The United States has had many bizarre moments throughout its history of Presidential Elections. From unconventional candidates to strange events, every election year contains moments that will be remembered for years to come. This list looks at some of the most memorable and bizarre moments in US presidential elections.
Weird Candidates
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Harold Stassen -This eccentric Minnesotan, who wrote the bestselling book How to Win, ran for president nine times from the 1940s to the 1980s. He once gave a college student a job cleaning his basement, only to discover during a debate that she was actually a Kennedy.
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Lyndon LaRouche – This eccentric political figure ran for president five different times and was known for outlandish conspiracy theories and fringe views on economics, science, and psychology.
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William F. Buckley Jr. – The famous conservative commentator and master of language actually ran for president in 1965, but his real objective was to further the candidacy of California governor Ronald Reagan.
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Stephen Colbert – The popular late-night comedian hilariously ran for president in 2007 as part of an elaborate campaign stunt. He even went so far as to file for the Republican nomination in South Carolina.
Unusual Events
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Dukakis’ Famous Ride – Michael Dukakis, the Democratic party candidate for 1988, was photographed riding in a tank wearing a GI helmet, an example of bad staging that was emblematic of an unsuccessful campaign.
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Quayle vs. Murphy Brown – The day after Dan Quayle won the vice-presidential spot on the ticket in 1988, he made a famous speech attacking the fictional title character of the sitcom Murphy Brown in which he decried her “poverty of values”.
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The Cookie Debate – During the 1992 Presidential Debates, George H. W. Bush was asked if he would raise taxes in order to reduce the deficit, his response was that he wouldn’t do it even if he was offered a cookie. This response came to be known as “The Cookie Challenge” cementing Bush’s reputation as being out of touch.
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Bob Dole’s Flag-on-a-Stick – During the 1996 presidential campaign, Bob Dole, the Republican candidate, used a flagpole topped with a large American Flag to emphasize his patriotism. This would later become known as the “Dolepole.”
Scandals and Controversies
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The Nixon Watergate Scandal – One of the most notorious events in American history is the Watergate Scandal, involving the 1972 Republican president Richard Nixon. As a result of the scandal, Nixon resigned from office resulting in the only Presidential resignation in US history.
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The Monica Lewinsky Scandal – In 1998, Bill Clinton, the Democratic president, was embroiled in a scandal involving a sexual dalliance with a White House intern, Monica Lewinsky.
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The Bush-Gore Election Standoff – The 2000 presidential election between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore resulted in an unprecedented deadlock in Florida, where a recount resulted in an even tie. After weeks of intense legal proceedings, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision that Bush had won the election.
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Obama’s Birth Certificate Controversy – During the 2008 presidential election, Republican candidate Donald Trump questioned the legitimacy of Barack Obama’s birth certificate and whether or not he was truly a “natural born” citizen of the United States.
Incredibly Close Races
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The 1960 Election – The election between Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy and Republican candidate Richard Nixon was incredibly close, with Kennedy winning the popular vote by a margin of just 0.2%. Ultimately, the difference-maker was Kennedy’s victory in Illinois and Texas by razor-thin margins.
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The 2000 Election – George W. Bush and Al Gore were locked in an incredibly close race, with Bush ultimately winning the Electoral College by just 5 votes (271-266). This narrow victory was only made possible by the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in Bush v. Gore.
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The 2016 Election – The election between Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton was one of the most closely-contested races in recent memory. Trump won by a margin of just 0.2%, and a total electoral vote of 306-232.
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2020 Election – The 2020 election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden was anticipated to be close, but in the end Biden won the popular vote by a wide margin of 7.1% and a total electoral vote of 306-232.
Bizarre Political Tactics
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Reagan’s Bear Story – In 1984, Republican candidate Ronald Reagan made a bizarre speech in which he joked about bombing Russia. In the speech, he said he had “seen a sign that said ‘Keep Of The Grass’ and written beneath it, ‘Killing Russians.’” This quip, though mostly harmless, was met with predictable backlash from the opposition.
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Ross Perot’s Infomercial – In 1992, billionaire Ross Perot, ran for president on the Reform Party ticket and used a 90-minute infomercial to introduce himself and explain his platform. Perot’s campaign was unconventional, but it was successful, getting him 19% of the popular vote.
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Advertising Inventions – In 2004, Howard Dean, the Democratic candidate, used an inventive advertisement to highlight his campaign’s inventive fundraising techniques. The ad featured a Howard Dean-created product – “Dean-o-Matic”, a futuristic device that “will make world peace a reality”.
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The Trump/Kanye West Bromance – In 2015, then-Republican candidate Donald Trump met with rapper Kanye West at Trump Tower in New York City. This bizarre meeting of opposites in the political sphere was widely reported in the media, as it was seen as an attempt to increase Trump’s visibility among African American voters.
From eccentric candidates and strange campaign tactics, to scandals and controversies, US presidential elections have produced their fair share of bizarre moments. These moments range from the utterly ridiculous to the downright unforgettable, and they serve as a reminder of the unique nature of US politics. As we head into the 2020 election, it’s likely that this year will provide us with yet another list of bizarre moments to add to the collection.
