Harris-Trump race is first since 1976 without a Bush, Clinton or Biden
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Vice President Kamala Harris' move to the top of the Democratic ticket and her choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for VP have brought fresh names onto the presidential ballot.
Why it matters: For nearly 50 years, the ballot had included at least one member of three American political families: Bush, Clinton or Biden.
- Five presidential or vice presidential candidates from 1980 to 2020 came from those three families.
- Three entire generations — Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z — have only voted in presidential elections with a Bush, Clinton or Biden on the ticket.
State of play: Harris announced Walz as her running mate in early August. She became the Democratic nominee after President Biden withdrew his candidacy in July.
- Former President Trump selected Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate.
Catch up quick: George H.W. Bush kicked it off in 1980 as Ronald Reagan's VP pick. Bush was elected president in 1988, then lost to Bill Clinton in 1992.
- The Bushes later became one of two father-son presidential duos when George W. Bush was elected in 2000. The other pair is John Adams and John Quincy Adams, elected in 1796 and 1824 respectively.
- Biden paired Barack Obama on the ballot in 2008 and 2012, before Hillary Clinton ran in 2016. She is the only candidate in the group who never won a bid for the White House.
- After that, Biden won the Democratic nomination in 2020 and coasted to victory in the 2024 primaries, before stepping aside. He is the only candidate in the group who hasn't had a relative run for president.
Go deeper: Biden's exit makes Trump the oldest nominee in U.S. history
