Only one Californian—actually a former Californian—is even given an outside chance of appearing on one of the major party presidential tickets. That would be Carly Fiorina, the former head of Hewlett-Packard who while a resident of this state lost a senate race to Barbara Boxer. Fiorina has since moved to the East Coast.
So it appears that no Californian will find a place on a major party ticket in 2016—or maybe one could, but it would be even a longer shot.
We are still eleven months away from the Republican nominating convention in Cleveland and already pundits are having a field day with the ever-changing nature of the presidential campaign.
Forgive me for this wild speculation but I think it fits the tenor of the times when it comes to presidential punditry.
How might a Californian make a national ticket?
This past weekend, Governor Jerry Brown ruled himself out of the presidential race but said if he were Vice President Joe Biden he would seriously consider joining the race. What if Biden gets in and weakens front-runner Hillary Clinton? What if Vermont senator Bernie Sanders is able to make a strong enough showing to win some delegates? Could the Democrats enter the convention without a candidate securing the necessary delegate votes for the nomination?
Unlikely, but if this scenario plays out, Democrats would look for an alternative and I would venture a guess that Gov. Brown will be near the top of the list.
There is even a greater potential for a brokered nominating convention on the Republican side with so many candidates seeking the job. It is likely that the nominee would come from the announced candidates. The vice presidential nominee, however, could very well be someone not currently seeking the presidency.
A winning nominee, especially one who served as a state’s governor, may want a vice presidential candidate with experience in foreign affairs.
Former Secretary of State and current Stanford University professor Condoleezza Rice might make a nice fit. She always seemed averse to running a campaign but being tabbed to seek the high-profile station may be acceptable to her. She would add gravitas to a ticket—although there is little hope she could bring her home state along in the Electoral College count.
Will either of these scenarios play out? Don’t bet on it. But stranger things can and have happened in presidential campaigns. As evidence, just look at the goings on in the current race for the White House compared to predictions from just six months ago.