After months of deliberation, the Governor of Texas, Mr George W Bush, yesterday announced his running mate for the presidential election, but his choice of the former US secretary of defence, Mr Richard Cheney, had already leaked out the night before.
Mr Bush will be hoping to get a "bounce" in the opinion polls from his choice in the run-up to the Republican party convention in Philadelphia next week. The latest polls show Mr Bush and Mr Gore in a virtual dead heat three months before the election.
Mr Cheney, who has a reputation as a solid conservative in financial and social matters, is not seen as the kind of "electrifying choice" which Mr Bush had promised for a running mate. But he is seen as giving strength to the Republican ticket and reassuring voters who are concerned about Mr Bush's lack of experience in foreign policy and in national politics.
Mr Bush made the announcement at a party rally in a large hall in Austin, Texas, flanked by Mr Cheney and their two wives in front of a large banner proclaiming the campaign slogan: "Renewing America's Purpose".
Mr Bush first called for a silent prayer for the victims of the Concorde disaster in Paris. Then, to loud cheers from the large crowd, he said: "On a happier note, I believe you are looking at the next vice-president of the United States."
Mr Cheney said he accepted his new role with enthusiasm and praised Mr Bush's "vision", saying he would be a great president.
Mr Bush formally invited Mr Cheney to be his running mate in a pre-dawn phone call at 6.22 local time. Later in the morning Mr Cheney and his wife, Lynne, left Dallas to go to the Governor's Mansion in Austin.
Asked how it felt to be selected, Mr Cheney replied: "Pretty good." His wife told reporters "We're going to have a nice day."
When Mr Cheney accepted, Mr Bush then telephoned other Republican politicians who had been on his list for possible running mate. It was Mr Cheney who had been asked by Mr Bush to vet the candidates but by the end of last week the first signs emerged that he was likely to be Mr Bush's choice.
Although Mr Cheney, who is 59, served as secretary of defence during the 1991 Gulf War, he is not widely known to the American public. He has also suffered three heart attacks and has had quadruple heart bypass surgery.
He served six terms as a member of Congress from Wyoming and was also chief-of-staff to President Gerald Ford when he succeeded President Nixon following his resignation in 1974.
Since leaving politics Mr Cheney has headed Halliburton, one of the largest service companies for the oil industry.
Vice-President Al Gore said yesterday that he had narrowed his search for a running mate to a short list and he would keep the final stage of selection "very private and dignified".
Mr Gore will make known his choice some time before the Democratic convention which begins in Los Angeles on August 14th.