Gov George Bush and his new running mate, Mr Richard Cheney, have opened their joint campaign for the White House with a visit to the latter's home state of Wyoming.
They addressed cheering supporters at a rally outside the high school in Casper, where Mr Cheney met his wife, Lynne. Mr Cheney served six terms, representing Wyoming in the US House of Representatives until he was chosen by Mr Bush's father as secretary of defence.
The surprise choice of the wealthy oil executive over other more fancied candidates to be the number two on the presidential ticket has been welcomed by Republicans, while Democrats are relieved that Mr Bush did not select a more high-profile figure such as Gen Colin Powell or Sen John McCain.
Mr James Carville, a political adviser to the Democratic Party, said that "on our side, there was maybe 70 per cent relief and 30 per cent glee".
Observers say that there is now less pressure on Vice-President Al Gore as he continues his search for a running mate on the Democratic ticket. While Mr Cheney, who served in the White House under President Ford in the 1970s, is seen as a man from the past, Mr Gore will be encouraged to pick a vice-presidential candidate who is seen as younger and identified with a younger generation.
For this reason, some believe that this reduces the chances of Mr George Mitchell - the former senator who chaired the Northern Ireland peace talks, - of being Mr Gore's running mate. Others said to be on the short list include Sen Bob Graham of Florida - a state which could be vital in the election - Sen John Kerry of Massachusetts and Sen Tom Harkin of Iowa.
Mr Gore has charged Mr Warren Christopher, former secretary of state, with the task of vetting potential running mates. Mr Gore will make his choice known in the run-up to the Democratic convention, which begins in Los Angeles on August 14th.
Democrats have been examining Mr Cheney's voting record during his 10 years in Congress to show how conservative he is on sensitive issues such as abortion, the environment and gun control. Critics claim that he was even to the right of Mr Newt Gingrich, pointing out that Mr Cheney voted against a resolution in 1986 calling for the release of Mr Nelson Mandela from prison in South Africa.
On education, Mr Cheney voted to abolish the Department of Education and against the Head Start programme for the pre-schooling of disadvantaged children. On the environment he voted against extending the Clean Water Act in 1987 and supported postponing sanctions against cities that did not comply with the Clean Air Act.
But Sen McCain defended Mr Cheney, saying he was not an extremist. "Dick Cheney represented his constituents from a very conservative state," Mr McCain told a meeting of moderate Republicans. "But Dick Cheney was not a person who was offensive in his conservative principles."