Mike ter Maat pushes to make October 30 Vice Presidents Day

Mike ter Maat plans an October 30 appearance in Quincy, Massachusetts, to mark John Adams’s birthday and launch a proposal for a new Vice Presidents Day. The effort is meant to spark debate over how vice presidents are chosen and whether the office should be more independent of presidents.

Why it matters: - Mike ter Maat is tying a proposed new observance to a broader argument that the vice presidency has become too dependent on presidents. - The proposal aims to reopen debate over how vice-presidential nominees are selected and how much independence the office should have inside an administration. - Ter Maat says the issue matters more now because presidential power has expanded over time.

What happened: - Ter Maat, a declared candidate for the 2028 Republican vice-presidential nomination, will be in Quincy, Massachusetts, on Oct. 30 to announce and discuss the idea. - The launch will take place on the birthday of John Adams, America’s first vice president. - Adams was born in Quincy on Oct. 30, 1735. - The proposal would recognize Oct. 30 as Vice Presidents Day.

The details: - Ter Maat says the modern vice president has become a “presidential Mini-Me,” despite the Founders’ intent for the office to be independent. - Ter Maat argues the vice president is the only other elected officer in an administration, has a separate political base, and cannot be fired by the president. - Ter Maat wants both parties to let national convention delegates choose vice-presidential nominees through open, competitive deliberation and national public vetting. - He argues that a vice president selected by national delegates would answer to the party and its principles, not to one politician. - Ter Maat says the usual practice of presidential nominees choosing running mates creates a vice president who feels beholden to the nominee. - He also says balancing the ticket can marginalize the vice president after Election Day. - The holiday known as Presidents Day began as Washington’s Birthday and remains officially named that under federal law. - Ter Maat says Oct. 30 could pair naturally with Halloween as a two-day celebration, and he floated the idea that it could one day become a day off. - Ter Maat’s essay, “Why October 30 Should Become Vice Presidents Day,” is available at the full analysis.

Between the lines: - The proposal is not just about adding another holiday. - Ter Maat is using the idea to argue for a structural change inside the two major parties. - The core political message is that an independently chosen vice president could act as a check within the executive branch. - Ter Maat calls that role a “constitutional sheriff,” meaning a political voice that can question what the Constitution allows and what the party promised. - The pitch also reflects a larger concern about party decision-making happening behind closed doors. - An open selection process, in ter Maat’s view, would make vice-presidential choices more accountable to delegates and voters.

What’s next: - Ter Maat is expected to use the Quincy event to promote the proposal and his broader argument for vice-presidential reform. - His essay offers a longer version of the case for making Oct. 30 Vice Presidents Day. - The effort appears aimed at building a public conversation rather than advancing a formal holiday designation right away.

The bottom line: - The Vice Presidents Day pitch is really a push to rethink how vice presidents are chosen and how independent they should be once in office.