Women Candidates for Vice President of the USA
Two Women Nominated to Serve in Executive Branch of US Government
Aug 30, 2008
There has never been a prohibition of women running for President in the US Constitution. However, it was not until the 19th Amendment, giving woman the right to vote, that Americans began to consider electing women to Federal positions in the House of Representatives and Senate. In 1925, Mary T. Hokins Norton became the first woman to be elected to the House. In the Senate, the first woman to be elected was Hattie Caraway in January 1932. The first Woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court was Sandra Day O’Conner, in 1981. As of August 2008 no woman has ever been nominated or elected as President of the United States. Only two have ever been nominated to be Vice President.
Geraldine Ferraro
In 1984, Walter Mondale, who had served as Vice President under President Jimmy Carter from 1977-1981, secured the Democratic Party's nomination to run for President. He made history by selecting Geraldine Ferraro to run on his ticket. Geraldine Anne Ferraro was born 26 Aug 1935 in Newburgh, NY. Her prior experience included teaching, practicing law and serving as a prosecutor for the Queens County District Attorney's Office. She was then elected to the United States Congress in 1978. She was one of three women being considered by Mondale. The other two were San Francisco Mayor Diane Feinstein and Kentucky Governor Martha Layne Collins. Before the selection Mondale was behind Ronald Reagan in the polls by 16 percent. Shortly thereafter he pulled dead even. It was not enough. Mondale lost to Reagan in 1984 by a landslide vote.
Sarah Palin
In 2008, John McCain, who had 25 years of service in the United States Senate, was nominated as the Republican Party candidate for President of the US. His selection team kept their choice under wraps until the day following the Democratic convention. On that day, which was John McCain’s 72nd birthday, he revealed that he had chosen little-known Sarah Palin, the Republican Governor of Alaska as his running mate. Palin's experience included four years of service on the city counsel for Wasilla, Alaska. In 1996 she began what would be two terms as Mayor of Wasilla. She then served for two years as the Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. In 2006 she was elected Governor of Alaska. Conservatives have praised her stance on abortion and energy development. She was a pro-life candidate who gave birth in April, 2008 to a boy with Down's syndrome. She also favored opening up the Alaskan wilderness for oil production.
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