United States presidential election, 1988 (Biden vs. Bush)

Having been badly defeated in the 1984 presidential election, the Democrats were eager to find a new approach to win the presidency. They felt more optimistic this time due to the continuing Iran Contra scandal plus the large gains in the 1986 mid-term election which resulted in the Democrats taking back control of the Senate after six years of Republican rule.

In early 1987, Senator Gary Hart was the clear frontrunner in the field, Hart had put in a strong showing in the 1984 presidential election, and had refined his campaign in the intervening years.

However, questions about extramarital affairs dogged the charismatic candidate. One of the great myths is that Senator Hart challenged the media to 'put a tail' on him. In actuality, the Miami Herald had received an anonymous tip from a friend of Donna Rice's that Rice was involved with Hart. It was only after Hart had been discovered that the Herald reporters found Hart's quote in a copy of The New York Times Magazine. On May 8, 1987, a week after the Donna Rice story broke, Hart dropped out of the race. In December 1987, Hart returned to the race. However, the damage had been done.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts had been considered a potential candidate, but he ruled himself out of the 1988 campaign in the fall of 1985. Two other politicians mentioned as possible candidates, both from Arkansas, didn't join the race: Senator Dale Bumpers and Governor Bill Clinton.

Candidates
Senator Joe Biden of Delaware

Senator Al Gore of Tennessee

Representative Dick Gephardt of Missouri

Senator Paul Simon of Illinois

Former Senator Gary Hart of Colorado

Governor Bruce Babbitt of Arizona

Reverend Jesse Jackson of Illinois

Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts