All joking and humor aside, what if McCain just died before the election?

Question

Who—if possible—will take over to be the Republican nominee? Huckabee? Palin? What's the process to go through if should this happen?

Answer 1

We will say 'good by' and let him rest in peace.

Answer 2

The RNC would select a replacement candidate; as would the DNC if, God forbid, something were to happen to either candidate before the election.

Answer 3

I think normal VP line of succession would apply. McCain has chosen Palin; So Palin would officially become the top of the ticket and have to carry on the campaign; Presumably having to select someone at short notice to be her VP.

I hope nothing happens to McCain - Or that Mother Of The Year (With the pregnant teen daughter) Palin - Except that they lose the election...

Answer 4

The Palin family have their eyes on the White House  -  they're thinking they need a bigger house.

Answer 5

Quite possibly there would be another primary since Sarah Palin wasn't elected by the delegates. The RNC would call up and emergency session and the election would have to be postponed.... which means more time with George W. Bush as president.  

Answer 6

The Republican Party would choose a replacement candidate.  They might create a committee, or re-convene if the death happened after the convention.  If it happened before, it would free all of the McCain delegates to vote for whomever they chose.  In all reality, Palin would probably not be chosen for the lead spot on the ballot.  She is the VP nominee, not the presidential nominee.  In fact, she would probably lose her chance at becoming the VP, because typically they allow the presidential nominee to choose.

Answer 7

BUT REALLY!  All joking and humor aside, what if McCain just died AFTER the election?  And he well could!

Bimbo Palin replaces him????  I thought Bush/Cheney were the bottom of the barrel - but I was wrong.

Palin was chosen by Big Oil.  She's stupid and inexperienced and easily manipulated.  Bush was also chosen for the same reason.

Do not let anymore of these people into our White House!

Answer 8

My guess is it would be Romney since he got the 2nd largest number of delegates. Hillary if somethin happened to Obama.

Mama bear gets best answer.

Answer 9

If a presidential or vice-presidential candidate is incapacitated between a party's nominating convention and the meeting of the Electoral College, the party's central committee would gather to pick a substitute candidate. Again, what's interesting about this timeline is that the intervening general election (that supposedly huge day between the conventions and the Electoral College balloting) would turn out to be fairly irrelevant. While a party would presumably feel great pressure to appoint its vice presidential candidate as its presidential candidate, it could probably choose someone else.

Things get more nebulous if a candidate on the ticket dies or becomes incapacitated after the Electoral College vote in December but before the congressional certification of the results in January. During this period, does the country have a president-elect? The technical legal answer: Kinda. The most reasonable argument (bolstered by statutory history of the 20th Amendment, which deals with succession issues) would seem to be that the person who obtained the most electoral votes is the president-elect, even if Congress hasn't yet certified the votes.

The relevance of inquiring precisely when the next president becomes president-elect is that the 20th Amendment states that the vice president-elect becomes the president-elect if that person can't take the office at the beginning of his or her term. So, whenever the winning candidate becomes president-elect (and you can choose between the November general election date, the December Electoral College vote or the January congressional certification) is the point at which the succession is taken out of the party's hands and the Constitution kicks in -- making the vice president elect's ascension to the top of the ticket automatic.

Answer 10

It seems that the presidency can be more hazardous to some than to others.

Answer 11

Before the election the party could choose whomever it pleased, and it probably wouldn't be Palin.

After the election, now that would be Palin.

Answer 12

Thank you. Just when I thought there was no hope you made me realize there is a sliver of hope left.

Answer 13

I agree that the RNC would have to choose another nominee, but I doubt they would have the authority to postpone the election.

Answer 14

I would imagine there would be some sort of emergency meeting of the Republican National Party!  It would be they who would have to decide what should be done.