1988_Democratic_Party_presidential_primaries

1988 Democratic Party presidential primaries

1988 Democratic Party presidential primaries

Selection of the Democratic Party nominee


From February 8 to June 14, 1988, voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for president in the 1988 United States presidential election.

Quick Facts 4,105 delegates to the 1988 Democratic National Convention 2,053 (majority) votes needed to win, Candidate ...

Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis was selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 1988 Democratic National Convention held from July 18 to July 21, 1988, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Background

Having been badly defeated in the 1984 presidential election, the Democrats in 1985 and 1986 were eager to find a new approach to win the presidency. They created the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), with the aim of recruiting a candidate for the 1988 election.[citation needed]

The large gains in the 1986 mid-term elections (which resulted in the Democrats taking back control of the Senate after six years of Republican rule) and the continuing Iran–Contra affair gave Democrats confidence in the run-up to the primary season.[citation needed]

Candidates

Nominee

More information Candidate, Most recent office ...

Withdrew during primaries or convention

More information Candidate, Most recent office ...

Candidates who received less than 1%

Withdrew before primaries

More information Candidate, Experience ...

Declined

Polling

Nationwide polling

Before 1987

More information Poll source, Publication ...

1987

More information Poll source, Dates ...

1988

More information Poll source, Publication ...

Head-to-head polling

More information Poll source, Publication ...

Statewide and regional polling

South

More information Poll source, Dates ...

California

More information Poll source, Dates ...

Maryland

More information Poll source, Dates ...

New Hampshire

More information Poll source, Dates ...

Pre-primary events

The Hart-Rice affair

Former U.S. Senator Gary Hart delivers a speech in 1987. Hart was the runner-up for the 1984 Democratic nomination and front-runner for 1988, but his campaign faltered and collapsed after revelations of an extra-marital affair.

The Democratic front-runner for most of 1987 was former Colorado Senator Gary Hart.[13] Hart had made a strong showing in the 1984 primaries and, after Mondale's defeat in the presidential election, had positioned himself as the moderate centrist many Democrats felt their party would need to win.[14]

However, questions and rumors about possible extramarital affairs and about past debts dogged Hart's campaign.[15] One of the great myths is that Senator Hart challenged the media to "put a tail" on him and that reporters then took him up on that challenge. In fact, Hart had told E. J. Dionne of The New York Times that if reporters followed him around, they would "be bored". However, in a separate investigation, the Miami Herald claimed to have received an anonymous tip from a friend of Donna Rice that Rice was involved with Hart. It was only after Hart had been discovered that the Herald reporters found Hart's quote in a pre-print of The New York Times Magazine.[16]

On May 8, 1987, a week after the Donna Rice story broke, Hart dropped out of the race.[15]

In December 1987, Hart surprised many political pundits by resuming his presidential campaign.[17] He again led in the polls for the Democratic nomination, both nationally and in Iowa. However, the allegations of adultery and reports of irregularities in his campaign financing had delivered a fatal blow to his candidacy, and he fared poorly in the early primaries before dropping out again.[18]

The Hart scandal would later be depicted in the 2018 film The Front Runner, with Hugh Jackman portraying Hart.

Biden plagiarism scandals

Senator Joe Biden was another early contender who was forced to withdraw before the primaries when multiple plagiarism scandals derailed his candidacy.

Delaware Senator Joe Biden led a highly competitive campaign which ended in controversy after he was accused of plagiarizing a speech by Neil Kinnock, then-leader of the British Labour Party.[19] Though Biden had correctly credited the original author in all speeches but one, the one of which he failed to make mention of the originator was caught on video and sent to the press by members of the Dukakis campaign. In the video Biden is filmed repeating a stump speech by Kinnock, with only minor modifications. Michael Dukakis later acknowledged that his campaign was responsible for leaking the tape, and two members of his staff resigned.[20]

It was also discovered that Biden had been guilty of plagiarism years before, while a student at the Syracuse University College of Law in the 1960s. Though Biden professed his integrity, the impression lingering in the media as the result of this double punch would lead him to drop out of the race.[20] He formally suspended his campaign on September 28, 1987.

