Gary Hart 1988 presidential campaign | |
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Candidate | Gary Hart |
Affiliation | Democratic Party |
Announced | 1987 |
Gary Hart, an American Democratic politician representing Colorado in the Senate from 1975 to 1987, ran a campaign for President of the United States in the 1988 presidential election. He had previously ran for president in 1984, losing the Democratic nomination to Walter Mondale. In 1986, Hart declined to seek re-election for the Senate and began his presidential campaign. In May 1987, as he was the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, an extramarital affair of his with Donna Rice was publicized by the Miami Herald, and he dropped out of the campaign after The Washington Post threatened to reveal another affair. He restarted the campaign in December, but dropped out after the New Hampshire primary. The Democratic nomination went to Michael Dukakis, who lost the general election to George H.W. Bush.