# Unity ticket

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Unity_ticket
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Unity_ticket.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unity_ticket
> Source revision: 1265931385
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|Term for candidates from different parties running on one ticket}}
thumb|Republican Abraham Lincoln and Democrat Andrew Johnson campaigning on the same ticket in the 1864 United States presidential election.

In a [presidential system](/source/presidential_system), a '''unity ticket''' is a form of [ticket balance](/source/ticket_balance) in which a candidate and a [running mate](/source/running_mate) of separate [political parties](/source/Political_party) run on a single [ticket](/source/Ticket_(election)). Candidates may retain their separate political parties for the duration of the election, or they may adopt a new party name to represent their unified platform. In a system where the running mate is next in line for the presidency, a unity ticket can cause a mid-term shift in policy if the president dies or is removed from office. Unity tickets are common during periods of [political realignment](/source/political_realignment).{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

The term ''unity ticket'' may sometimes be used more broadly for any political ticket that is meant to appeal to two different political factions. A unity ticket is distinct from a [fusion ticket](/source/Electoral_fusion) where multiple parties endorse a single candidate.

== Brazil ==
Presidential tickets in Brazil commonly have two candidates of competing political parties, and as a result the [President of Brazil](/source/President_of_Brazil) and the [Vice President of Brazil](/source/Vice_President_of_Brazil) are often of different political parties. In [2010](/source/2010_Brazilian_general_election) and [2014](/source/2014_Brazilian_general_election), [Dilma Rousseff](/source/Dilma_Rousseff) of the [Workers' Party](/source/Workers'_Party_(Brazil)) and [Michel Temer](/source/Michel_Temer) of the [Brazilian Democratic Movement](/source/Brazilian_Democratic_Movement) were elected under the [With the Strength of the People](/source/With_the_Strength_of_the_People) coalition. Following Rousseff's [impeachment](/source/Impeachment_of_Dilma_Rousseff) and removal from office, Temer became president.

== Taiwan ==
In the [2016 presidential election](/source/2016_Taiwanese_presidential_election), [James Soong](/source/James_Soong) of the [People First Party](/source/People_First_Party_(Taiwan)) ran with [Hsu Hsin-ying](/source/Hsu_Hsin-ying) of the [Minkuotang](/source/Minkuotang).

== Tanzania ==
Opposition candidate [Augustino Mrema](/source/Augustino_Mrema) of [NCCR–Mageuzi](/source/NCCR%E2%80%93Mageuzi) was to run on a unity ticket with a candidate from the [Civic United Front](/source/Civic_United_Front) in the [1995 general election](/source/1995_Tanzanian_general_election), but the parties were unable to agree on a running mate and the Civic United Front ran its own ticket.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hoffman |first1=Barak |last2=Robinson |first2=Lindsay |date=October 2009 |title=Tanzania's Missing Opposition |journal=[Journal of Democracy](/source/Journal_of_Democracy) |volume=20 |issue=4 |pages=123–136|doi=10.1353/jod.0.0117 |s2cid=154040165 }}</ref>

== United States ==

=== Presidential elections ===
Prior to the ratification of the [Twelfth Amendment](/source/Twelfth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution), the presidential runner-up would be elected vice president. This resulted in [John Adams](/source/John_Adams) of the [Federalist Party](/source/Federalist_Party) winning the presidency while opponent [Thomas Jefferson](/source/Thomas_Jefferson) of the [Democratic-Republican Party](/source/Democratic-Republican_Party) became his vice president. The only unity ticket to win the presidency was the [National Union Party](/source/National_Union_Party_(United_States)) in the [1864 presidential election](/source/1864_United_States_presidential_election), which ran a unity ticket between [Abraham Lincoln](/source/Abraham_Lincoln) of the [Republican Party](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States)) and [Andrew Johnson](/source/Andrew_Johnson) of the [Democratic Party](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)). Lincoln's [assassination](/source/Assassination_of_Abraham_Lincoln) resulted in Johnson taking office and drastically changing [reconstruction era](/source/reconstruction_era) policy.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Democrat [John Kerry](/source/John_Kerry) considered choosing Republican [John McCain](/source/John_McCain) as his running mate in the [2004 presidential election](/source/2004_United_States_presidential_election).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Balz |first=Dan |date=June 13, 2004 |title=McCain Resists Dream Ticket |newspaper=[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post) |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/06/13/mccain-resists-dream-ticket/734489c9-1ea5-411b-8aea-104def44d4a2/ |access-date=2022-03-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2004-05-15 |title=Undeterred by McCain Denials, Some See Him as Kerry's No. 2 |language=en-US |work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/15/politics/campaign/15MCCA.html |access-date=2022-03-18 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stuckey |first=Mike |date=March 16, 2004 |title=Biden endorses a fusion ticket:Kerry-McCain |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4542473 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203031112/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4542473 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 3, 2021 |access-date=2022-03-18 |website=[NBC News](/source/NBC_News) |language=en}}</ref> In turn, John McCain gave serious consideration to a unity ticket with former Democrat [Joe Lieberman](/source/Joe_Lieberman) in the [2008 presidential election](/source/2008_United_States_presidential_election).<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Burns |first1=Alexander |last2=Martin |first2=Jonathan |last3=Allen |first3=Mike |date=August 19, 2008 |title=McCain weighs a Lieberman surprise |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2008/08/mccain-weighs-a-lieberman-surprise-012646 |access-date=2022-03-18 |website=[Politico](/source/Politico)|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Jonathan |date=2018-05-05 |title=At His Ranch, John McCain Shares Memories and Regrets With Friends |language=en-US |work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/05/us/politics/john-mccain-arizona.html |access-date=2022-03-18 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Several commentators suggested that the Democratic Party field a unity ticket with a moderate Republican to challenge [Donald Trump](/source/Donald_Trump) in 2020 and win the votes of [Never Trump Republicans](/source/Never_Trump_movement).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Glover |first=Juleanna |title=Biden Should Run on a Unity Ticket With Romney |url=https://politi.co/2ruYqdN |access-date=2022-03-18 |website=[Politico](/source/Politico) |date=11 December 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-02-17 |title=Romney-Bloomberg: The Unity Ticket America Deserves |url=https://www.thebulwark.com/romney-bloomberg-the-unity-ticket-america-deserves/ |access-date=2022-03-18 |website=The Bulwark |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kulat |first=Cathi |date=2019-12-23 |title=A unity slate to save the Democrats — and the republic |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/475306-a-unity-slate-to-save-the-democrats |access-date=2022-03-18 |website=[The Hill](/source/The_Hill_(newspaper))|language=en}}</ref> Presidential unity tickets in the 21st century are often criticized as being unrealistic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allott |first=Daniel |date=2020-01-06 |title=The perils of a bipartisan presidential ticket |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/476861-the-perils-of-a-bipartisan-presidential-ticket |access-date=2022-03-18 |website=[The Hill](/source/The_Hill_(newspaper))|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Shephard |first=Alex |date=2017-09-02 |title=Will the Fantasy of a Unity Ticket Just Die Already? |magazine=The New Republic |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/144669/will-fantasy-unity-ticket-just-die-already |access-date=2022-03-18 |issn=0028-6583}}</ref>

