On This Day In 1952: VP Alben Barkley Jumps Into Prez Race

July 6, 1952:

After weeks of hinting that he would be available for the Democratic presidential nomination, Vice President Alben Barkley goes one step further, announcing he will actively seek the nod. As his campaign button suggests, he is hoping lightning will strike.

The announcement comes just two weeks before the party convention will open in Chicago. President Harry Truman surprised the nation back in March by saying he will not run again.

Barkley, at 74, would be the oldest person ever elected to the presidency. The leading Democratic candidates are thought to be Sen. Estes Kefauver of Tennessee and Averell Harriman, the Mutual Security Director, but the nomination will go to Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson.

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6:52 AM ET | 07-06-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1964: Civil Rights Act Is Signed Into Law

July 2, 1964:

Less than a year after the famed March on Washington, Congress passes the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is signed into law by President Johnson, shortly after the House votes to pass it, 289-126. The Senate approved it on June 19 by a vote of 73-27.

Among those voting against it was Arizona's Barry Goldwater, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.

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6:22 AM ET | 07-02-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1972: John Mitchell Quits As Nixon's Campaign Manager

July 1, 1972:

Martha Mitchell wanted her husband to quit politics. His resignation as Nixon's campaign manager came too late to save him from prison.

John Mitchell, the former U.S. attorney general, announces his resignation as President Nixon's campaign manager. He will be replaced by former Rep. Clark MacGregor (R-MN), the chief White House adviser on congressional relations and the 1970 GOP Senate nominee against Hubert Humphrey.

Mitchell's decision comes a week after his wife, Martha, tells reporter Helen Thomas of UPI that she will leave him if he does not give up politics. It also comes, coincidentally of course, two weeks after five men, including one employed by the Committee for the Re-Election of the President -- headed by Mitchell -- are arrested in an attempt to bug the Democratic national headquarters at the Watergate office building.

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5:31 AM ET | 07-01-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1958: Senate Bill Makes Alaska 49th State

June 30, 1958:

The Senate, on a 64-20 vote, passes a bill making Alaska the 49th state of the union. President Eisenhower will sign it into law a week later.

It's the first state added since 1912, when New Mexico and Arizona became Nos. 47 and 48. Hawaii will become the 50th state a year later.

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7:14 AM ET | 06-30-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1968: Arkansas GOP Rallies 'Round Rockefeller (The Other One)

June 29, 1968:

The Arkansas Republican Party awards its delegates to its presidential favorite son, Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller.

The expectation that most, if not all, of the delegates will switch to Winthrop's brother, New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, never happens. The delegates stick with WinRock on the first roll call vote at the GOP convention in Miami Beach, but they soon switch to ultimate nominee Richard Nixon, who wins it before a second ballot is taken.

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7:00 AM ET | 06-29-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1954: Connecticut Dems Pick Ribicoff For Governor

June 26, 1954:

Former Rep. Abraham Ribicoff of Connecticut is designated the Democratic nominee for governor at the state party convention in Hartford.

Ribicoff left the House to run for the Senate in 1952, when he was defeated by incumbent Republican Prescott Bush.

In November, Ribicoff will unseat GOP Gov. John Davis Lodge. He will be re-elected in 1958, then leave in midterm to become President Kennedy's secretary of health, education and welfare. In 1962, he will win the first of three Senate terms.

His signature moment in the national spotlight will come at the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago where, in nominating Sen. George McGovern (D-SD) for the presidency, he blasts Mayor Richard Daley for "Gestapo tactics on the streets of Chicago."

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6:52 AM ET | 06-26-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1948: Republicans Nominate Dewey & Warren

June 25, 1948:

At their national convention in Philadelphia, Republicans nominate New York Gov. Thomas Dewey for president and California Gov. Earl Warren for vice president.

Dewey defeats Sen. Robert Taft of Ohio and former Minnesota Gov. Harold Stassen, among others, to win the nomination on the third ballot. Dewey was also the GOP presidential nominee in 1944, losing to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In a surprise, he will go on to lose this year's election as well, to President Harry Truman.

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6:26 AM ET | 06-25-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1950: Classic Demagoguery In North Carolina

June 24, 1950:

In a campaign that will long be remembered as one of the nastiest in history, Sen. Frank Porter Graham of North Carolina is defeated in the Democratic primary runoff by Willis Smith, an attorney and strong segregationist. Smith, who had trailed Graham in the initial May primary by 53,000 votes, wins the runoff by 20,000.

Graham, considered a strong ally of President Truman, was accused by Smith of being "pro-Negro" and "pro-Communist." Graham had been appointed to the Senate seat last year following the death of J.M. Broughton (D).

Smith will easily win the seat in November but he won't hold it for long; he dies on June 26, 1953 of coronary thrombosis.

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6:49 AM ET | 06-24-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1947: Congress Overrides Veto Of Taft-Hartley

June 23, 1947:

The Republican Congress' override of President Truman's veto of the anti-union Taft-Hartley Act is complete. The Senate vote today is 68-25, which followed by three days the House vote of 331-83.

