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 2008 election. On March 4, 2008, Senator John McCain of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

won the 2008 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 States ...

, and became the

presumptive nominee In 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 delegates of a political party at the party's national convention ( ...

. McCain held an event with Alaska governor Sarah Palin, revealing her as his vice-presidential

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a pr ...

on August 29, 2008 (the date coinciding both with McCain's 72nd birthday and the Palins' 20th wedding anniversary), at the Ervin J. Nutter Center in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

, the day after Barack Obama's acceptance speech. The McCain–Palin ticket ultimately lost in the general election to the

Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

– Biden ticket. John McCain later in life came to regret the pick.

Selection process

Sarah Palin was the GOP choice for Vice President. At a speech in Norfolk, Virginia, McCain told supporters that regional considerations would have less bearing on his decision than the candidate's perceived ability to take over the office of the presidency–and the candidate's "values, principles, philosophy, and priorities." One factor that McCain had to consider, more so than did his opponent, was age. Had McCain won in 2008, he would have (on January 20, 2009) been the oldest person to assume the Presidency in U.S. history at initial ascension to office, being 72 years old. Other factors to be considered were shoring up the conservative base, choosing someone with executive experience, expertise in domestic policy (to complement McCain's foreign policy focus), and electoral college calculations. McCain initially wished to choose Lieberman, his close friend and the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee, as his running mate; however, Lieberman's liberal record (voting with Democrats 86.9% of the time in the 110th Congress) and pro-choice stance led McCain's aides to veto the choice. Close aide Mark Salter preferred Pawlenty, while the campaign manager Steve Schmidt preferred Palin. By picking Palin, Schmidt argued, McCain could snatch the "change" mantle away from Obama. McCain, rejecting 'safer' choices such as Pawlenty or Romney, instead chose Palin as his running mate.

Shortlist

File:Joe Lieberman 2008.jpg, File:Sarah Palin portrait.jpg, File:Tim Pawlenty official photo.jpg, File:Tom Ridge (cropped).jpg, File:Mitt Romney 2007 profile portrait.jpg,

Media speculation on John McCain's possible running-mates

After his selection by Republican primary voters as presumptive presidential nominee, news sources and political pundits began to speculate on whom McCain would or should choose, based on the candidates' ability to enhance the Republican ticket, personality (ability to work well with McCain), and preparedness for assuming the office of the presidency. The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

reported that McCain had composed a list of 20 or so potential running mates. Over two dozen names had been offered as viable potential running mates by the '' Kansas City Star'', the ''

Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History A ...

'', the ''

New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American online newspaper published in Manhattan; from 2002 to 2008 it was a daily newspaper distributed in New York City. It debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of the earlier New York ...

'', the ''

Indianapolis Star Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of U.S. state and territorial capitals, state capital and List of U.S. states' largest cities by population, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat, seat of ...

'', the '' Saint Louis Post Dispatch'', the ''

Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest se ...

'', and ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

''. This list includes both names that had been mentioned in several sources and some much less likely candidates:

Members of Congress

File:Eric Cantor headshot.JPG, File:Sam Brownback official portrait.jpg, File:Lindsey Graham, official Senate photo portrait cropped.jpg, File:Joe Lieberman 2008.jpg, File:Lisa Murkowski 3.jpg, File:Paul Ryan, official portrait, 112th Congress.jpg, File:Olympia Snowe official photo 2010 edit.jpg, File:John E. Sununu.jpg, File:John Thune official photo.jpg,

Governors

File:Haley Barbour cropped.jpg, File:Matt Blunt.jpg, File:Charlie Crist, official portrait, 115th Congress (cropped).jpg, File:Mike Huckabee, speaking to a gathering at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.jpg, File:Piyush Jindal.jpg, File:Sarah Palin portrait.jpg, File:FEMA - 37933 - Gov. Rick Perry visits FEMA shelter in Texas (cropped).jpg, File:Mitt Romney 2007 profile portrait.jpg, File:Mark Sanford 113th Congress.jpg, File:Christine Todd Whitman 412-APD-A5-EPA13a.jpg,

Federal executive branch officials

File:Tom Ridge (cropped).jpg,

Other individuals

File:Mayor Michael Bloomberg (cropped).jpg, File:Carly Fiorina (16991338093) (cropped).jpg, File:US Navy 030417-N-5362A-003 Gen. Tommy Franks, Commander, U.S. Forces Central Command (CENTCOM).jpg,
from Oklahoma
File:General David Petraeus crop.jpg, File:Rob Portman official photo.jpg, File:Meg Whitman.jpg,

Declined interest

File:Kay Bailey Hutchison, official photo.jpg, File:Piyush Jindal.jpg, File:Colin Powell official Secretary of State photo (cropped).jpg, File:Condoleezza Rice cropped.jpg,

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection, 2008 John McCain 2008 presidential campaign John McCain Sarah Palin Vice presidency of the United States Mike Huckabee Rick Perry Paul Ryan Michael Bloomberg Mitt Romney 2008 in women's history