Ideological Balance
Ideological balance is achieved when a candidate chooses a running mate from a different ideological strain to provide more widespread appeal. For example, a liberal candidate might want to choose a moderate or even a conservative running mate rather than another liberal in order to appeal to a broader base of the electorate.
Ronald Reagan, a conservative, chose more moderate George H. W. Bush as his running mate in 1980. When liberal Democrat Michael Dukakis ran for president in 1988 he chose Lloyd Bentsen, a moderate, as his running mate. When perceived centrist Republican John McCain ran unsuccessfully for president in 2008, he chose Sarah Palin, a staunch conservative, as his running mate.
Read more about this topic: Ticket Balance
Famous quotes containing the words ideological and/or balance:
“There cannot be peaceful coexistence in the ideological realm. Peaceful coexistence corrupts.”
—Jiang Qing (1914–1991)
“Partisanship should be kept out of the pulpit.... The blindest of partisans are preachers. All politicians expect and find more candor, fairness, and truth in politicians than in partisan preachers. They are not replied to—no chance to reply to them.... The balance wheel of free institutions is free discussion. The pulpit allows no free discussion.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)