Hanks belongs at the top of the ticket because top-of-ticket likability and trust are crucial. Surveys show Hanks with extremely high name recognition and favorability, far higher than Manning’s. If one of them is going to carry the ballot line, the obvious choice is Hanks, who has been rated one of the most admired and trusted figures in the country for decades. Manning is well liked, but not on the same level.

The Democratic Party is the best fit for them. Hanks has long been publicly identified with Democrats. He narrated an Obama campaign film and has supported Democratic committees. He would not survive a Republican primary, given his history and political leanings. Manning has leaned Republican in the past, attending GOP events and donating to Jeb Bush, but he is not defined as a partisan figure. As a vice-presidential candidate on a Democratic ticket, Manning could credibly play the role of bipartisan ambassador, broadening the ticket’s appeal without being asked to carry the party’s ideological weight.

Manning’s placement as vice president is strategic. Vice-presidential candidates rarely deliver their home states, but they are expected to help with fundraising, media attention, and coalition building. Manning is a universally known sports figure with a clean reputation, good media presence, and philanthropic profile. His role would be to energize coverage and help draw in voters who might otherwise be disengaged. He would not be expected to change state outcomes directly, but his presence could soften partisan divides and make the ticket more approachable.

The alternatives are weaker. If they ran as Republicans, Manning would have to be at the top of the ticket with Hanks as vice president, but Hanks’s Democratic identity would create serious backlash in a Republican primary. An independent or unity ticket would also be almost impossible to mount. Independent candidates in modern times, such as Ross Perot, have won millions of votes but no electoral votes. Ballot access requirements across fifty states create almost insurmountable hurdles, as the failed No Labels effort recently demonstrated.

There are no constitutional barriers to their candidacy. Both Hanks and Manning are over 35 years old and natural-born citizens of the United States. Hanks’s additional Greek citizenship does not disqualify him, because dual nationality is permitted under U.S. law. The Twelfth Amendment requires that electors in a state cannot vote for both a president and a vice president from that same state, but this is not a problem here. Hanks resides in California and Manning in Colorado, so electors from either state would not be restricted.

Hanks’s role would be to provide broad appeal, trust, and a sense of steadiness at the top of the ticket, while surrounding himself with experienced policy professionals to counter arguments that he is “just a celebrity.” Manning would serve as a media-savvy, culturally popular running mate who signals bipartisanship and reinforces the ticket’s brand without needing to carry policy weight.

If, for some reason, they insisted on running as Republicans, Manning would need to be the presidential candidate and Hanks the vice-presidential pick. However, this ticket would likely fail in a Republican primary because of Hanks’s strong Democratic associations.

The strongest possible arrangement is Tom Hanks for President and Peyton Manning for Vice President on the Democratic ticket. This pairing maximizes Hanks’s unmatched popularity, places Manning in the role where his appeal and personality are most useful, and avoids the fatal disadvantages of running as Republicans or independents. It gives them their greatest, though still long-shot, chance of success.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5782362&forum_id=2Ã#49319852)