Some notable third party runs have incorporated unity tickets:

* In the [1856 presidential election](/source/1856_United_States_presidential_election), former president [Millard Fillmore](/source/Millard_Fillmore) of the [Whig Party](/source/Whig_Party_(United_States)) and [Andrew Jackson Donelson](/source/Andrew_Jackson_Donelson) of the Democratic Party ran a third-party campaign under the [Know Nothing](/source/Know_Nothing) ticket, carrying the state of [Maryland](/source/Maryland).
* In the [1924 presidential election](/source/1924_United_States_presidential_election), [Robert M. La Follette](/source/Robert_M._La_Follette) of the Republican Party and [Burton K. Wheeler](/source/Burton_K._Wheeler) of the Democratic Party ran a third-party campaign under the [Progressive Party](/source/Progressive_Party_(United_States%2C_1924%E2%80%931934)), carrying the state of [Wisconsin](/source/Wisconsin).
* In the [1968 presidential election](/source/1968_United_States_presidential_election), [George Wallace](/source/George_Wallace) of the Democratic Party and [Curtis LeMay](/source/Curtis_LeMay) of the Republican Party ran a third-party campaign under the [American Independent Party](/source/American_Independent_Party), carrying five states.
* In the [1980 presidential election](/source/1980_United_States_presidential_election), [John B. Anderson](/source/John_B._Anderson) of the Republican Party and [Patrick Lucey](/source/Patrick_Lucey) of the Democratic Party ran an independent campaign, carrying no states.

=== Statewide elections ===
In [2014](/source/2014_Alaska_gubernatorial_election), [Bill Walker](/source/Bill_Walker_(American_politician)) of the Republican Party and [Byron Mallott](/source/Byron_Mallott) of the Democratic Party were elected governor and lieutenant governor of [Alaska](/source/Alaska).<ref>{{Cite news |title=A bipartisan 'unity ticket' actually won this year. That's rare. |language=en-US |newspaper=[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post) |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/11/19/a-bipartisan-unity-ticket-actually-won-this-year-thats-rare/ |access-date=2022-03-18 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Democrat [Patrick Murphy](/source/Patrick_Murphy_(Florida_politician)) floated a gubernatorial campaign with Republican [David Jolly](/source/David_Jolly) in the [2018 Florida gubernatorial election](/source/2018_Florida_gubernatorial_election), but they ultimately did not run.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leary |first=Alex |date=April 23, 2018 |title=Patrick Murphy and David Jolly making an unprecedented bipartisan run for Florida governor? |url=https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/04/23/patrick-murphy-and-david-jolly-making-an-unprecedented-bipartisan-run-for-florida-governor/ |access-date=2022-03-18 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en}}</ref> When Republican [Bob Krist](/source/Bob_Krist) launched an independent campaign in the [2018 Nebraska gubernatorial election](/source/2018_Nebraska_gubernatorial_election), it was speculated that he would run a unity ticket, but he eventually ran as the Democratic nominee with a Democratic running mate.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moring |first=Roseann |date=October 1, 2017 |title=Dems mull best shot at defeating Ricketts |url=https://omaha.com/eedition/sunrise/articles/dems-mull-best-shot-at-defeating-ricketts/article_7badfbcf-67b9-5ae7-b296-a2f911602dfa.html |access-date=2022-03-18 |website=Omaha World-Herald |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Politics
}}

* [Split-ticket voting](/source/Split-ticket_voting)
* [Straight-ticket voting](/source/Straight-ticket_voting)
* [Two-party system](/source/Two-party_system)
* [Veepstakes](/source/Veepstakes)

== References ==
<references />

Category:Election campaign terminology
Category:Voting theory

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Unity ticket](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unity_ticket) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unity_ticket?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.