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10 Weird Events From Presidential Elections
For those who are not fans of government or politics, one good place to whet your interest is the twists and turns of vigorous presidential campaigns. Every four years, the nation picks a new president, frequently involving a battle of wits, egos, and declarations of strength and accomplishments. This typically results in bruised egos, hurt feelings, uncovered secrets, and examples of blatant hypocrisy. In episodes that would make a soap opera proud, we can explore many American electoral politics through the top ten weird events of presidential elections.
1. (Aftermath of) 1828: Chaos at the Inauguration
A depiction of US President Andrew Jackson being inaugurated in March 1829 at the Capitol building. Source: The Architect of the Capitol
In 1824, Andrew Jackson felt unjustly deprived of the presidency after he won the popular vote and received the most votes in the Electoral College… but lost in the US House of Representatives. After stewing for four years, Jackson returned in 1828 with a solid victory. Thus began the era of Jacksonian Democracy and his aggressive brand of populism. For better or worse, this began immediately upon his inauguration in March 1829. After Jackson was sworn into office, there was to be a celebration at the White House.
Unfortunately, this quickly devolved into a mob as many non-wealthy (critics would say uncivilized) Jackson supporters crowded onto the property. The “open house” resulted in some damage to furniture and allegedly resulted in bad behavior as waiters delivering refreshments were swarmed by uncouth Jackson supporters. Although this event tested the sturdiness of the White House itself, the executive residence remained relatively open to the public until the 1920s, and its current depiction as a bastion of security was not developed until World War II.
2. 1848 & 1864: Anti-War Party Picks War Hero Nominee
Generals Zachary Taylor (left) and George McClellan (right) became presidential nominees for anti-war parties in 1848 and 1864, respectively. Source: White House Historical Association and the University of Texas at Arlington
America was embroiled in war in both 1848 and 1864. In 1848, the nation had just won a war against its southern neighbor, Mexico, and stood to gain tremendous amounts of land from it. The Whig Party had opposed the war on the grounds that expanding US territory would inevitably lead to an expansion of slavery. However, the resounding victory over Mexico made the party change course… and nominate war hero (and political rookie) Zachary Taylor for president. Taylor won a slim victory in November but died less than halfway through his first term.
Sixteen years later, the American Civil War was raging. The Republican Party controlled the White House thanks to determined incumbent Abraham Lincoln, who vowed to defeat the Confederacy. The Democratic Party, which wanted to negotiate an end to the conflict, chose Union General George McClellan as its nominee. Because McClellan agreed to continue the war, this put him in direct conflict with his party’s platform! Ultimately, Lincoln won handily with a majority of the popular vote and a strong majority in the Electoral College.
3. 1872: Nominee Dies Before Electoral College Votes
1872 Democratic presidential nominee Horace Greeley died between the occurrence of the popular vote and the voting of the Electoral College. Source: National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC
While presidents have died unexpectedly in office, the position of vice president creates a quick remedy for the loss. What is more difficult to remedy is when a candidate dies between voting and taking office. In 1872, Democratic presidential nominee Horace Greeley passed away on November 29, after the popular vote had been held. Fortunately, incumbent Republican president Ulysses S. Grant had won handily, preventing a crisis.
Still, what to do about Greeley’s electoral votes? Congress decided to apportion them among the other non-incumbent candidates, allowing Grant to sail through to re-election without a strong challenger. Ironically, this dilemma remains pertinent in today’s era of an increasingly aged Congress and presidential candidates. With more septuagenarians and octogenarians in power than ever before in the United States, it is possible that another Greeley scenario could occur, forcing political parties and Congress to scramble.
4. 1880: Garfield Becomes Nominee… Because He Was There
A photograph of the 1880 Republican National Convention, where US Representative James Garfield was chosen as the nominee. Source: National Park Service
Today, presidential candidates actively campaign for up to a year just to win their party’s nomination. This endeavor can cost millions of dollars and result in the rigorous canvassing of states that hold early primary election contests during an election year. Prior to World War II, however, presidential candidates rarely engaged in primaries — parties typically decided their nominees at closed-door conventions of party leaders. In 1880, the Republican National Convention was held to nominate its next presidential nominee.