The Delaware Supreme Court's Board on Professional Responsibility would later clear Biden of the law school plagiarism charges.[21]

After campaigns in 2008 and 2020, Biden was elected Vice President in 2008 and President in 2020.

Endorsements

Michael Dukakis

Jesse Jackson

Al Gore

Dick Gephardt

Gary Hart

Paul Simon

Results

In the Iowa caucuses, Gephardt finished first, Simon finished second, and Dukakis finished third. In the New Hampshire primary, Dukakis finished first, Gephardt finished second, and Simon finished third. Dukakis and Gore campaigned hard against Gephardt with negative ads, and eventually the United Auto Workers retracted their endorsement of Gephardt, who was heavily dependent on labor union backing.

In the Super Tuesday races, Dukakis won six primaries, Gore five, Jackson five and Gephardt one, with Gore and Jackson splitting the southern states. The next week, Simon won Illinois. 1988 is tied with 1992 as the race with the most candidates winning primaries since the McGovern reforms of 1971. Gore's effort to paint Dukakis as too liberal for the general election proved unsuccessful and he eventually withdrew. Jackson focused more on getting enough delegates to make sure African-American interests were represented in the platform than on winning outright.[41] Dukakis eventually emerged as the party's nominee.

More information Date (daily totals), Total pledged delegates ...

Convention and general election

The Democratic Party Convention was held in Atlanta, Georgia, July 18–21. The Dukakis nominating speech delivered by Arkansas governor and future president Bill Clinton was widely criticized as too long and tedious.[108]

Texas State Treasurer Ann Richards (who two years later became the state governor) delivered a memorable keynote address in which she uttered the lines "Poor George [Bush], he can't help it, he was born with a silver foot in his mouth." Six years later, Bush's son George W. Bush would deny Richards re-election as Texas Governor.

With most candidates having withdrawn and asking their delegates to vote for Dukakis, the tally for president was as follows:[109]

Jesse Jackson's campaign believed that since they had come in a respectable second, Jackson was entitled to the vice presidential spot. Dukakis refused, and gave the spot to Lloyd Bentsen.

Bentsen was selected in large part to secure the state of Texas and its large electoral vote for the Democrats. During the vice-presidential debate, Republican candidate and Senator Dan Quayle ignored a head-on confrontation with Bentsen (aside from the "Jack Kennedy" comparison) and spent his time attacking Dukakis.

See also

Notes

  1. Poll combines first- and second-choice responses.
  2. 7% for Tom Bradley, 6% each for Bill Bradley and Jay Rockefeller, 5% for Chuck Robb, 4% for Dianne Feinstein, 2% each for Dale Bumpers, Sam Nunn, Pat Schroeder, and Mark White, 1% each for Bruce Babbitt, Joe Biden, and Dick Gephardt, and <1% for Tony Coelho.
  3. 7% each for Bill Bradley and Tom Bradley, 6% for Jay Rockefeller, 3% each for Chuck Robb, Dianne Feinstein, and Mark White. Less than 2% each for Sam Nunn, Pat Schroeder, Dale Bumpers, Bill Clinton, Dick Gephardt, Bruce Babbitt, Joe Biden, and Tony Coelho.
  4. Includes 7% for Mario Cuomo and 3% for Ted Kennedy, neither of whom were included in the suggested responses, 1% each for Bill Bradley, Lee Iacocca, Sam Nunn, John Glenn, Terry Sanford, and Howard Baker (Republican).
  5. This poll intentionally oversampled voters in border and Southern states in advance of Super Tuesday.
  6. Poll of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessse, Texas, and Virginia.
  7. Including 5% for Pat Schroeder.
  8. Including 14% for Sam Nunn.
  9. 12% for "someone else."
  10. The delegate totals add up to 35.
  11. Only 52 of the 63 delegates were awarded via the primary vote according to the article sourced.
  12. The delegate total adds up to 234.
  13. 1 delegate each for favorite sons Rep. James Traficant, Douglas Applegate and since-withdrawn candidate Gary Hart

