Question: Who was nominated over Nelson Rockefeller for the Republican Vice Presidential nominee and served as the Republican Leader of the United States Senate from 1985 until 1996?

Context paragraphs:
Electoral history of Sarah Palin: Electoral history of Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska (2006-2009) and Republican vice presidential nominee in the 2008 United States presidential election.

United States vice presidential selection, 1973: In 1973, Republican Vice President Spiro Agnew was forced to resign following a controversy over his personal taxes.  Under the terms of the 25th Amendment, a vice presidential vacancy is filled when the president nominates a candidate who is confirmed by both houses of Congress.  Republican President Richard Nixon thus had the task of selecting a vice president who could receive the majority support of both houses of Congress.  Nixon considered selecting former Texas Governor John Connally, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and California Governor Ronald Reagan.  However, Nixon settled on House Minority Leader Gerald Ford of Michigan, who was popular among the members of Congress and who was good friends with Nixon.  Ford won the approval of both houses by huge margins, and was sworn in as the 40th Vice President of the United States on December 6, 1973.  In 1974, Ford ascended to the presidency after the Watergate scandal led to the resignation of President Nixon.

United States presidential election, 1996: The United States presidential election of 1996 was the 53rd quadrennial presidential election.  It was held on Tuesday, November 5, 1996.  The Democratic national ticket was led by incumbent President Bill Clinton, and his running mate, incumbent Vice President Al Gore.  The Republican nominee for President was Bob Dole, the former Republican Leader of the United States Senate and long-time Senator from Kansas who was previously the vice-presidential running mate of President Gerald Ford in 1976, following Vice President Nelson Rockefeller's retirement from politics that year.  Dole's running mate for Vice President was Jack Kemp, a former NFL football player and the Housing Secretary under George H. W. Bush.  Businessman Ross Perot ran as candidate for the Reform Party with economist Pat Choate as his running mate; he received less media attention and was excluded from the presidential debates and, while still obtaining substantial results for a third-party candidate, by U.S. standards, did not renew his success of the 1992 election.  Turnout was registered at 49.0%, the lowest for a presidential election since 1924.

Electoral history of Bob Dole: Electoral history of Bob Dole, United States Senator from Kansas (1969–1996), Senate Majority Leader (1985–1987, 1995–1996), Senate Minority Leader (1987–1995), 1976 Republican Party Vice Presidential nominee and 1996 Presidential nominee.

Drill, baby, drill: "Drill, baby, drill!"  was a 2008 Republican campaign slogan first used at the 2008 Republican National Convention by former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele, who was later elected Chairman of the Republican National Committee.  The slogan expressed support for increased drilling for petroleum and gas as sources of additional energy and gained further prominence after it was used by Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin during the vice-presidential debate.

1976 Republican National Convention: The 1976 Republican National Convention was a United States political convention of the Republican Party that met from August 16 to August 19, 1976, to select the party's nominee for President.  Held in Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, the convention nominated President Gerald Ford for a full term, but only after narrowly defeating a strong challenge from former California Governor Ronald Reagan.  The convention also nominated Senator Robert J. Dole of Kansas for Vice President, instead of Vice President Nelson Rockefeller.  The keynote address was delivered by Tennessee Senator Howard Baker.  Other notable speakers included Minnesota Representative Al Quie, retired Lieutenant Colonel and former Vietnam prisoner of war Raymond Schrump, former Texas Governor John Connally, Providence, Rhode Island mayor Vincent Cianci and Michigan Senator Robert P. Griffin.  It is the last national convention by either of the two major parties to feature a seriously contested nomination between candidates.

United States vice presidential selection, 1974: In 1974, Republican President Richard Nixon was forced to resign following the Watergate Scandal.  Vice President Gerald Ford ascended to the presidency, leaving the office of vice president vacant.  Under the terms of the 25th Amendment, a vice presidential vacancy is filled when the president nominates a candidate who is confirmed by both houses of Congress.  On August 20, 1974, Ford announced his nomination of former New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller to fill the vacancy.  Ford also considered picking Tennessee Senator Howard Baker and former Republican National Committee Chairman George H.W. Bush.  Rockefeller was generally considered to be a liberal Republican, and Ford decided that picking Rockefeller would help his candidacy gain support in the 1976 presidential election.  The confirmation hearings for Rockefeller lasted for months, but Rockefeller was sworn in as the 41st Vice President of the United States on December 19, 1974.  Due to the pressure on Ford by the party conservatives, Rockefeller was ultimately passed over for the 1976 ticket, and Ford instead chose Bob Dole as his running mate.  Ford, however, regreted this move later.

United States vice-presidential debate, 1976: This debate featured U.S. Senator Walter Mondale from Minnesota, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, and U.S. Senator Bob Dole from Kansas, the Republican vice presidential nominee.

Charles W. Fairbanks: Charles Warren Fairbanks (May 11, 1852 – June 4, 1918) was an American politician who served as the 26th Vice President of the United States from 1905 to 1909 and a Senator from Indiana from 1897 to 1905.  He was also the Republican vice presidential nominee in the 1916 presidential election.

Bob Dole: Robert Joseph Dole (born July 22, 1923) is an American lawyer and politician who represented Kansas in Congress from 1961 to 1996 and served as the Republican Leader of the United States Senate from 1985 until 1996.  He was the Republican presidential nominee in the 1996 presidential election and the party's vice presidential nominee in the 1976 presidential election.

Supporting paragraphs: 1976 Republican National Convention Bob Dole
Answer: Robert Joseph Dole