If Tim Kaine is selected as Barack Obama's running mate, when would Kaine resign as governor of Virginia? When he's selected at the Democratic Convention? After Obama and Kaine are elected (assuming that's the case)? On Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009?
Here's what's happened in recent years:
1976: Jimmy Carter was governor for one term, from January 1971 to January 1975. He was not governor in 1976.
1980: Ronald Reagan had not been governor of California since 1975 and held no elective office when he ran for president in 1980. George HW Bush did not hold elective office when he was picked by Reagan as his running mate.
1984: Former VP Walter Mondale did not hold elective office when he ran for president in 1984 (and lost in a landslide to Ronald Reagan).
1988: Michael Dukakis did not resign as governor of Massachusetts, either before or after his defeat by George HW Bush for president.
1992: Bill Clinton resigned as governor of Arkansas after being elected president, just before he was inaugurated. Al Gore served in the U.S. Senate from 1985 to 1993, resigning when he becamse Vice President in January 1993.
1996: Bob Dole resigned from the U.S. Senate on May 15, went on to lose badly to Bill Clinton in November.
2000: George W. Bush resigned as Texas governor on December 21, 2000, following resolution of the Florida debacle primary and Bush's selection election as dictator president. Al Gore's running mate, Joe Lieberman, ran for re-election to the U.S. Senate at the same time he ran for VP.
2004: John Kerry did not resign from the U.S. Senate after receiving the Democratic nomination for president. John Edwards had announced his retirement from the U.S. Senate prior to the 2004 campaign cycle.
2008: John McCain and Barack Obama are both sitting U.S. Senators and have announced no plans to vacate that office.
In other words, it looks like most running mates historically - at least in recent years - have not resigned their offices until they were elected as Vice President. My guess is that's what would happen if Tim Kaine's selected by Barack Obama, that he would resign as governor of Virginia sometime between election day and January 20, 2009.
And here's another: Their mothers grew up, not just in Kansas, but in the town of El Dorado, KS (pop. 12,718).
Kaine said last May: "I was really liking this guy. When I found out his mother grew up in the same town as my mom, El Dorado, Kansas, I knew we knew we were separated at birth and I had to support him.''
Barack and Michelle Obama + Tim Kaine and wife Anne Holton = four Harvard law grads.
Is this all true? Crikey.
Its a bad year to be a republican. Lots of voter anger at the GOP.
The democrats still should work to elect Obama like the election is needing to be won, but the fact is Mccain is toast.
I think the fair schedule in the event of a win by an Obama-Kaine ticket is for Kaine to stay in office until the votes of the electoral college are tabulated and Obama declared the winner, and then resign shortly thereafter. That way Bowling would have a few weeks to get set prior to the start of the 2009 GA session.