# Mike Pence - have any losing vice-presidents gone on to win the presidency later? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 8, 2020, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-pence-have-any-losing-vice-presidents-gone-on-to-win-the-presidency-later/925031 "2020-11-08T03:11:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-pence-have-any-losing-vice-presidents-gone-on-to-win-the-presidency-later/925031/42 "2020-11-08T22:16:18Z")
When Bush Sr. ran in 1988, people were quick to point out that no sitting VP had won the presidential election since Martin Van Buren (others were Adams and Jefferson). ---
**Author:** ![Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy_PickleSniffer)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-pence-have-any-losing-vice-presidents-gone-on-to-win-the-presidency-later/925031/43 "2020-11-08T22:25:08Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > > [@Mahaloth](#): > > > > …Will Joe Biden begin his inauguration speech with, “I want to thank Donald Trump and Mike Pence for their service to the country…” like so many do? I think he will… > > I hope he doesn’t. Having his pants actually burst into flames in his first moments as President would not be the best way to start. Thank you for the laugh - I needed that! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-pence-have-any-losing-vice-presidents-gone-on-to-win-the-presidency-later/925031/44 "2020-11-08T22:41:31Z")
Chump will probably be there just so he can say the mob cheering on Biden is actually his supporters seeing him off. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-pence-have-any-losing-vice-presidents-gone-on-to-win-the-presidency-later/925031/45 "2020-11-08T22:53:21Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Will Joe Biden begin his inauguration speech with, “I want to thank Donald Trump and Mike Pence for their service to the country…” That reminds me of George Carlin’s joke about how the airlines have created a new tense in the English language: First Person Removed: > The airlines always say they’d like to thank you for flying their airline…but they never do! They say they’d like to welcome you to Atlanta…but they never do. So, President Biden, go ahead and say “I’d like to thank Trump and Pence for their service…but I won’t”! ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-pence-have-any-losing-vice-presidents-gone-on-to-win-the-presidency-later/925031/46 "2020-11-08T22:54:25Z")
And also to harass Biden and especially Harris. Personally, I’m more worried about what the magater crowd is going to do to her than about Biden’s safety. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-pence-have-any-losing-vice-presidents-gone-on-to-win-the-presidency-later/925031/47 "2020-11-09T01:08:11Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Maybe I’m too tired and giddy to think straight, but could you explain what you mean by this? Who are you referring to as “VP” - Biden or Pence? What did they “used to be” the losing candidate for? Until the fiasco of the 1900 election after which they passed an amendment (11th or 12th?) the person who finished second in the electoral college became the Vice President. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-pence-have-any-losing-vice-presidents-gone-on-to-win-the-presidency-later/925031/48 "2020-11-09T01:39:53Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > So, President Biden, go ahead and say “I’d like to thank Trump and Pence for their service…but I won’t”! Better yet: “I’d like to thank Donald Trump for his service to our country, but former-president Trump was too much of a coward and crybaby to be here today.” ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-pence-have-any-losing-vice-presidents-gone-on-to-win-the-presidency-later/925031/49 "2020-11-09T02:38:18Z")
“And on top of that, he did not do any service to the country; he just serviced the country, if you know what I mean.” ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-pence-have-any-losing-vice-presidents-gone-on-to-win-the-presidency-later/925031/50 "2020-11-09T05:00:58Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Unlike Trump I expect Pence to show up at the inauguration. **Of course he could be president then if Trump tantrums include quitting.** I think he runs in 24 but probably won’t be the nominee. That raises an interesting question. Should such an event come to pass, would he bother selecting a VP to serve out the remainder of his term? And if so, how much would the gig pay? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-pence-have-any-losing-vice-presidents-gone-on-to-win-the-presidency-later/925031/51 "2020-11-09T05:05:40Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > > [@Mahaloth](#): > > > > …Will Joe Biden begin his inauguration speech with, “I want to thank Donald Trump and Mike Pence for their service to the country…” like so many do? I think he will… > > I hope he doesn’t. Having his pants actually burst into flames in his first moments as President would not be the best way to start. Hey 45 and Vice45 not showing up at the inauguration could be construed as a service to the country (if you turn your head and squint). And I’m certain that Joe would be grateful for it. ---
**Author:** ![Brayne\_Ded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Brayne\_Ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brayne_Ded)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-pence-have-any-losing-vice-presidents-gone-on-to-win-the-presidency-later/925031/52 "2020-11-09T11:42:34Z")
[Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)[Guest](https://boards.straightdope.com/g/Registered) > Unlike Trump I expect Pence to show up at the inauguration. Of course he could be president then if Trump tantrums include quitting. I think he runs in 24 but probably won’t be the nominee. \< I would agree. I don’t think Pence is going to go anywhere politically. He might well try, but there will be a whole new crop of hopefuls. My guess is that there will be at least one Trump Lite, one centrist, and one hardline traditional Republican (depending on what you underestand by that). I would also guess that Kamala Harris will be a Democratic candidate and probably the nominee. Biden will be tooo old. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-pence-have-any-losing-vice-presidents-gone-on-to-win-the-presidency-later/925031/53 "2020-11-09T14:52:36Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Until the fiasco of the 1900 election after which they passed an amendment (11th or 12th?) the person who finished second in the electoral college became the Vice President. 12th, and it was _18_00, not long after political parties formed, something the founding fathers had not foreseen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-pence-have-any-losing-vice-presidents-gone-on-to-win-the-presidency-later/925031.md?page=2)