References

  1. "Kennedy, Citing Senate Goals, Rules Out '88 Presidential Bid". The New York Times. December 20, 1985.
  2. Gallup, George Jr. (4 May 1986). "Cuomo gains as Democratic pick". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 200. Retrieved 19 Sep 2022.
  3. Gallup, George Jr. (7 Aug 1986). "Iacocca gains on Hart as choice of Democrats". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 27. Retrieved 19 Sep 2022.
  4. "Dukakis surging as Hart weakens". 28 Jan 1988. p. 1. Retrieved 6 Aug 2023.
  5. "US President - D Primares (Polling)". OurCampaigns. 31 Aug 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  6. Bartels, Larry M.; Broh, C. Anthony (Winter 1989). "A Review: The 1988 Presidential Primaries". The Public Opinion Quarterly. 53 (4): 563–589. doi:10.1086/269172. JSTOR 2749359 via JSTOR.
  7. Mashek, John W. (4 Oct 1987). "Jackson leads, but undecided reigns in South". Atlanta Journal Constitution. p. 1. Retrieved 19 Sep 2022.
  8. "California poll shows no front-runner". Desert Dispatch. 11 May 1987. p. 11. Retrieved 19 Sep 2022.
  9. Himowitz, Michael J. (27 Oct 1987). "Jackson, Bush leading now among Marylanders". Baltimore Evening Sun. p. 1. Retrieved 19 Sep 2022.
  10. Hoy, Anne Q. (5 Nov 1986). "Babbitt buoyed by New Hampshire presidential polls". Arizona Republic. p. 8. Retrieved 19 Sep 2022.
  11. John Dillin for The Christian Science Monitor. 23 February 1987 Cuomo's `no' opens door for dark horses
  12. E. J. Dionne Jr. (May 3, 1987). "Gary Hart The Elusive Front-Runner". The New York Times, pg. SM28.
  13. Johnston, David; King, Wayne; Nordheimer, Jon (1987-05-09). "Courting Danger: The Fall Of Gary Hart". The New York Times.
  14. "The Gary Hart Story: How It Happened". The Miami Herald. May 10, 1987. Archived from the original on August 24, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  15. Associated Press, in the Los Angeles Times. 13 March 1988 Quits Campaign : 'The People 'Have Decided,' Hart Declares
  16. Jack W. Germond; Jules Witcover (1989). "19: Illinois and Michigan: Jesse Jackson Peaks". Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988. Warner Books. p. 298. ISBN 0-446-51424-1. Appearing at the press conference were Michigan Senator Don Riegle and three other members of the state's congressional delegation, all endorsing him.
  17. William Raspberry (1988-04-29). "JESSE JACKSON'S VICTORY". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
  18. Wagner, John (February 15, 2016). "Bernie Sanders highlights his 1988 support of Jesse Jackson's White House run". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  19. Oreskes, Michael (9 September 1987). "Chicago's Mayor Endorses Jackson". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  20. Jack W. Germond; Jules Witcover (1989). "18: Super Tuesday: A Super Fiasco". Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988. Warner Books. p. 281. ISBN 0-446-51424-1. The black political leaders who had supported Mondale in 1984, such as Mayor Richard Arrington of Birmingham, were now fully in the Jackson camp.
  21. "User Clip: Bill Cosby for Jesse Jackson | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  22. "Paul Wellstone's Legacy". In These Times. 12 October 2012. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  23. "For Jesse Jackson and His Campaign". The Nation. 1988-04-16. ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  24. Jack W. Germond; Jules Witcover (1989). "18: Super Tuesday: A Super Fiasco". Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988. Warner Books. p. 286. ISBN 0-446-51424-1. ...Gore was moving around the South gathering endorsements - particularly from prominent state politicians such as Speaker Tom Murphy of Georgia, Speaker Gib Lewis of Texas, Speaker Jon Mills of Florida
  25. Jack W. Germond; Jules Witcover (1989). "16: Iowa: Dick Gephardt's Hour". Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988. Warner Books. p. 255. ISBN 0-446-51424-1. Congressman Tony Coelho paid a visit and also came back with the view that Gephardt needed a much sharper focus to his message that Iowa voters could identify with
  26. Jack W. Germond; Jules Witcover (1989). "18: Super Tuesday: A Super Fiasco". Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988. Warner Books. p. 282. ISBN 0-446-51424-1. The backing of allies such as Representatives Martin Frost and Marvin Leath in Texas...
