Audiences for Veep, the TV series broadcast on Sky, have shot up since Kamala Harris became the Democratic candidate for the White House. Like Selina Meyer, the fictional vice president in the show, she is closer than ever to becoming the first woman president. The prospect is tantalising for Harris but the omens are not all good.
It is true that of the 46 presidents in US history so far, 15 served before as a vice president. But nine of them got there because they were only "a heartbeat away" from top office. The 25th Amendment of the US Constitution mandates that the VP takes over automatically as "the leader of the free world" if POTUS dies, is incapacitated, or resigns, as Nixon did.
Nine of the last vice presidents from either party who have sought the nomination have secured it. The exception was George H W Bush's VP, Dan "Potatoe" Quayle. The chances of going on to be elected president are very uncertain when, like Harris now, vice presidents run to succeed their boss while still serving under him.
In 1988, George Bush Sr was the first incumbent VP to win an election since Martin van Buren in 1836. Harry S Truman's vice president Alban Barclay lost his bid, so did Richard Nixon, Hubert Humphrey, and Clinton's VP Al Gore - in the disputed "hanging chads" election of 2000. 'Proud' Barack Obama endorses Kamala Harris to take on Donald Trump in White House race Kamala Harris tells Benjamin Netanyahu she will 'not be silent' over suffering in Gaza while stressing Israel's '.
