<P> The vice president's salary is $230,700 . The salary was set by the 1989 Government Salary Reform Act, which also provides an automatic cost of living adjustment for federal employees . The vice president does not automatically receive a pension based on that office, but instead receives the same pension as other members of Congress based on his position as President of the Senate . The vice president must serve a minimum of two years to qualify for a pension . </P> <P> In recent decades, the vice presidency has frequently been used as a platform to launch bids for the presidency . The transition of the office to its modern stature occurred primarily as a result of Franklin Roosevelt's 1940 nomination, when he captured the ability to nominate his running mate instead of leaving the nomination to the convention . Prior to that, party bosses often used the vice presidential nomination as a consolation prize for the party's minority faction . A further factor potentially contributing to the rise in prestige of the office was the adoption of presidential preference primaries in the early 20th century . By adopting primary voting, the field of candidates for vice president was expanded by both the increased quantity and quality of presidential candidates successful in some primaries, yet who ultimately failed to capture the presidential nomination at the convention . </P> <P> Of the thirteen presidential elections from 1956 to 2004, nine featured the incumbent president; the other four (1960, 1968, 1988, 2000) all featured the incumbent vice president . Former vice presidents also ran in 1984 (Walter Mondale) and in 1968 (Richard Nixon, against the incumbent vice president, Hubert Humphrey). The presidential election of 2008 was the first presidential election since 1928 that saw neither an incumbent president nor an incumbent or former vice president take part in any primary or general election for the presidency on a major party ticket . Nixon is the only vice president to have been elected president while not an incumbent, as well as the only person elected twice to both the presidency and vice presidency . </P> <P> Prior to ratification of the Twenty - fifth Amendment in 1967, no constitutional provision existed for filling an intra-term vacancy in the vice presidency . As a result, when one occurred, the office was left vacant until filled through the next ensuing election and inauguration . Between 1812 and 1967, the vice presidency was vacant on sixteen occasions--as a result of seven deaths, one resignation, and eight cases in which the vice president succeeded to the presidency . </P>

Can a current vice president run for president