A US Representative named James Garfield stopped by the Convention to give a nomination speech for John Sherman, a fellow politician from Ohio. Perhaps so impressed with Garfield’s speech or just exhausted from political infighting and lack of a clear Republican leader, the delegates announced that they wanted Garfield himself as the nominee! The quiet Garfield, a young general from the American Civil War, was suddenly propelled from the House of Representatives to the White House. Tragically, he was assassinated soon into his first term.
5. 1912: A Bull-Moose Vote-Splitter
An instruction card for Ohio Republican delegates at the party’s National Convention in 1912 to help make Theodore Roosevelt the presidential nominee. Source: The Gilder Lehrman Institute
As of 1912, the Republican Party had been dominant in national politics since the rise of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. The Democratic Party, which had been the party of the South, was primarily linked to lower-income farmers and industrial laborers. With a nation at peace and not mired in a recession, 1912 looked like it should be another easy victory for the Republican Party in the presidential election in November. But then Theodore Roosevelt, a two-term president from 1901 to 1908, decided he wanted a third term. “Teddy” Roosevelt decided to challenge his own hand-picked successor, incumbent president William Howard Taft, for the 1912 Republican presidential nomination.
Roosevelt, the Spanish-American War hero still highly popular with voters, was less popular with party leaders who stuck with Taft. Despite losing the Republican presidential nomination, Roosevelt continued his campaign by creating his own political party: the Bull-Moose Party. In November, this split Republicans between the official nominee, incumbent president Taft, and the more populist former president, Roosevelt. Thus, Democratic nominee Woodrow Wilson won a plurality and claimed the White House.
6. 1948: Dewey Defeats Truman Headline
A photograph of President Harry S. Truman showing the incorrect newspaper headline declaring his loss to Republican challenger Thomas Dewey in 1948. Source: University of Chicago
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s last vice president, Harry S. Truman, was thrust into the spotlight in April 1945 when FDR passed away shortly before the end of World War II. By 1948, America seemed ready for a change, which meant moving on from the Democratic Party dominance of the FDR era. Many critics saw Truman as a holdover from FDR and were displeased with an economy struggling with post-war reforms. As an individual, Truman the Missourian was considered to lack the gravitas and sophistication of his New York predecessor.
However, Truman threw himself into his 1948 campaign with gusto. Despite the socially conservative “Dixiecrat” wing of his party threatening to abandon him, Truman held firm to his civil rights executive orders and his self-confidence. Famously, most media outlets figured the November election would be a guaranteed win for Republican nominee Thomas Dewey. One newspaper famously pre-printed Dewey’s victory… only for Truman to claim an upset re-election. Someone gave Truman a copy of the newspaper, and the resulting photo became a historic reminder to the media to never count someone out early.
7. 1976: The Last of the Backroom Deals
US President Gerald Ford (right) and former California governor Ronald Reagan (left) at the 1976 Republican National Convention. Source: Gerald R. Ford Foundation
In the modern era, incumbent presidents have had little trouble securing their party’s nomination for a second term. 1976, however, saw an incumbent president who had never actually been elected to national office: Republican Gerald Ford. Ford had been chosen by President Richard Nixon to replace Nixon’s first vice president, Spiro T. Agnew, who had resigned. Less than one year later, Nixon himself resigned, leaving former US Representative Gerald Ford as chief executive. Two years into his new role, Ford found himself at the 1976 Republican National Convention without enough delegates to secure the nomination.
