1980 Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection

{{Short description|none}}

{{Infobox Election

| election_name = 1980 Republican vice presidential nomination

| flag_image =

| type = primary

| previous_election = 1976 Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection

| previous_year = 1976

| next_election = 1988 Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection

| next_year = 1988

| election_date = {{Start date|1980|07|17}}

| image1 = 160x160px

| nominee1 = George H. W. Bush

| colour1 = DE0100

| home_state1 = Texas

| map_image =

| map_size =

| map_caption =

| title = Vice Presidential nominee

| before_election = Bob Dole

| before_party =

| after_election = George H. W. Bush

| after_party =

}}File:President Gerald Ford makes a decision not to run as Ronald Reagan’s vice presidential running mate at the Republican National Convention in Detroit.jpg consults with Bob Dole, Howard Baker and Bill Brock concerning the vice presidential nomination. Reagan would eventually choose Bush.]]

This article lists those who were potential candidates for the Republican nomination for Vice President of the United States in the 1980 election. Former California Governor Ronald Reagan won the 1980 Republican nomination for President of the United States, and chose former CIA Director George H. W. Bush as his running mate.

Reagan had considered naming former president Gerald Ford as his running mate, but after it became clear that Ford and Reagan were unable to agree to be on the same ticket (a televised interview with Ford brought up possibility of a "co-presidency"), Reagan turned to Bush, his primary rival for the 1980 Republican nomination.{{cite news|last1=Allen|first1=Richard|title=George Walker Bush; The Accidental Vice President|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/30/magazine/george-walker-bush-the-accidental-vice-president.html?pagewanted=all|access-date=5 October 2015|work=New York Times|date=30 July 2000}}{{cite news|last1=Plissner|first1=Martin|title=From Ike To Jerry Ford|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/from-ike-to-jerry-ford/|access-date=5 October 2015|work=CBS News|date=27 December 2006}} Though Bush had criticized Reagan's policies, Reagan chose Bush to help unify the party, and Bush agreed to be on the ticket and to support Reagan's platform.{{cite news|last1=Walsh|first1=Kenneth|title=Reagan and Bush's Admirable Partnership|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/03/17/reagan-and-bushs-admirable-partnership|access-date=5 October 2015|publisher=U.S. News & World Report|date=17 March 2011}}{{cite news|last1=Witcover|first1=Jules|title=The Dynasty That Almost Wasn't|url=http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/09/the-dynasty-that-almost-wasnt-213150|access-date=5 October 2015|publisher=Politico|date=15 September 2015}}

The Reagan–Bush ticket would go on to defeat the Democratic tickets of Carter–Mondale in 1980 and Mondale–Ferraro in 1984. Bush was later elected president in his own right in 1988 but ultimately lost his bid for re-election to Bill Clinton in 1992.

When Reagan unsuccessfully sought the 1976 nomination he had named Pennsylvania Senator Richard Schweiker as his running mate, but Schweiker was not considered again when Reagan won the 1980 nomination.