Has a vice president ever challenged the president for re-election? If so, who? What was the campaign like? If not, do you think it could happen some day to a relatively unpopular president (but popular VP…?)? Seems like it would be pretty awkward having debates with and challenging the positions of the other member of the ticket. (They usually appear loyal and united, in front of the public at least.)
Taft took Republican nomination from Teddy R., so Teddy started Bull Moose Party.
Not so, Kniz. Teddy Roosevelt served two terms as President, and declined to run for a third term (which he COULD have done; it wasn’t illegal then). He endorsed his friend William Howard Taft, who was a Cabinet member, but was NOT the Vice President.
Four years later, Teddy was bored with civilian life and not altogether pleased with Taft’s administration. TEddy tried to get the GOP nomination from Taft… and when he failed, he started a third party (the Progressives, nicknamed the Bull Moose Party) to run for PResident.
As it turned out, Teddy beat Taft handily in the general election, but by splitting the Republican vote, he gave the election to Democrat Woodrow Wilson.
No sitting Vice President has challenged the President he served under for their partry’s PResidential nomination. In 1800, of course, Thomas Jefferson’s Vice PResidential candidate, Aaron Burr, DID try to pull a fast one on Jefferson, in order to win the Presidency for himself… but that’s not quite the same thing.
It’s true that no sitting Veep has challenged the President he served under, but there were the two curious cases of Vice-President Clinton in 1808, and Vice-President Calhoun in 1828.
Clinton was Vice-President to Thomas Jefferson in Jefferson’s second term. He was elected Vice-President with Thomas Jefferson in 1804, the first election under the 12th Amendment, which required separate candidates for the two positions. (Burr was not asked to run again because of that little matter of the pending murder charge.)
Clinton served his four years under Jefferson. After Jefferson’s second term ended, Clinton thought he should be nominated for Prez. The Dem-Reps disagreed and nominated James Madison for President. However, Clinton was popular enough that they nominated him for Vice-President again.
Clinton wasn’t satisfied with that, and got himself nominated for President as well. So he was running for both offices, one in competition with Madison, and one to serve under Madison. Madison was elected Prez, Clinton was re-elected Veep.
The other case was Calhoun. He was elected Veep as John Q. Adams’ running mate in 1824. He had a falling-out with Adams during his term, however, and in the elections of 1828 he ran again as Veep - as running mate to Andrew Jackson, who won the election. Calhoun didn’t challenge Adams for the top spot, but he did switch his support and ran against Adams’ ticket, successfully. (Of course he resigned as Veep part way through his second term, after a falling-out with Jackson, but that’s a different story.)
But in 1800, Jefferson, the VP, defeated Adams, the President. Burr, whom the Republicans (now the Democrats) at the time wanted to be VP, ended up tied with Jefferson because nobody would throw away one of their two electoral votes to ensure that Jefferson would end up with more votes than Burr.
A tie was the ensuing result and it took quite a while for the deadlock to be broken in the House. At the time, the old Congress, which had a Federalist majority, some hardline Federalists thought that if they could wile away the time before March 4, the next person in line to become president (IIRC Secretary of State John Marshall) would take over as President.
Fortunately, there was one Representative who thought that deep down that this was a bad idea as did Alexander Hamilton, who, while he disliked Jefferson, REALLY hated Burr, so he convinced enough Federalists to vote for Jefferson.
Burr ended up with a deep resentment toward Jefferson and a grudge against Hamilton that had tragic consequences.
BobT - you’re right, of course, but I didn’t think it fit the OP since Adams and Jefferson weren’t of the same party, since Jefferson lost the 1796 election to Adams, and became Vice-President as the runner-up.
Judging by the previews, it might happen on “The West Wing”, but it looks like more like the VP is trying not to get dumped.
But as for reality, I don’t think we’ll be seeing Dick Cheney running against George W. in 2004.
I’m sorry. As you may have noticed it was late, but I still should have done the research. I hope no harm was done. For me personally I enjoyed the true story as astorian told it.