Walter Mondale, Carter's vice president, dies at 93

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “In fairness to television, it never really warmed up to me.” Years later, Mondale said his campaign message had proven to be the right one. “One of the things I’m most proud of,” he said in 1987, “is that not once in my public career did I ever lose an election in Minnesota.” Years after the 2002 defeat, Mondale returned to the Senate to stand beside Democrat Al Franken in 2009 when he was sworn in to replace Coleman after a drawn-out recount and court battle. When he dropped out of the 1976 presidential sweepstakes, he said, “I don’t want to spend the next two years in Holiday Inns.” Reminded of that shortly before he was picked as Carter’s running mate, Mondale said, “I’ve checked and found that they’re all redecorated, and they’re marvelous places to stay.” Mondale never backed away from his liberal principles. “You can’t keep running Walter Mondale for everything.” That paved the way for Wellstone to win the Democratic nomination, and go on to upset Boschwitz.