  27. Jack W. Germond; Jules Witcover (1989). "18: Super Tuesday: A Super Fiasco". Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988. Warner Books. p. 282. ISBN 0-446-51424-1. The backing of allies such as Representatives Martin Frost and Marvin Leath in Texas, Mike Synar in Oklahoma...
  28. Jack W. Germond; Jules Witcover (1989). "18: Super Tuesday: A Super Fiasco". Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988. Warner Books. p. 282. ISBN 0-446-51424-1. The backing of allies such as Representatives Martin Frost and Marvin Leath in Texas, Mike Synar in Oklahoma and Claude Pepper in Florida was a valued credential.
  29. Jack W. Germond; Jules Witcover (1989). "19: Illinois and Michigan: Jesse Jackson Peaks". Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988. Warner Books. p. 299. ISBN 0-446-51424-1. Congressman Sander Levin of Michigan, a Gephardt supporter...
  30. Jack W. Germond; Jules Witcover (1989). "13: Too Much Damage to Control". Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988. Warner Books. p. 195. ISBN 0-446-51424-1. There were other phone calls, too, including repeated ones from actor Warren Beatty, a longtime supporter and friend going back to the McGovern campaign of 1971-72
  31. Jack W. Germond; Jules Witcover (1989). "16: Iowa: Dick Gephardt's hour". Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988. Warner Books. p. 263. ISBN 0-446-51424-1. Simon got a lift from the endorsement of the Des Moines Register, influential with the sort of political activists who attended the caucuses.
  32. Williams, Juan (1988-07-17). "Waiting for The Jackson Reaction; Will Jesse End His Crusade With a Bang or a Whimper?". The Washington Post. p. C1.
  33. "Clipped from Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. 11 March 1992. p. 14.
  34. "Election calendar at a glance". The Times Leader. 14 February 1992. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019 via Newspapers.com.
  35. Robert S. Boyd; Susan Bennett (February 9, 1988). "Dole, Gephardt take Iowa". Google News Search Archive. Spartanburg, SC: Spartanburg Herald-Journal. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  36. Robert S. Boyd; Susan Bennett (February 17, 1988). "Bush, Dukakis score big wins". Google News Search Archive. Spartanburg, SC: Spartanburg Herald-Journal. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  37. New Hampshire. Dept. of State (1989). Manual for the General Court. University of New Hampshire Library. Concord, N.H. : Dept. of State. pp. 132, 153.
  38. Robert S. Boyd; Susan Bennett (February 24, 1988). "Dole scores impressive victories". Google News Search Archive. Spartanburg, SC: Spartanburg Herald-Journal. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  39. "Vermont Elections Database (Search Elections)". Vermont Secretary of State. Archived from the original (search results: 1976-2016) on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  40. "Arkansas Primary Results" (PDF). U.S. Election Atlas (AtlasWiki). Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  41. "Florida Department of State (Election Results)" (search results: 1988 Presidential preference primary (Democratic party)). Florida Secretary of State. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  42. "Supplement to the Georgia Official and Statistical Register 1985-1988". Georgia Official and Statistical Register. p. 3. Archived from the original (search results: 1988 Presidential preference primary (Democratic party)) on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  43. "Incomplete Statewide Data for Caucuses" (Excel worksheet). U.S. Election Atlas (AtlasWiki). Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  44. "Idaho Caucus County Results" (Excel worksheet). U.S. Election Atlas (AtlasWiki). Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  45. "Kentucky County Results" (Excel worksheet). U.S. Election Atlas (AtlasWiki). Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  46. "Louisiana County Results" (Excel worksheet). U.S. Election Atlas (AtlasWiki). Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  47. "1988 Presidential Election". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  48. "Massachusetts County, Congressional District and Town Results" (Excel worksheet). U.S. Election Atlas (AtlasWiki). Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  49. "Mississippi County Results" (Excel worksheet). U.S. Election Atlas (AtlasWiki). Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  50. "Missouri County Results" (Excel worksheet). U.S. Election Atlas (AtlasWiki). Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  51. "Tennessee primary results (1972, 1988, 1992)" (PDF). U.S. Election Atlas (AtlasWiki). p. 5. