Likely Vice-Presidential candidate had McCain won election and Palin quit

Great Debates
1

With the recent revelation that Sarah Palin is quitting her position as Governor of Alaska, I can’t help but wonder who John McCain would have nominated to take her place had he won the Presidential election, and was charged with naming a successor to his Vice-President. Assuming that the makeup of the Congress would be identical to how it is now, who would be a likely candidate for McCain to nominate, and have a decent shot of getting confirmed by a Democratic Congress.

2

There was talk that the people on McCain’s short list were Lieberman, Ridge, and Hutchinson. Ultimately, he didn’t pick any of them, in part because they were pro-choice and politically moderate, and he needed to appeal to the party’s conservative wing. But because they’re all politically moderate, they would have a better chance of getting through a Democratic Congress.

3

Pawlenty’s also a distinct possibility.

4

Could have brought Cheney back.

5

Michele Bachman?

6

Ironically, a Democrats in Congress might have pushed for a more conservative VP than the Republicans would. The Vice President is automatically considered a front-runner for the next Presidential nomination, so the Democrats would favor somebody they see as less electable. This was a plot point on The West Wing when Bartlett’s original VP resigned and he was pressured by the Republican majority in Congress to pick a liberal replacement.

7

When Agnew left just ahead of the firing squad, the dems went along with Ford. He has spent over 35 years in congress with an undistinguished career. They were sure the public would not take him seriously. They forgot the power of incumbency. Then TV time and doing presidential duties made him look kind of presidential. He almost won. There are no sure things.
It would difficult to give that much power to someone you would have to run against.

8

Actually Ford was a compromise. Nixon had wanted to name John Connally as Vice President. But the Republican Party wanted someone more “electable” for 1976: their choices were George Bush, Nelson Rockefeller, and Ford. (The party also worried about Connally because while he had been Nixon’s Treasury Secretary and had endorsed him in 1972, he had not officially become a Republican until 1973.)