With all the talk about the veepstakes for both Republicans and Democrats, where governors are among those jockeying for the No. 2 spot on the ticket, it’s interesting to note the historical context for the selection of a governor as a vice presidential candidate.

According to Stateline.org, Spiro Agnew, Richard Nixon’s vice president, was the last governor to be tapped during an election cycle to serve as a vice president.

Both Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Barack Obama and his GOP counterpart, U.S. Sen. John McCain, are reportedly considering governors and ex-governors to round out their tickets, Stateline notes.

Stateline’s story goes on to say:
 

If a governor or former governor is tapped for the vice-presidential nomination for either the Democratic or Republican ticket this year, it’ll be the first time since Spiro Agnew ran with Richard Nixon in 1972 that someone with governor’s credentials appeared in the No. 2 slot.

Eleven former governors have served as vice president. Agnew was the last to run as a vice presidential candidate, but the most recent former governor to serve in the post was Nelson Rockefeller of New York, who became vice president to Gerald Ford following the resignations of Agnew and Nixon.