2011 Irish presidential election party was unlikely to run a candidate both for financial reasons and also because it was unlikely that a Fianna Fáil nominee could be successful. In early August 2011 there was press speculation that RTÉ broadcaster Gay Byrne might seek a nomination. On 6 August Micheál Martin rang Byrne at his holiday home to indicate that Fianna Fáil Oireachtas members would facilitate his nomination. Byrne indicated that he had yet to make a decision on whether to put his name forward, but said that if he did so he would not run under the Fianna Fáil banner but as an
2012 Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection from Wisconsin to appear on a major party's national ticket, although third party presidential candidate Robert La Follette won 16% of the popular vote in the 1924 presidential election. The Romney-Ryan ticket ultimately lost in the general election to the Obama-Biden ticket, but the defeat did not harm Ryan's career; in 2015, Ryan was elected as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Romney asked Beth Meyers, an aide, to head up the search team for selecting a vice presidential candidate. It was speculated that Romney might announce his running mate in July to create early enthusiasm and boost