A U.S. president’s eight-year term is it. That’s been the limit, ever since FDR won four straight elections and died in office in 1945. But there is no law saying a vice president can’t continue to serve in that capacity. Indeed, the VP spot is often like the batter’s box — stand in there and you’re up next. (The most recent VP to become president was George H.W. Bush.)
So when wikileaks released a March email containing the names of 39 people Hillary Clinton’s team was putting forward for consideration for her running mate, it’s a little surprising Vice President Joe Biden wasn’t on the list, especially since Biden is part of the most popular administration (according to the polls) in recent memory. Instead there were senators, cabinet secretaries, business leaders, philanthropists and governors. But no Vice President Biden. Here’s the list, in the original groupings.
Javier Becerra
Julian Castro
Eric Garcetti
Tom Perez
Ken Salazar
Tammy Baldwin
Kirsten Gillibrand
Amy Klobuchar
Claire McKaskill [sic]
Jeanne Shaheen
Debbie Stabenow
Elizabeth Warren
Michael Bennet
Sherrod Brown
Martin Heinreich
Tim Kaine
Terry McAuliffe
Chris Murphy
Tom Vilsack
Steve Benjamin
Corey [sic] Booker
Andrew Gillum
Eric Holder
Deval Patrick
Kasim Reed
Anthony Foxx
John Allen
Bill McCraven
Mike Mullen
Mary Barra
Michael Bloomberg
Ursula Burns
Tim Cook
Bill Gates
Melinda Gates
Muhtar Kent
Judith Rodin
Howard Schultz
Bernie Sanders
