Believe it or not, until 2020 there had never been a Democratic presidential or vice-presidential candidate from west of the Great Plains. (By "from" I refer to place of recent residence when nominated and political base, not to birthplace. I am well aware that Barack Obama was born in Hawaii and Adlai Stevenson II in Los Angeles. But for political purposes, they were both from Illinois.) The farthest west the Democrats have gone for presidential or vice-presidential candidates (before 2020) are NE and TX and SD--William Jennings Bryan, Charles Bryan, John Nance Garner, LBJ, George McGovern, Lloyd Bentsen. Nobody from the Rockies or west of the Rockies. Contrast that with the Republicans; Herbert Hoover and Earl Warren and Richard Nixon [1] and Ronald Reagan from CA ; Barry Goldwater and John McCain from AZ; Charles McNary from OR; Sarah Palin from AK. One might add Dick Cheney from WY, even though he was living in TX in 2000; he legally changed his residence back to WY and at the very least was a WY resident when renominated in 2004.
Some of the western Democrats who could have been nominated are obvious: William Gibbs McAdoo (a Californian after 1922);, Frank Church of ID; Gary Hart of CO; Jerry Brown (or maybe his father Pat Brown as running mate for a Protestant presidential nominee in 1960) and Tom Bradley and Allen Cranston of CA; Morris Udall of AZ; Scoop Jackson of WA; Bill Richardson of NM. But see if you can think of some less hackneyed choices, and remember--no current political figures. (They don't even all have to be post-1900--as I noted in another post, Justice Stephen Field was considered in 1880.)
[1] At least in 1952 he was clearly a Californian.
Some of the western Democrats who could have been nominated are obvious: William Gibbs McAdoo (a Californian after 1922);, Frank Church of ID; Gary Hart of CO; Jerry Brown (or maybe his father Pat Brown as running mate for a Protestant presidential nominee in 1960) and Tom Bradley and Allen Cranston of CA; Morris Udall of AZ; Scoop Jackson of WA; Bill Richardson of NM. But see if you can think of some less hackneyed choices, and remember--no current political figures. (They don't even all have to be post-1900--as I noted in another post, Justice Stephen Field was considered in 1880.)
[1] At least in 1952 he was clearly a Californian.
. Although you should consider talking about some active politicians (being careful, of course) not only because you already mentioned pretty much all of the 20th century options, but also because those states have little history as strong Democratic states, not even at the state level (for instance, none of them were carried by a Democrat between 1964 and 1992, except Washington by Humphrey in 1968).
