Losing Running Mates of the Recent Past & their Post-Loss Careers (house seat, conservative)

[Mictlantecuhtli]

It will be interesting to see what happens to the losing running mate in this year's election, who will very likely be Ryan. After all, the last few haven't gone on to much.

Palin
Quit being Governor to cash in with a book. Had a lame TV show that failed. Now is an avid Facebook poster and arranger of words into things vaguely resembling sentences.

Edwards
Ran for President (again), failed. Then he decided to set new standards for the concept of the epic political crash and burn. Approval rating currently somewhere around 2%.

Lieberman
Ran for President, failed (to put it mildly). Alienated his own party, had to run as an independent to get re-elected. Shunned his party to endorse a loser in 2008. Had to retire this time because he knew he had no chance to win again.

Kemp
Never had (or sought) any sort of political career after his loss.

Quayle
Ran for President in 2000 (actually did so bad he dropped out in the middle of 1999).

Bentsen
Bentsen actually continued to have a normal career, first in the Senate and then as Secretary of the Treasury in the Clinton Administration.

Ferraro
Her spot on a ticket that suffered a landslide loss was the end of her political career.

Mondale
Got the nomination four years later, got destroyed.

Dole
Like Bentsen, Dole actually had a normal (and long) career after his loss. He continued to serve in the Senate, twice holding the title of Majority Leader, and was his party's Presidential nominee in 1996. He lost.

Agnew
Charged with felony tax evasion. Pled no-contest and resigned. Went on to write a weird novel about a Vice President who was 'destroyed by his own ambition'.

That takes us back four decades, Far enough, I think.

[pch1013]

Fortunately for Paul Ryan, he won his House seat back, so he'll just go back to his previous career obstructing Obama and promoting completely implausible ultraconservative budget solutions.