The act, named for Sen. Robert Taft (R-OH) and Rep. Fred Hartley (R-NJ), was passed in the wake of public outrage over widespread labor strikes following World War II.

Truman will use the act to his benefit as part of his surprise re-election victory in 1948.

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7:21 AM ET | 06-23-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1996: GOP Rep. Bill Emerson Of Mo. Dies

June 22, 1996:

Rep. Bill Emerson dies from complications due to lung cancer. The eight-term Missouri Republican was 58.

He will be succeeded in the November election by his wife, Jo Ann, but it won't be easy. She will be forced to run as an independent because state election officials refused to extend the filing deadline for candidates. Meanwhile, Richard Kline, a political nonentity, had already been on the ballot when Emerson died and thus won the August Republican primary to become the GOP nominee.

But state and national Republican officials will back the campaign of Mrs. Emerson, who still serves.

For the record, Bill Emerson was a great guy and a good friend.

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6:39 AM ET | 06-22-2009 | permalink

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This Day In 2001: GOP Picks Up Seat With Forbes In Va. Special

June 19, 2001:

The GOP wins the seat of the late Rep. Sisisky (D-VA) in a special election.

Republicans pick up a House seat with a victory in a special congressional election in Virginia to replace the late Rep. Norm Sisisky, a nine-term Democrat who died in March. The GOP candidate, former state party chairman Randy Forbes, defeats his Democratic opponent by a 52 to 48 percent margin.

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6:34 AM ET | 06-19-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 2002: Gov. Jesse Ventura Won't Run Again In Minn.

June 18, 2002:

Jesse Ventura, a former pro wrestler who shocked the world -- or at least Minnesota -- when he was elected governor in 1998 as a candidate of the Reform Party, announces he won't seek a second term.

Ventura's term has been marked by clashes with Democrats, Republicans and the media, and recently his popularity among the electorate has declined.

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9:13 AM ET | 06-18-2009 | permalink

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This Day In 2008: Donna Edwards Wins Special Election In Md.

June 17, 2008:

Attorney Donna Edwards (D) wins the special election held in Maryland's 4th Congressional District vacated by incumbent Democrat Albert Wynn.

Wynn, who was handily defeated by Edwards in the February Democratic primary, decided to take a lobbying job, causing the vacancy. In beating Republican Peter James in the special election, Edwards becomes the first black woman to represent Maryland in Congress.

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7:15 AM ET | 06-17-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1999: VP Al Gore Declares For President

June 16, 1999:

Vice President Al Gore officially launches his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in his Tennessee hometown of Carthage.

Polls show Gore with a clear lead over his only Democratic rival, former Sen. Bill Bradley of New Jersey. But they also show him badly trailing the Republican front-runner, Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

As a first-term senator, Gore also ran for president in 1988, but he withdrew from the race after a poor showing in the New York primary.

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7:45 AM ET | 06-16-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1984: Idaho's Hansen Sentenced To Prison

June 15, 1984:

Rep. George Hansen (R-ID) is sentenced to up to 15 months in prison following his conviction in April for filing false financial disclosure statements. He is the first member of Congress convicted under the 1978 Ethics in Government Act.

Hansen, a seven-term conservative, will be reprimanded by the full House on July 31 and defeated by Democrat Richard Stallings in November.

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7:05 AM ET | 06-15-2009 | permalink

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This Day In 1996: Trent Lott Succeeds Dole As Senate GOP Leader

June 12, 1996:

In a battle between two Mississippians, Trent Lott defeats Thad Cochran to succeed Bob Dole to lead the Senate.

One day after Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole resigns to focus on his presidential bid, Senate Republicans elect Trent Lott as the new leader. He easily defeats his Mississippi colleague, Thad Cochran, on a 44-8 vote.

Don Nickles of Oklahoma is elected majority whip. Cochran will remain as the number three in the party leadership, retaining his post as Republican Conference chair. And Larry Craig of Idaho is elected chairman of the Republican Policy Committee.

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6:41 AM ET | 06-12-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1990: Split Court Rejects Flag Protection

June 11, 1990:

The court's decision led to congressional attempts to protect the flag from desecration.

In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court strikes down a law that protects the flag, saying it violates the First Amendment's free-speech guarantee.

Voting in the majority were William Brennan, Thurgood Marshall, Harry Blackmun, Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy.

The minority was comprised of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Byron White, John Paul Stevens and Sandra Day O'Connor.

Almost immediately, Congress begins to rewrite language on protecting the flag that would pass constitutional muster.

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8:49 AM ET | 06-11-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1978: It's Miller Vs. Obenshain For Va. Senate

June 10, 1978:

Virginia Democrats nominate former state Attorney General Andrew Miller as their Senate candidate to succeed retiring one-term Republican William Scott.

The move comes four days after Republicans chose their nominee, conservative activist Richard Obenshain, a favorite of the party's grass roots. Obenshain won the GOP nomination on the sixth ballot over former Navy Secretary John Warner, who was seen as more moderate.

