Johnson/Humphrey won on the memory of JFK. No Republican could have beaten them, even Abraham Lincoln. The Humphrey/Wallace ticket was beaten handily by Nixon in 1972.

The Carter/Mondale barely beat a surging Gerald Ford in 1976 and then lost big time in 1980. Mondale, running with Ferraro, was beaten in an historic landslide to Reagan/Bush. The most one-sided win in history both in electoral votes and percentage of popular votes. Minnesotans don't seem to impress the rest of the nation.

BTW, I greatly admired Hubert Humphrey - an honest and loyal man who could always be counted upon to do what he thought was best for the country even if it was not the best thing for his political career. After his performance on the Church committee, I had zero respect for Walter Mondale. He clearly demonstrated that his political career was more important to him than the good of the country.

Tim Pawlenty doesn't have a job now anyway, so nothing for him to give up. On the other hand, if Senator Rob Portman gets the nod, it will be interesting to see if he gives up his senate seat to run for VP.