ABSTRACT
This paper reviews the politics of vice-presidential selection from the point of view of both the scholar and campaign strategist. Using John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008, we first explore academic theories of vice-presidential selection and assess the ways Palin either succeeds or fails to meet the expectations of those theories. We go on to explore the specific factors the McCain campaign considered when selecting a vice-presidential nominee and assess Palin's performance in addressing those factors. We conclude with a discussion of Palm's impact on the outcome of the 2008 election.
