Car (1).jpeg,
File:Geraldine Ferraro on the House Floor 1984.jpg,
File:Gary hart.jpg,
Media speculation on possible vice presidential candidates
Members of Congress
File:Lloyd Bentsen crop.jpg,
File:Joe Biden on the senate floor 1986.jpg,
File:Sen. Bill Bradley (NJ) (cropped).jpg,
File:Dale Bumpers.jpg,
File:Christopher Dodd official portrait.jpg,
File:John Glenn 97th Congress 1981 (cropped).jpg,
File:FritzHollings.jpg,
File:Sam Nunn.jpg,
Governors
File:Sam Brown Action (cropped).jpg,
File:Bill Clinton (37899881792) (cropped2).jpg,
File:NY Governor Mario Cuomo 1987 color.jpg,
File:Michael Dukakis (1).jpg,
File:Portrait of Governor Bob Graham (cropped).jpg,
File:Governor Mark White.jpg,
Other Individuals
File:Wilson Goode (1).jpg,
File:Lee Iacocca at the White House in 1993 (cropped).jpg,
See also
*
Walter Mondale 1984 presidential campaign
The Walter Mondale 1984 presidential campaign began on February 21, 1983, when Walter Mondale, a former Minnesota senator and vice president of the United States, announced that he was running for president in a speech at the Minnesota State Capi ...
*
1984 Democratic Party presidential primaries
From February 20 to June 12, 1984, voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for president in the 1984 United States presidential election. Former Vice President Walter Mondale was selected as the nominee through a series of primary electio ...
*
1984 Democratic National Convention
The 1984 Democratic National Convention was held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California from July 16 to July 19, 1984, to select candidates for the 1984 United States presidential election. Former Vice President Walter Mondale was nom ...
*
1984 United States presidential election
The 1984 United States presidential election was the 50th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 6, 1984. Incumbent Republican President Ronald Reagan defeated Democratic former Vice President Walter Mondale, in a ...
*
List of United States major party presidential tickets
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection, 1984
Vice presidency of the United States
1984 in women's history
1984 United States presidential election