Only One: The Trailblazing Legacy of Female Vice Presidents Across Four Decades

Standing at the helm of one of America’s most powerful offices, the office of the Vice President has long symbolized both political authority and enduring institutional barriers. Despite groundbreaking advances in gender inclusion across public service, female candidates for the vice presidency have remained exceptionally rare—remaining just one in history. This singular milestone reflects decades of shifting societal expectations and incremental progress within the U.S.

political landscape. Since the inception of the vice presidency in 1789, no woman has held the office, even as vice-presidential campaigns—and even vice-presidential nominees—have become increasingly prominent within party primaries and general elections. The absence is striking: out of 58 vice-presidential running mates since 1789, zero have been female.

As political analyst Jack Wilson notes, “The path to vice presidency has historically been shaped by rigid norms; only when gender barriers begin to crack did a woman finally break the glass ceiling at this critical level.”

The Unbroken Record: A History of Exclusivity

The timeline of vice-presidential nominations reveals a persistent exclusion of women. From Thomas Jefferson’s 1801 running mate Aaron Burr—though not woman, a symbol of early male dominance—through to modern multi-candidate systems, no female has been selected by a major U.S. political party as their VP nominee.

In 1976, Judith Waitz became the first woman to run on a major party ticket, as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, though this historic entry was not a victory. The same pattern repeats: six female candidates participated in national campaigns between 1968 and 2020, but none ascended to the role. Why this outlier existence persists?

Political scientists identify entrenched structural challenges: historic underrepresentation in party nomination processes, media narratives favoring male candidates, and systemic gender