Phrase Meaning – Understanding ‘Top of the Ticket’

phrase-meaning

Lara Trump on Kamala Harris pick: It's still 'old slow Joe at the top of that ticket'

I know that 'ticket' means a list of candidates for an election. Because the candidate selection of the Democratic was completed, the 'ticket' would have no meaning now.

If so, what does the latter sentence mean? Does 'the top of the ticket' have an extended meaning of 'president' and does Lara think that picking Harris have made him a president already? But in this undertanding, 'stiil' doesn't make sense.

Best Answer

From Wikipedia:

In the United States, political parties nominate one candidate each for President of the United States and for Vice President of the United States. These candidates attempt to win presidential elections by taking a majority of the electoral vote. The two candidates together are known as a ticket.

(List of United States major party presidential tickets)

In this figurative sense, we think of the presidential nominee as being at the top of the ticket. That is Joe Biden.

Also, still roughly means nevertheless here:

still
adverb
4 : in spite of that : nevertheless
// those who take the greatest care still make mistakes
(M-W)

So, Lara Trump's comment can be rephrased as:

It's nevertheless 'old slow Joe at the top of that ticket'

Trump's comment suggests that picking Harris does not make up for Biden's shortcomings. Or, despite choosing Harris, Biden is still a flawed nominee.

Technically, at this time, they still need to be formally nominated at the party convention. That is why you might hear/see "presumptive nominee(s)".

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