Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
The Hill

Have any running mates been introduced in their home state?

Lauren Sforza
4 min read
Generate Key Takeaways

Speculation has swirled over whether Vice President Harris is likely to announce Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) as her running mate as she kick-starts a swing-state tour with her vice presidential pick in Philadelphia next week.

While some say the location is a tipoff that she’s choosing Shapiro, presidential candidates have not announced their vice presidential pick in that politician’s home state in at least the past 12 election cycles, according to video footage and press coverage of the announcements. Quite often, the announcement was made in the presidential candidate’s home state.

Here’s where past presidential candidates have announced their running mates:

2020 election

Joe Biden formally introduced Harris as his running mate from Wilmington, Del., in his home state, on Aug. 12, 2020. At the time, Harris was serving in the Senate representing her home state of California.

2016 election

Hillary Clinton, who lives in New York, introduced Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) as her running mate at a campaign stop in Miami. Before joining the Senate, Kaine served as governor of Virginia from 2006-10.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Trump announced Mike Pence as his vice presidential pick from New York City, where Trump’s permanent residence was. At the time, Pence was the governor of Indiana, after previously representing the state in the House for 12 years.

2012 election

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) introduced then-Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as his vice presidential pick while in Norfolk, Va. Ryan represented Wisconsin in the House from 1999 to 2019.

2008 election

Then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) introduced Biden, who was a Delaware senator at the time, during a rally in Springfield, Ill. Biden served in the Senate from 1973 to 2009.

Then-Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) announced then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) as his running mate while in Dayton, Ohio. Palin served as governor of Alaska from 2006 to 2009.

2004 election

Then-Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) revealed then-Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) as his vice presidential choice during a rally in Pittsburgh. Edwards represented North Carolina in the Senate from 1999 to 2005.

2000 election

Then-Vice President Al Gore, of Tennessee, said Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman would be his running mate during an event in Nashville. Lieberman represented Connecticut in the Senate from 1989 to 2013.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush said Dick Cheney would be his running mate during an event in Austin. Cheney represented Wyoming in the House from 1979 to 1989 before serving as secretary of Defense for former President George H.W. Bush.

1996 election

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) announced Jack Kemp as his running mate from Dole’s hometown, Russell, Kan. Kemp represented New York in the House from 1971 to 1989 and served in the Cabinet of former President George H.W. Bush.

1992 election

Then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton announced that Gore would be his vice president on the Democratic ticket in a Little Rock, Ark., event. At the time, Gore was a Tennessee senator.

1988 election

Democratic presidential candidate and Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis revealed then-Sen. Lloyd Bentson would be his vice presidential nominee while in Boston. Bentson represented Texas in the Senate from 1971 to 1993.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Then-Vice President George H.W. Bush announced Dan Quayle as his running mate while in New Orleans. Quayle was a senator from Indiana from 1981 to 1989.

1984 election

Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale’s running mate, former Rep. Geraldine Ferraro (D-N.Y.), was announced in California days ahead of the 1984 Democratic National Committee convention. She was from New York, and Mondale from Minnesota.

1980 election

California’s Ronald Reagan announced George H.W. Bush, of Texas, would join him on the Republican presidential ticket at the Republican National Convention in Detroit in July 1980.

1976 election

Speaking at a news conference in New York in July 1976, Jimmy Carter accepted the Democratic nomination for president and announced he asked then-Sen. Mondale, of Minnesota, to serve as his running mate.

Advertisement
Advertisement

In launching his second bid for presidency, Reagan announced he tapped then-Rep. Richard Schweiker (R-Pa.) as his running mate during a news conference in Los Angeles.

Miranda Nazzaro contributed reporting.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement