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| Campaign | 1988 U.S. presidential election |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Al Gore U.S. Senator fromTennessee (1985–1993) House Representative from Tennessee (1977–1985) |
| Affiliation | Democratic Party |
| Headquarters | Carthage, Tennessee |
The1988 presidential campaign ofAl Gore, U.S. Senator of Tennessee and formerHouse Representative began on April 11, 1987. He campaigned forPresident of the United States as aDemocratic candidate in the1988 presidential election, against Democratic candidatesJoe Biden,Dick Gephardt,Paul Simon,Jesse Jackson, andMichael Dukakis (who eventually won the Democratic nomination).
Age 39 at the time, Gore was described as the first serious young presidential candidate sinceJohn F. Kennedy in1960. He was characterized as a political centrist aligned with many otherSouthern Democrats.[1] Despite eventual defeat, Gore, who came in a third place, was one of the front-runners that year. Gore, at that time, represented theSouthern Democrats and some of theConservative Democrats in 1980s.
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45th Vice President of the United States | ||
On April 11, 1987, Senator Gore of Tennessee announced his candidacy. He stated that he believed he could offer "clearer goals" than the other candidates.[2]
Gore was further described byThe New York Times as:
solidly built, dark and indisputably handsome. He has a powerful sweet tooth but keeps his weight under control by running several miles a day at dawn. His stump speaking is erratic, one night spirited and evocative and the next flat and routine. He is an indifferent platform joke-teller but can be a raconteur and mimic of some skill in the privacy of his chartered campaign plane. National analysts make Senator Gore a long-shot for the Presidential nomination, but many believe he could provide a natural complement for any of the other candidates: a young, attractive, moderate Vice Presidential nominee from the South. He currently denies any interest, but he carefully does not reject the idea out of hand.[3]
At the time of the announcement, Senator Gore was 39 years old, making him the "youngest serious Presidential candidate since John F. Kennedy."[3]
According toCNN, Gore ran his campaign as "a Southern centrist, [who] opposed federal funding for abortion. He favored a moment of silence for prayer in the schools and voted against banning the interstate sale of handguns."[1] He positioned himself as a centrist alternative to fellow leading candidatesJesse Jackson and eventual primary winnerMichael Dukakis. Gore stated that he made numerous speeches concerningglobal warming and thegreenhouse effect on the campaign trail that received minimal media attention.[4]
CNN notes that "in 1988, for the first time, 12 Southern states would hold their primaries on the same day, Super Tuesday." As the only other Southern candidate, Gore chose to criticizeJesse Jackson often. Gore began to criticize Jackson for his Middle East policies.[5] In particular, "Albert Gore Jr. assailed Mr. Jackson's foreign policy views and said he was 'dismayed' by Mr. Jackson's 'embrace ofArafat andCastro'."[6] Jackson responded by stating that, "The issue is not whether the Israelis and Palestinians are moral equivalents. Both of them are human beings and both are trapped in the cycle of death and pain. And they are trapped in the cycle of mutual annihilation. I wanted to offer leadership that will move from mutual annihilation to coexistence to break the cycle of death."[6]
Gore was heavily criticized for his attacks against both Jackson and Dukakis.[7] Jackson also retracted some of his previous statements.[8] It was Gore who first mentioned the Massachusetts furlough program Dukakis had supported as Governor by asking him questions in a debate right before the 1988 New York primary, about "weekend passes for convicted criminals"; this later developed into theWillie Horton pro-George H. W. Bushattack ad.[9] However, unlike commonly believed, Gore did not mention Horton by name.[9]
During the Democratic debate, Gore argued that his foreign policy platform was different from his rivals, but they disagreed. "'I reject Gore’s efforts to try to pin labels,' Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri told reporters after the event."[10]
Jackson defeated Gore in theSouth Carolina Primary, winning "more than half the total vote, three times that of his closest rival here, Senator Albert Gore Jr. of Tennessee."[11] Gore next placed great hope onSuper Tuesday[1] where they split the Southern vote: Jackson winning Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Virginia; Gore winning Arkansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Nevada, Tennessee, and Oklahoma.[12][13]
The Gore campaign came to a close after Dukakis won the New York primary with 51% of the vote, followed by Jackson at 37%, and Gore only received 10%.[12]The New York Times argued that he lost support due to his attacks against Jackson, Dukakis, and others, as well as for his endorsement by Koch.[14]
Gore was eventually able to mend fences with Jesse Jackson, who supported the Clinton–Gore ticket in 1992 and 1996, and who also campaigned for the Gore–Lieberman ticket during the2000 presidential election.[15][16] According to some, Gore's policies had changed in 2000, reflecting his eight years as Vice President.[17]
South:Tennessee,Kentucky,North Carolina,Arkansas,Oklahoma[18]
Outside the South:Nevada,Wyoming[18]
 | 🛈This section maylendundue weight to endorsements viewed negatively by some contemporaries and subsequent figures. Pleasehelp improve it by rewriting it tocreate a more balanced presentation. Discuss andresolve this issue before removing this message.(February 2024) |
47thTexas Governor,RepublicanRick Perry, who at the time was aDemocrat in theTexas State House, campaigned for Gore during the primaries.[20]
Gore was later endorsed by New York MayorEd Koch, who made statements in favor ofIsrael and against Jackson. These statements further cast Gore in a negative light.[1] The endorsement led voters away from Gore who only received 10% of the vote in the New York Primary.[citation needed]
Perry indeed endorsed Gore for president, but he did not hold a campaign leadership post.
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