By Renee Umsted
Americans won’t see a candidate named Biden, Bush or Clinton on the ballot this November. The last time that happened was 1976 — America’s bicentennial. It was the same year that Hank Aaron hit his 755th and final home run. Romanian gymnast Nadia Camaneci scored a perfect 10 on the uneven bars at the Montreal Olympic Games. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computer, Inc. in California. The first commercial flights of the Concorde took passengers from London to Bahrain and from Paris to Rio de Janeiro.
Here’s a look back at how the Bidens, Bushes and Clintons have been a constant presence in U.S. presidential elections for nearly 50 years. 1976: JIMMY CARTER VS. GERALD FORD After former President Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 in the aftermath of Watergate, his vice president, Gerald Ford, assumed the office. In the 1976 election, Ford ultimately selected Robert Dole to be his running mate, and Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter picked Walter Mondale.
Carter became president, winning 297 electoral votes. 1980: JIMMY CARTER VS. RONALD REAGAN The election of 1980 kicked off the Biden-Bush-Clinton trend in presidential races. For the Republicans: Ronald Reagan was the presidential nominee, and George H.W. Bush was picked as his running mate. For the Democrats: The incumbent, Jimmy Carter, stayed with Walter Mondale. Reagan and Bush won the election with 489 electoral votes. 1984: WALTER MONDALE VS. RONALD REAGAN For the Republicans: Another Ronald Reagan-George H.W. Bush ticket. For the Democrats: Walter Mondale selected Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman vice presidential candidate for a major political party. With 525 electoral votes, Reagan secured his second term. 1988: GEORGE H.W. BUSH VS. MICHAEL DUKAKIS For the Republicans: After serving eight years as vice president, George H.W. Bush became the party’s nominee and selected Dan Quayle as his running mate. For the Democrats: Michael Dukakis picked Sen. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas as his running mate. Republicans kept control of the White House after Bush won 426 electoral votes.
For the Republicans: George H.W. Bush campaigned for his second term, again with Dan Quayle as his running mate. For the Democrats: Bill Clinton selected Albert Gore as his vice presidential running mate. Democrats regained the White House, with Clinton winning 370 electoral votes. 1996: BILL CLINTON VS. ROBERT DOLE For the first time in 20 years, George H.W. Bush is absent from the Republican ticket. For the Republicans: Robert Dole was the presidential nominee and selected Jack Kemp as his running mate. For the Democrats: Clinton ran for a second term, again with Gore. Clinton won with 379 electoral votes.
A new generation of Bushes enters national politics. For the Republicans: George W. Bush threw his hat in the ring, with Richard Cheney as his running mate. For the Democrats: Al Gore was the presidential nominee, and Joseph Lieberman was Gore’s VP pick. Bush lost the popular vote in this highly contested election, but it was ultimately decided that he should get Florida’s 25 electoral votes, and he became president. 2004: GEORGE W. BUSH VS. JOHN KERRY For the Republicans: George W. Bush ran again alongside Cheney. For the Democrats: The party nominated two people new to the ticket, John Kerry and John Edwards. This time around, Bush won both the popular and electoral vote. 2008: JOHN MCCAIN VS. BARACK OBAMA Joseph Biden first ran for president in 1988, but in 2008 he officially made the ticket. For the Republicans: Sen. John McCain of Arizona chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. For the Democrats: Barack Obama selected Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware as his running mate. Obama became the first Black U.S. president after winning 365 electoral votes. 2012: BARACK OBAMA VS. MITT ROMNEY For the Republicans: Mitt Romney became the presidential nominee, and Paul Ryan was his running mate. For the Democrats: Obama and Biden appeared together again on the ticket. With 332 electoral votes, Obama kept the White House.
2016: HILLARY CLINTON VS. DONALD TRUMP For the Republicans: Real estate mogul Donald J. Trump became the presidential nominee, and Mike Pence was his vice presidential pick. For the Democrats: Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state and a former U.S. senator from New York, ran alongside Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia. Republicans again controlled the White House after Trump won 306 electoral votes. 2020: JOSEPH BIDEN VS. DONALD TRUMP For the Republicans: Trump campaigned for his second term, with Pence as his VP. For the Democrats: Joseph Biden was the presidential nominee, and he selected Kamala Harris as his running mate. Winning 306 electoral votes, Biden became president, and Harris made history as the first woman vice president. 2024: DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE YET TO BE DECIDED, WILL RUN AGAINST TRUMP For the Republicans: Trump selected Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio as his running mate. If elected, Vance would be one of the youngest vice presidents in U.S. history. For the Democrats: Biden dropped out of the race July 21 and threw his support behind his vice president, Harris.