Can a running mate be declared before the primaries are over?

[Clovis Sangrail]

I realize this generally isn't done... but can it be done?
I'm just wondering.

It just seems like it would be good for us voters to know *who each candidate was planning on choosing as a running mate before the general.

[demnan]

1. Clinton picked Gore

before the Convention. I think Kerry picked Edwards too. But it was maybe April or May for both as I remember, the conventions weren't until August.

[Phillycat]

6. Before the convention, maybe, but not before they were the presumptive

nominee. This would be REALLY premature.

[John1956PA]

2. In 1976, Reagan announced that, if nominated, he would pick Schweiker.

From the Wikipedia page regarding Richard Schweiker:

In 1976, when the conservative Ronald Reagan challenged President Gerald Ford for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States, he promised to name Schweiker—with a moderate-to-liberal voting record—as his candidate for Vice President to balance the ticket. This was regarded as a somewhat unusual move as Reagan had not yet won the nomination. In response, then-North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms encouraged a movement to draft conservative New York Senator James L. Buckley as the G.O.P. nominee. Ford won the nomination on the first ballot by a razor-thin margin, and the Vice-Presidential nomination went to Bob Dole.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Sure, but they usually don't because...

it rarely helps and just makes another target for the rest of the field to aim at.

[vireo]

10. Case in point

On the eve of the NY primary in 1992, Jerry Brown floated the idea of Jesse Jackson being his running mate.

[NoPasaran]

4. In the good old days, the veep wasn't named until the convention

Of course that was back when there was at least a pretense that the convention was actually a decision-making body instead of a marketing event for the candidate.

[book_worm]

5. Genarally done after the primaries and just before the convention

used to be in the old days a choice made at the convention and then in '72 we had the "Eagleton Affair" and since then both sides have vetted their potential VP's more carefully.

[cynatnite]

7. In '04 Kerry was the annoited Dem Nom before we had our primary in TN n/t

[Laura PourMeADrink]

8. If it is Obama, it would be great to have him pick a foreign policy

wonk early - like Biden or Richardson. Out-McCain them.
I wonder if Clark would jump ship? Probably not, huh.

I would love to see Biden as VP - too bad he can't establish
residency in TX or FL

[Blue_In_AK]

9. I would be very interested to know

who all three of the candidates would surround themselves with, not only running mate but cabinet. A person is known by the company he or she keeps.