If A Candidate Dies During The Race....

selmaborntidefan · Feb 10, 2016

Not to be morbid but given the fact we've got a bunch of seniors who qualify for the IHOP discount running for President, this is something I thought of eight years ago when McCain was running.

Suppose one of the candidates dies during the race. The candidate for President.

What then?

Obviously if this happened BEFORE the Convention it's not really that much of a problem. RFK was murdered during the 1968 race (and Wallace was shot in 1972 as well). But before the Convention obviously not that big a deal in terms of finding a nominee.

BUT.......what about afterward?

Let's say one of them croaks across Labor Day weekend post-Convention like Bart Giammatti did in 1989. Am I correct in ASSUMING that the VP becomes the nominee? That makes sense but......how does one determine the VP running mate then? There's no Convention to ratify the choice. And what if the VP nominee themselves is already unpopular with the party? Can that be revoked because they weren't the chosen nominee?

What happens? I know what I think I'd assume happens but has this scenario been considered?

Or what if both candidates on one side die? Let's say Hillary is out solo-ing on her broom and collides with the plane of her VP running mate, killing them both. AFTER the Convention.

What would happen then?

4Q Basket Case · Feb 10, 2016

I'm not a lawyer, but I try to apply logic, and sometimes the law follows.

I'm also not aware of any federal laws that address who a political party nominates, or how they arrive at that nomination.

My guess is that if the nominee dies or is incapacitated between nomination and the election, it's up to the party to replace the decedent, however they might think best suits them.

It might be the VP nominee, or it might not be. But even if it were, that wouldn't be function of being the erstwhile running mate. It would be because the party thought he /she was the best most electable alternative.

Shoot, at least at the state level, the party doesn't even have to honor the results of the primary election. Witness the Alabama Democratic Party overturning the result of the Graddick / Baxley gubernatorial runoff.

Charlie Graddick won the vote count. But the ADP said he did do because of Republicans who voted in the Republican primary, and then (against Democratic Party rules), also in the Democratic runoff. So they designated Bill Baxley as the nominee, even though Graddick got more votes.

The electorate revolted at what they perceived as overturning the result of an election, and installed probably the worst Republican nominee ever -- Guy Hunt.

True, Hunt was an embarrassment on several levels. But the ADC's jaw-dropping blunder was the final straw that turned Alabama Republican for at least a generation, and still counting. Since then, I don't think a Democrat has ever won a state-wide office.

Tide1986 · Feb 10, 2016

I assume this accurate:

http://teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/20431

Both the Republican and the Democratic parties have rules in their bylaws governing how to fill the vacancy. The Party Chair calls a meeting of the National Committee, and the Committee members at the meeting vote to fill the vacancy on the ticket. A candidate must receive a majority of the votes to win the party's nod.

selmaborntidefan · Feb 10, 2016

BamainBoston said:
Yeah, a party has a First Amendment right to handle it's nomination pretty much anyway it wants. That's why you have super delegates in the Democratic Party and none in the Republican Party.

Super delegates - the way to thwart 'the will of the people.'

Because that is ALL it's there for. Heck, even Jules Witcover in his history of the Democratic Party said as much (implicitly). When Jimmy Carter won the nomination over the establishment's heads, they decided to make sure that never happened again. That's why Jesse Jackson was never a serious threat in 1988 even when he was second in delegates and why Sanders doesn't have an atheists chance at confession of winning.

Crimson1967 · Feb 11, 2016

In 1972, the Dems changed their VP candidate after the convention.

I suppose the party bigwigs would get together and pick a new nominee if someone died.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Elefantman · Feb 11, 2016

So Selma, did this come to mind when you were thinking about the most likely way Hillary would win the nomination?

ValuJet · Feb 11, 2016

Elefantman said:
So Selma, did this come to mind when you were thinking about the most likely way Hillary would win the nomination?

I know he can remember really well, but I'm wondering if he can see into the future. Who's gonna croak, Selma?

selmaborntidefan · Feb 11, 2016

Crimson1967 said:
In 1972, the Dems changed their VP candidate after the convention.

I suppose the party bigwigs would get together and pick a new nominee if someone died.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah but that's a little easier since it's the nominee himself who was still on the ticket. That selection was proof that you need to get your VP before the Conventionbut that hasn't prevented botchery. Just consider Ferraro, Quayle, and Palin have all been unqualified selections since 1984.

bama_wayne1 · Feb 11, 2016

ValuJet said:
I know he can remember really well, but I'm wondering if he can see into the future. Who's gonna croak, Selma?

Maybe he is remembering White Water....

G-VilleTider · Feb 11, 2016

Dang it Selma, if one of em dies now, everyone of us is gonna have FBI agents all up our backside just for readin ur post!

NationalTitles18 · Feb 11, 2016

Every time a candidate dies an angel gets its wings...

selmaborntidefan · Feb 11, 2016

NationalTitles16 said:
Every time a candidate dies an angel in Hell gets its wings...

FIFY

bamacon · Feb 11, 2016

selmaborntidefan said:
Super delegates - the way to thwart 'the will of the people.'

Because that is ALL it's there for. Heck, even Jules Witcover in his history of the Democratic Party said as much (implicitly). When Jimmy Carter won the nomination over the establishment's heads, they decided to make sure that never happened again. That's why Jesse Jackson was never a serious threat in 1988 even when he was second in delegates and why Sanders doesn't have an atheists chance at confession of winning.

That's exactly right. Hillary lost NH by 22% points and left with 2 more delegates than Bernie. It is truly fun to watch.

Crimson1967 · Feb 11, 2016

4Q Basket Case said:
True, Hunt was an embarrassment on several levels. But the ADC's jaw-dropping blunder was the final straw that turned Alabama Republican for at least a generation, and still counting. Since then, I don't think a Democrat has ever won a state-wide office.

Don Siegleman unseated Fob James in 1998. Lucy Baxley served as Lt. Governor in the 2000s. Not sure about other offices.

RTR91 · Feb 11, 2016

Crimson1967 said:
Don Siegleman unseated Fob James in 1998. Lucy Baxley served as Lt. Governor in the 2000s. Not sure about other offices.

Sue Bell Cobb was elected to the state SC in 2006 as a Democrat.

AV8N · Feb 11, 2016

Seems like at some point it's too late to change the ballots.

At the state level, didn't Missouri run into this a few years ago? Their governor died during his campaign for Senate, a month before the election, but his name was still on the ballot. And he won. His wife ended up being appointed to fill the seat.

Not sure how that would work when the office in question is the Presidency.

Bama Reb · Feb 11, 2016

This thread reminds me of an old riddle we used to tell:
"An airplane crashes into the the Chattahoochee River, killing everyone aboard. Since it was exactly between the Georgia and Alabama state lines Where do you bury the survivors?"
A: You don't bury survivors.

If all the candidates on both parties died, I doubt many people would know or even care.

DzynKingRTR · Feb 11, 2016

it reminds me of an old Night Court episode. A candidate running for district attorney against Dan died and Dan still lost to him.

bamacon · Feb 11, 2016

DzynKingRTR said:
it reminds me of an old Night Court episode. A candidate running for district attorney against Dan died and Dan still lost to him.

That was a good show

Aledinho · Feb 11, 2016

...please let it be Hillary.

If A Candidate Dies During The Race....

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