   presidential process - nomination question
  I am too young and too indifferent towards politics to remember anything like this occurring, but is it possible for the current president to NOT be the party''s nominated candidate for the upcoming election?For example, could another Republican have chosen to run against Bush for the Republican nomination?My roommate (who is equally politically indifferent and doesn''t care about these things) and I were discussing this the other day and discovered we didn''t know the answer. 
  Yes, it could indeed have happened. An incumbent does not officially get an automatic renomination. But in practice, I can''t think of a single instance in which an incumbent didn''t get the renomination. (Except for Washington, but that''s a special case.)   "Sneftel is correct, if rather vulgar." --Flarelocke ;  It would be foolish not to support the president.  Even without official party support, he stands the best chance of winning.  Unless he really really screwed up.  And the last thing you want to do is piss off the future president. *edit: This is all from the Republican party's perspective.CM   [edited by - Conner McCloud on February 11, 2004 1:56:07 PM];  Is it possible?  Yes.  But realistic?  No.To not nominate your incumbant would be political suicide.  You''re suppose to show support for your party by not running, but at the same time, throw in a little competition to at least make it look like a fair practice.  Most election years, the incumbant has some no name running against them in primaries with less of a chance of getting the nomination the Nader has of winning the presidency.If an incumbant lost out on the nomination, that would mean the party admitted making a horrible mistake, and that would almost certainly guarantee that they would not win the election. ;  Johnson, became president after Kennedy assassination, and elected not to run even though he had a full term of eligibility remaining. the econ was shot and he wouldnt have won, the idea being that when his party elected not to back him in the general election. yes, its possible, and with precedent.   Dredd________________________________________"To die with your sword still in its sheath is most regrettable" -- Miyomoto Musashi ;  It bears pointing out that Pat Buchanan ran against Bush 41 in the 1992 Republican primaries. It also bears pointing out that there are currently a handful of Republicans running against Bush 43 in the current primaries. However, these candidates are woefully underfunded and thus the news media doesn''t bother to cover them.