As far as magnanimous and selfless political gestures are concerned, the decision to have a mixed presidential ticket would rank very highly. A mixed presidential ticket could conceivably reduce the amount of partisan gridlock in Congress and even help both political parties find some common ground on major issues. The reality, however, is that a mixed presidential will most likely remain a pipe dream for decades to come, and may not be the Utopian solution it appears to be on paper.

Constitutionally speaking, there is nothing which would prevent a presidential candidate from one party from selecting a vice-presidential running mate from the opposite party. A vice-presidential candidate must meet the age, residency and nationality requirements of a president, and cannot legally reside in the same state as the president. There is nothing which would exclude a Republican presidential candidate from choosing a Democratic running mate or vice-versa.

The political reality, however, is that both the Democratic and Republican parties prefer to run straight party tickets for the sake of unity and succession. A party's presidential candidate often seeks out a running mate who "balances out" the demographics of the country. This balancing act may include a conservative/liberal aspect, but to date it has not included a Democrat/Republican element. Each political party seeks control and influence over the Congress and the eventual nomination process for a new Supreme Court justice. A mixed presidential ticket may not send out a defined message of partisan control, since each party would have a very influential leader at the head of the executive branch.

Another reason a mixed presidential ticket might prove problematic is the line of succession. If a Democratic president should die in office, a number of party loyalists may feel disenfranchised if a Republican is allowed to assume the office without election. As moderate as a running mate of the opposite party may be, he or she would still be seen by many as a registered member of that party. Certain social programs or economic incentive packages endorsed by a former president may not survive under the leadership of the new one.

In theory, a mixed presidential ticket might survive voter scrutiny if both candidates were seen as moderates in their respective parties. There has been talk in previous elections of a moderate Republican being approached by a moderate to liberal Democratic presidential nominee, but to date nothing has proceeded past the talking stage. While a mixed presidential ticket might be seen by the voting public as a sincere effort to bridge the gap between political parties, it might also be seen by party loyalists on both sides as a failure to produce a satisfactory same-party ticket or as little more than a noble but risky political experiment.