Nine Key Moments : 1988 Campaign

Every campaign is shaped by critical decisions that the public does not learn about until weeks, sometimes months, later. Here are some of the defining moments of the 1988 race...

1 Dole is on a roll, but a tough Bush ad called "Senator Straddle" trips him up in New Hampshire

Helicopters buzzed, limousines purred, and George Bush waved. But Iowans didn't care one bit for the imperial vice presidency. By the time he left Iowa for New Hampshire on the day of the caucuses, he knew he had been beaten in a state he had won eight years before. That night, in the Clarion Hotel dining room in Nashua, N.H., Bush had a somber supper with Barbara. Later, chief of staff Craig Fuller told him he had placed third, with Dole...

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