For whatever reason, let’s say one of them is no longer fit to run for office. If that happened, would there be a replacement candidate? Who would it be? Or is it just tough luck for the voters of that particular party?
The VP candidate would most likely step up and choose another VP. As to who that would be is anyone’s guess.
The Master has turned his mind to this one: What if prez and VP die before being sworn in?.
As has been pointed out in threads about this earlier, it all depends when the incapacitation takes place. If it were to happen now, the National Committee of whichever party was affected would choose a new candidate. It wouldn’t necessarily be the VP. There would most likely be a new convention patched together and somebody would get the job.
Taft’s VP, Sherman, died during the campaign of 1912 and was replaced by Nicholas Butler. However, Taft wasn’t going to win that election, so nobody really cares.
If the winning candidate were to pass away before the Electoral College met, then you would have a mess. Theoretically, the electors could vote for anyone they wanted. (Actually, they can already.)
Fortunately, this situation hasn’t popped up here in the US. It happened in Brazil back in the 1980s. The first democratically elected president in quite a while fell seriously ill right before he was to be inaugurated (I think his name was Tancredo Neves). The VP took over temporarily, but the president never recovered and passed away.
I am surprised and disappointed that I don’t see the obvious response here yet: THEY ALREADY ARE INCAPACITATED.
That is weird. I was just thinking that myself lately.
oooo–eeeee-oooooo
Well, if they’re both kidnapped by aliens (or exposed AS aliens), I figure Lieberman is a shoo-in. Does ANYBODY like or respect Cheyney?
So you’re saying Plastic Bertrand becomes president? Sheesh, I will never get the hang of your political system.
If you haven’t read it, Jeff Greenfield, formerly from ABC News, now with Fox, I belive, has written a very good novel about thisThe People’s Choice. What happens when the President-Elect dies before the electoral college has voted.
It’s funny and insightful, and covers a lot of the more arcane problems in election law that our Fearless Leader didn’t have space to deal with in his column.