Democratic Party Presidential Primaries - 1988

1988

Democrats entered the race hoping to build on mid-term wins that gave them control of the Senate and the ongoing Iran Contra scandal. Gary Hart's strong showing in 1984 gave him the advantage but extramarital affairs damaged his campaign. It was over after reporters caught him with Donna Rice. Ted Kennedy decided not to run back in 1985. Joseph Biden was caught up in a plagiarism scandal when Governor Dukakis took video of a Democratic debate and made a campaign hit piece showing that Biden quoted Neil Kinnock, then-leader of the British Labour Party, without attribution. A picture being worth a thousand words, the video outweighed multiple press accounts about Biden's pre- and post-debate use of the British quote while including attribution. Biden was effectively tarred as a plagiarist by Dukakis and was forced out of the race. The Delaware Supreme Court's Board on Professional Responsibility would later clear Biden of law school plagiarism charges brought up in relation to the Dukakis political hit piece. Michael Dukakis won two-thirds of the delegates, winning the nomination. Jesse Jackson was his only real competition with one-third. No other candidate at the convention had more than two votes.

See also: United States presidential election, 1988#Democratic Party nomination