What Is a Running Mate and Why Does the Choice Matter?
In U.S. elections, a running mate is the candidate who runs alongside another candidate on the same ticket. In a presidential election, the term usually refers to the vice-presidential candidate paired with a presidential nominee. The role is more than a campaign partnership: the vice president has constitutional duties and may assume the presidency under specific circumstances. A running mate can also influence a campaign’s message, organization, and appeal to voters, although the presidential candidate remains at the top of the ticket.
What Is a Running Mate?
A running mate is a candidate seeking election together with another candidate. The phrase is used most often in presidential politics, where the presidential nominee and vice-presidential nominee make up a party’s national ticket. On ballots, voters typically choose the ticket rather than casting separate votes for president and vice president.
In the United States, a major-party presidential nominee generally selects a vice-presidential running mate before the party’s national convention. The convention formally nominates the ticket. The process can vary by party and election cycle, and independent or third-party candidates may use different procedures.
The term can also apply to other elections, such as gubernatorial races in states where candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run together. However, the vice-presidential pairing is what most Americans mean when they ask, “What is a running mate?”
How the Presidential Ticket Works
The president and vice president are elected through the Electoral College system, not by a single nationwide direct vote. Voters cast ballots for a presidential ticket in their state or the District of Columbia. The outcome determines which slate of electors is appointed under that jurisdiction’s rules. Those electors then cast separate votes for president and vice president.
The Constitution originally did not provide for separate Electoral College votes for president and vice president. The 12th Amendment, ratified in 1804, changed the process so electors cast distinct ballots for the two offices. It also requires a person to meet the constitutional qualifications for the presidency to be eligible to serve as vice president.
Most states award all their electoral votes to the ticket that wins the state’s popular vote. Maine and Nebraska use a district-based system that can distribute electoral votes differently. The number of electoral votes per state is based on its representation in Congress, and the District of Columbia also participates in the Electoral College.
Winning the national popular vote does not by itself determine the winner of the presidency. A ticket generally needs a majority of the appointed electors to win. If no presidential candidate receives an Electoral College majority, the House of Representatives chooses the president from the leading candidates under the procedure set out in the 12th Amendment. If no vice-presidential candidate receives a majority, the Senate chooses the vice president.
What Does a Vice President Do?
The vice president’s responsibilities combine constitutional duties with work assigned by the president. The office can be low-profile at times, but it carries meaningful responsibilities and can become especially consequential during a transition, a close Senate vote, or a presidential emergency.
- Preside over the Senate: The vice president serves as president of the Senate and may cast a vote when the senators are divided equally. The vice president does not ordinarily vote on every bill.
- Stand in the presidential line of succession: The vice president is first in line to assume the presidency if the president dies, resigns, or is removed from office.
- Assume presidential powers in certain circumstances: The 25th Amendment addresses presidential succession and temporary inability. Under Section 3, a president can voluntarily transfer powers and duties to the vice president temporarily. Section 4 sets out a process for the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to declare a president unable to discharge the office’s powers and duties, subject to constitutional procedures.
- Carry out assigned duties: Presidents may give vice presidents responsibilities involving diplomacy, policy, legislation, or administration. These assignments differ from one administration to another.
The vice president is not automatically a co-president and does not have an independent constitutional authority to direct the executive branch simply by holding the office. The scope of the job depends on constitutional provisions, statute, presidential delegation, and the working relationship between the president and vice president.
Why Is a Running Mate Important?
The Running Mate Is Part of Presidential Succession
The vice-presidential nominee is not just a campaign surrogate. If elected, that person is positioned to take over the presidency if a vacancy occurs. Voters and political parties therefore have reason to consider a nominee’s judgment, experience, temperament, and readiness for the responsibilities of the office.
The 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, clarified procedures for presidential succession and temporary inability. It also provides a process for filling a vice-presidential vacancy: the president nominates a replacement, who must be confirmed by a majority vote in both the House and the Senate. This system means that a vice president’s role in continuity of government is built into the Constitution.
The Choice Helps Define the Campaign
A running mate often reinforces or broadens the presidential nominee’s message. A candidate may choose someone with experience in government, national security, business, or a particular policy area. The choice can signal the campaign’s priorities and how the nominee hopes to govern.
Campaigns may also consider geography, demographic representation, relationships with party groups, and the ability to communicate with voters. These factors can shape political strategy, but they do not guarantee that a running mate will deliver a particular state, group, or number of votes. Voters make decisions for many reasons, and campaign outcomes are difficult to attribute to one selection.