Since Ford didn’t have enough delegates to clinch the nomination outright, America’s last (so far) contested convention erupted. Ford had slightly more delegates than his top rival, former California governor Ronald Reagan, but Reagan had enjoyed late primary momentum going into the convention. Backroom deals (allegedly) proliferated, with delegates suggesting they would support whichever nominee would give them rewards once sworn in as president. Ultimately, the majority of delegates went to Ford, the incumbent president, who then lost the general election to Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter.
8. 1992: A Billionaire’s Infomercials
Ross Perot, billionaire tech founder, launched powerful independent presidential bids in 1992 and 1996. Source: PBS
The strongest third-party/independent presidential challenge in eighty years emerged in 1992 with billionaire Ross Perot. Perot, a US Naval Academy graduate who later had a prominent career in business technology, ran as a straight-talking alternative to Republican incumbent George Bush Sr. and Democratic nominee Bill Clinton, former governor of Arkansas. Perot’s business skills were a draw to voters after a brief 1991 economic recession, and some thought that a businessman could help reduce the national debt. He portrayed himself as a political outsider, bringing fresh ideas to Washington.
Although Perot had financial skills, his campaign was sometimes criticized for its lengthy infomercials that featured Perot using charts and graphs to educate viewers. The billionaire made it onto the debate stage with Bush and Clinton that fall but ended up with zero electoral votes in November. Despite winning over 19 million popular votes, Perot did not win a plurality in any US state or Washington DC. Similar to the 1912 Teddy Roosevelt fiasco, many Republicans blamed Perot for splitting the conservative vote in 1992 and allowing Democratic nominee Bill Clinton to win the election. Some contested that viewpoint, arguing that Perot drew similar numbers of voters away from Clinton as from Bush.
9. 2004: The Dean Scream
A photograph of 2004 Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean of Vermont, whose campaign struggled after his infamous “Dean Scream.” Source: New York Public Radio
In 2004, Democrats were very angry with Republican incumbent President George W. Bush over the Iraq War. Thus, there was a prominent field of Democratic politicians looking to step up to the presidential plate to win back the White House. An early frontrunner was longtime Vermont governor Howard Dean, who had been outspoken against the Iraq War in 2002 when many Democrats had avoided speaking out. As a result of his outspokenness and gubernatorial background, as opposed to being a member of Congress, Dean won rapid support as a principled outsider.
A photograph of Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean giving the now-infamous Dean Scream on January 19, 2004. Source: New York Public Radio
Blessed with strong momentum and innovative fundraising models using the Internet, Dean was leading in the polls when the Iowa Caucus was held on January 19, 2004. In an upset, Dean only finished third, behind John Kerry and John Edwards. A passionate post-caucus speech saw Dean give a powerful yell after declaring that his campaign would win future primaries. This “Dean scream” became widely mocked by viewers and pundits, and his campaign essentially collapsed. US Senator John Kerry (D-MA) went on to win the Democratic nomination and later lost the general election to President Bush.
10. 2016: Jeb Bush’s Plea
Former Florida governor Jeb Bush (right) debates with eventual Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump (left) during the 2016 Republican presidential primaries. Source NPR
While Howard Dean’s presidential goals exploded in a scream, Jeb Bush’s faded in a plea. The younger brother of former president George W. Bush and son of former president George Bush Sr., Jeb Bush was widely expected to be the 2016 Republican presidential nominee. Many expected 2016 to be another Bush vs. Clinton contest, this time with Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton. Both were longtime party insiders with deep connections among America’s political elite. Instead of clearing the field of rivals, Bush floundered.
Faced with strong opposition from newcomer Donald Trump, Jeb failed to win primary contests. In a moment that largely signaled that Bush’s campaign was failing, the former governor of Florida had to ask the audience to clap. It was a painful fall from grace for a man who was once considered the shoo-in for the Republican presidential nominee, and many sought to explain how such a vaunted figure stumbled hard. Since then, Bush has stayed out of politics. In another stunning loss, Jeb’s son, Joseph P. Bush, stumbled hard in Texas politics, losing the Republican primary for state Attorney General to embattled incumbent Kenneth Paxton.
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