United States Presidential Election, 2008 (Dewey Defeats Truman)

The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. Mike Gravel, the Democratic nominee, won a huge upset victory against Vice President Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee, and independent Tom Tancredo.

At all levels, Gravel's nomination and win were unprecedented and unexpected. Having only served one term in the Senate from Alaska in the 1970s, his insurgent campaign was not taken seriously until he began racking up delegates. Many argue that he still wouldn't have won election had the right-wing vote not been split between Romney and Tancredo (the most successful third party candidacy in a generation), and is likely the least qualified nominee to ever win the presidency.