The Running Mate Adds a Campaign Voice
Vice-presidential candidates campaign across the country, appear in interviews, deliver speeches, and defend the ticket’s positions. They may engage audiences the presidential nominee has less time to reach. Their public performance can attract attention to the campaign, reinforce its arguments, or create a distraction if a controversy emerges.
A running mate also participates in a vice-presidential debate when one is held. Such debates can inform voters about candidates’ policies and preparation, but they do not determine the election on their own. The effect of a debate or campaign appearance depends on the broader race and how voters respond.
How Do Presidential Nominees Choose a Running Mate?
There is no single constitutional formula for selecting a running mate. In modern presidential campaigns, the presumptive nominee or their campaign typically conducts a vetting process before announcing a choice. Party officials, advisers, and legal or security teams may participate, though the level of involvement varies.
Vetting can examine a potential nominee’s professional history, public statements, finances, legal matters, policy positions, and capacity to withstand public scrutiny. The process also considers whether the person can work effectively with the presidential nominee and is prepared for the vice presidency.
Political calculations are part of the decision, but they are only part of it. A candidate may weigh a potential running mate’s experience, governing ability, communication skills, coalition-building capacity, and compatibility with the ticket. The choice can also reflect a desire to emphasize continuity, change, party unity, or a specific policy agenda.
Before the party convention, a presidential nominee is often called the presumptive nominee once it is clear that the nominee has secured enough delegate support. The party convention then formally nominates the presidential and vice-presidential candidates, according to the party’s rules. The ticket is subsequently certified and appears on state ballots through processes governed by state law.
Does a Running Mate Help Win an Election?
A running mate can affect how voters perceive a ticket, but there is no reliable rule that a particular profile or selection will produce victory. The outcome also depends on the presidential candidates, campaign organization, economic and political conditions, voter turnout, state-level results, and many other factors.
Political analysts sometimes describe a running mate as helping to “balance” a ticket. That can mean adding experience or a perspective the presidential nominee lacks, or appealing to different parts of a party’s coalition. The idea is a campaign strategy, not a guarantee that voters will respond as intended.
Because Electoral College outcomes depend on state results, campaigns often focus heavily on competitive states. A running mate may campaign frequently in those places, but personal ties to a state do not automatically change its vote. Voters may prioritize national issues, party affiliation, candidate character, or local concerns instead.
It is also worth distinguishing a running mate’s campaign impact from the job’s governing importance. Even if the selection has little measurable effect on election results, the vice president still has constitutional duties and may play a significant role in the administration.
Running Mate, Vice President, and Ticket: Key Differences
| Term | Meaning | When It Applies |
|---|---|---|
| Running mate | A candidate paired with another candidate on an electoral ticket | During a campaign; most often used for a vice-presidential nominee |
| Vice-presidential nominee | The person formally selected by a party as its candidate for vice president | After nomination and during the election campaign |
| Vice president | The elected official who serves as president of the Senate and stands first in the presidential line of succession | After taking office |
| Ticket | The paired presidential and vice-presidential candidates, or another paired set of candidates | During an election |
These terms are related but not interchangeable in every context. Before Election Day, a person selected to run for vice president is a nominee or running mate. After the ticket wins and the candidates take office, that person is the vice president.
What Voters Can Consider When Evaluating a Running Mate
Voters can look beyond campaign slogans and consider how the selection fits the responsibilities of the office. Useful questions include:
- Does the nominee have relevant experience and a record voters can assess?
- How do the nominee’s stated policies compare with the presidential candidate’s positions?
- Does the nominee appear prepared to take on constitutional duties, including presiding over the Senate and potentially assuming the presidency?
- How has the nominee handled public scrutiny, disagreement, and difficult questions?
- What responsibilities might the presidential nominee assign to the vice president if elected?
Public information about the nominee’s record and statements can help voters evaluate these questions. A running mate’s campaign role matters, but the office itself is part of the federal government’s system of succession and governance.
Why the Running Mate Matters Beyond Election Day
The running mate is both a campaign partner and a potential national leader. The choice can help communicate a ticket’s priorities, strengthen its campaign operation, and shape public perceptions. Once in office, the vice president presides over the Senate, may break ties there, and stands first in line to assume presidential powers under constitutional rules.
For that reason, the running mate deserves attention beyond speculation about campaign strategy. The selection offers voters information about the presidential nominee’s judgment and possible approach to governing, while the vice president’s constitutional role helps ensure continuity in the federal government.
Sources: The U.S. Constitution, including the 12th Amendment and 25th Amendment; the U.S. Senate’s explanation of the vice president’s constitutional role; and the National Archives’ Electoral College resources.