Editing Running mate (section)

== In United States politics ==
In the United States, "running mate" refers not only to a candidate for vice president (federal), but also to a candidate for lieutenant governors of those states where the governor and lieutenant governor are jointly elected. Historically, American running mates were chosen by political parties in consultation with the principal candidate (i.e., the person running for president or governor). 

In the late 1960s, it became the practice of the principal candidate in presidential elections to announce their preferred choice of running mate at their political party's national convention. The current practice is for the presumptive nominee of a political party to announce their choice for running mate ''before'' the national convention which, because of the extensive primary election and caucus system, is becoming increasingly irrelevant.{{Prove it|date=June 2021}}

The practice of running candidates for president and vice president together evolved in the nineteenth century. Originally, electors cast votes for two candidates on the same ballot for president; the candidate who finished second place in the tabulation became vice president. Starting in 1804, the president and vice president were elected on separate ballots as specified in the [[Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution]] which was adopted in that year{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}. As more and more states subsequently began to choose their electors by popular election instead of appointment ([[South Carolina]] being the last state to change, in 1860), candidates began to realize they could run together as a team for president and vice president instead of running completely separately for each office.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

The practice of a presidential candidate having a running mate was solidified during the [[American Civil War]]. In 1864, in the interest of fostering national unity, [[Abraham Lincoln]] from the Republican Party (popular in the North) and [[Andrew Johnson]] of the Democratic Party (popular in the South) were co-endorsed and ran together for president and vice-president as candidates of the [[National Union Party (United States)|National Union Party]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}} 

Notwithstanding that this party disbanded after the war ended, with the result that after Lincoln's assassination he was succeeded by a Democrat, Johnson, the states began to place candidates for president and vice-president together on the same ballot ticket, thus making it impossible to vote for a presidential candidate from one party and a vice-presidential candidate from another party, as had previously been possible.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

Presidential candidates from smaller states sometimes choose a vice presidential running mate from a state with a large number of [[United States Electoral College|electoral votes]]{{Why|date=June 2021}} as in 1984, when [[Walter Mondale]] of Minnesota (10 votes) selected [[Geraldine Ferraro]] of New York (then 36 votes).{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}} 

It is preferred, but not legally required, that the running mate be from a different state from the presidential nominee, because each elector can vote for no more than one candidate from their own state. Running mates can also be chosen from swing states in order to boost a candidate's chance of winning in the state.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

{{Quotation|In electing a subordinate officer the Electors will not require those qualifications requisite for supreme command. The office of the Vice President will be [[sinecure]]. It will be brought to market and exposed to sale to procure votes for the President.|[[William Cocke]], December 2, 1803|Witcover 1992 cited by Sigelman and Wahlbeck 1997<ref>{{cite journal |title=The "Veepstakes": Strategic Choice in Presidential Running Mate Selection |author=Lee Sigelman |author2=Paul J. Wahlbeck |journal=The American Political Science Review |volume=91 |issue=4 |date=December 1997 |pages=855–864 |doi=10.2307/2952169 |jstor=2952169|s2cid=147092948 }}</ref>}}