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  52. "After Super Tuesday: Caucus Tallies". The New York Times. 10 March 1988. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  53. Rothberg, Donald M. (March 16, 1988). "Simon win clouds Democratic race". Google News Search Archive. Lawrence Journal-World. p. 1A. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  54. "Bush Wins Puerto Rico Primary and 14 Delegates". New York Times. March 21, 1988. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  55. "Jackson wins in Michigan". Google News Search Archive. Lawrence Journal-World. March 27, 1988. pp. 1A, 13A. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  56. "Dukakis says victory boosts his campaign". Google News Search Archive. The Nashua Telegraph. March 30, 1988. pp. 1, 16. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  57. "With big win, Dukakis drive back in gear". Google News Search Archive. Ellensburg Daily Record. March 30, 1988. p. 8. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  58. "Dukakis resumes his front-runner status". Google News Search Archive. Ellensburg Daily Record. April 5, 1988. p. 5. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  59. Espo, David (April 6, 1988). "Dukakis slows Jackson, Bush wins easily". Google News Search Archive. Gettysburg Times. pp. 1A, 2A. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  60. "Democrats stump as New York primary nears". Google News Search Archive. Lakeland Ledger. April 17, 1988. p. 5A. Retrieved 23 September 2023. Arizona Democrats, whose favorite son, former Gov. Bruce Babbitt, was an early casualty in the Democratic race, held caucuses on Saturday to allocate 36 delegates.
  61. "White Catholics Hold Key in New York". Google News Search Archive. Eugene Register-Guard. April 19, 1988. p. 3A. Retrieved 23 September 2023. The delegates selected Monday will attend the state convention May 23, where Delaware's 15 national convention delegates will be chosen.
  62. "Dukakis' victory resounding". Google News Search Archive. Newburgh Evening News. April 20, 1988. pp. 1A, 4A. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  63. "Dukakis aims to extend streak; Bush seeks clincher with Pa. win". Google News Search Archive. The Free-Lance Star. April 26, 1988. p. 6. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  64. "Dukakis wins Indiana, Bayh Overwhelms Rival". Google News Search Archive. Toledo Blade. May 4, 1988. p. 4A. Retrieved 23 September 2023. The state will send 79 delegates to the Democratic convention and 51 to the Republican meeting.
  65. Hallett, Joe (May 4, 1988). "Dukakis Landslide Buries Jackson in Ohio, Indiana; MARTA Levy Wins Easily". Google News Search Archive. Toledo Blade. pp. 1A, 4A. Retrieved 23 September 2023. Mr. Ravolo projected that Mr. Dukakis won 115 of the 159 Ohio delegates up for grabs, with Mr. Jackson garnering 41.
  66. "Dukakis wins Indiana, Bayh Overwhelms Rival". Google News Search Archive. Toledo Blade. May 4, 1988. p. 4A. Retrieved 23 September 2023. Mr. Jackson, who hadn't won a primary since March 20 in Puerto Rico, gained 13 delegates in the district, and Mr. Dukakis, 3.
  67. "Dukakis "working hard to wrap it up" after wins in W. Va., Neb". Google News Search Archive. The Free-Lance Star. May 11, 1988. p. 6. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  68. "Dukakis gains over Jackson, polls show Bush losing steam". Google News Search Archive. The Free-Lance Star. May 11, 1988. p. 19. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  69. "Dukakis "working hard to wrap it up" after wins in W. Va., Neb". Google News Search Archive. The Free-Lance Star. May 18, 1988. p. 6. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  70. "Bush, Dukakis Say the Race is On". Google News Search Archive. Toledo Blade. June 8, 1988. pp. 1A, 5A. Retrieved 23 September 2023. Mr. Dukakis had gained 15 delegates; Mr. Jackson gained 4.
  71. "Our Campaigns - US President - D Primaries Race - Feb 01, 1988". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  72. Brummert, John (1988-07-22). "I just fell on my sword". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
  73. "Our Campaigns - US President - D Convention Race - Jul 18, 1988". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 5 April 2018.

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article 1988_Democratic_Party_presidential_primaries, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.