McCain-Palin is First Major Party Ticket with Both Nominees from Western States
September 4th, 2008The Republican Party has chosen an Arizonan for president, and an Alaskan for vice-president. This is the first time a major party has chosen both its presidential and vice-presidential candidates from western states. The Democratic Party has never chosen a westerner for either president, or for vice-president.
The last time the Republican Party chose a ticket with both nominees from the same section of the country was 1976, when it chose midwesterners for both offices (Gerald Ford of Michigan for president, and Bob Dole of Kansas for vice-president).
September 4th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
I always believed Kansas was part of the Plains states. The Mid-West being a separate part of the country.
September 4th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
True. If you consider Texas a Southern state.
Reagan was from the west, as is Cheney.
September 4th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Probably also the first ticket from states starting with an A.
September 5th, 2008 at 4:26 am
“The Democratic Party has never chosen a westerner for either president, or for vice-president.”
It depends on how you define westerner. Andrew Jackson could have been classified as one in the 1820s (and it explains why he had a South Carolinian balancing the ticket)). Ditto Richard M. Johnson in 1836. I will say that LBJ and Cactus Jack Garner worked more with the South in Congress than the West.
It also depends on how you define Democrats. Joe Lane was from Oregon and he was the running mate for John Breckinridge in 1860.
September 5th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Richard Nixon, of course, was from California, as was Earl Warren, the ’48 Republican VP nominee.
Lyndon Johnson, who was from east Texas, tried to portray himself as a Westerner.
September 5th, 2008 at 8:48 am
My definition of “western state” is Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:46 am
The new buzz phrase for the McCain ticket is “Western Conservative.”
Well Western Conservative = Libertarian.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Two-thirds of our State of Texas is “Western.” Only Coastal and Northeastern Texas could be considered “Southern.” Geographically, we’re more Western.
Eric Dondero
Angleton, Texas
(The southern part)
September 6th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Barry Goldwater was also from Arizona.