On Aug. 2, Obenshain, 42, will be killed in a light plane crash near Richmond following a campaign event. The state Republican committee will then select Warner as the replacement nominee, and he will go on to defeat Democrat Miller in November for the first of his five terms.

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7:13 AM ET | 06-10-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1987: Joe Biden Declares Prez Candidacy

June 9, 1987:

Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware declares his candidacy for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination.

Biden, the 44-year old chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, will play a leading role in the defeat of Reagan Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork later in the year. But his White House hopes will evaporate over accusations of plagiarism and that he embellished his academic record. He will withdraw from the race on Sept. 23.

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8:03 AM ET | 06-09-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1976: Jimmy Carter Wraps Up Dem Prez Nod

June 8, 1976:

Jimmy Carter wins the Ohio Democratic primary, a victory that essentially sews up his party's presidential nomination.

The former Georgia governor receives 52 percent of the vote, easily topping his closest competitor, Rep. Mo Udall of Arizona, by 31 percentage points. Carter's victory in Ohio begins a parade of endorsements, from Chicago Mayor Richard Daley to erstwhile rivals George Wallace and Henry Jackson. It is thought to be the earliest time a candidate won his party's presidential nomination in advance of the national convention.

The California presidential primaries, held the same day, do not garner the same attention. Gov. Jerry Brown, as expected, easily wins the Democratic contest. Brown, an extremely popular governor, won 59 percent of the vote. Ronald Reagan, another California favorite son, wins the Republican primary by nearly two to one over President Gerald Ford. Reagan and Ford will continue to battle it out up until the GOP convention in Kansas City.

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6:59 AM ET | 06-08-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1968: Robert F. Kennedy Is Shot Moments After Winning California Primary

June 5, 1968:

Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY), moments after declaring victory in Tuesday's Democratic presidential primary in California, is shot three times by Sirhan Sirhan, a Jordanian immigrant, at Los Angeles' Ambassador Hotel.

Kennedy, who never regains consciousness, dies 25 hours later, on June 6.

Kennedy had won a hard-fought primary over Sen. Eugene McCarthy (D-MN), who had defeated him the week before in Oregon. He received 46 percent of the vote to McCarthy's 42 percent. An unpledged slate favorable to the Johnson-Humphrey administration, headed by state Attorney General Thomas Lynch, finished third with 12 percent.

In California's Republican Senate primary, liberal incumbent Thomas Kuchel is upset by Max Rafferty, the state superintendent of public instruction and a staunch conservative. The Democrats nominate former state Controller Alan Cranston, who will defeat Rafferty in November.

6:50 AM ET | 06-05-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1974: Jerry Brown Wins California Dem Gov Primary

June 4, 1974:

California Secretary of State Jerry Brown, son of a former governor, wins his state's Democratic gubernatorial primary in a large field that includes San Francisco Mayor Joe Alioto, Rep. Jerry Waldie and state Assembly Speaker Bob Moretti.

In November Brown, who is 36, will face the Republican primary winner, Houston Flournoy, the state controller. Flournoy easily defeats Lt. Gov. Ed Reinecke for the GOP nomination.

Brown will defeat Flournoy in the general election and in doing so will succeed Ronald Reagan (R), who is retiring after two terms. Reagan had defeated Brown's father, Pat Brown, in 1966.

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7:07 AM ET | 06-04-2009 | permalink

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This Day In 1969: Cahill (R) & Meyner (D) Win NJ Gov Primaries

June 3, 1969:

In a close race that reflects the ideological split in the New Jersey GOP, Rep. Bill Cahill defeats fellow congressman Charles Sandman for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Cahill, a moderate, runs just three percentage points better than Sandman, who is backed by conservatives.

On the Democratic side, former Gov. Robert Meyner is a comfortable winner in a six-candidate field. Meyner served two terms from 1954-61.

In November, Cahill will easily defeat Meyner, becoming the state's first Republican governor to be elected since the 1949 election.

Four years later, Cahill will be defeated by Sandman in a primary rematch.

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7:03 AM ET | 06-03-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1970: Wallace Beats Brewer In Nasty Ala. Runoff

June 2, 1970:

Brewer's "Full Time" slogan was a dig at Wallace's White House ambitions.

In a Democratic primary runoff closely watched by the Nixon White House, former Gov. George Wallace, who ran for president as an independent in 1968, wins back his old job as governor of Alabama. (There is no Republican candidate.)

Wallace defeats his one-time protege, incumbent Albert Brewer, who became governor in '68 following the death of Wallace's wife Lurleen. (She was elected governor in 1966 as a stand-in for her husband, who was term-limited.) George Wallace's margin over Brewer is about three percentage points.

Back in May, Brewer led Wallace by about 12,000 votes, but neither candidate received a majority, which forced the runoff.

The Nixon administration is thought to be worried over another Wallace presidential bid in 1972, fearing he could win the Southern states that Nixon was counting on.

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9:33 AM ET | 06-02-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1965: Elliott Roosevelt Elected In Miami Beach

June 1, 1965:

Elliott Roosevelt, the son of the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt, is elected mayor of Miami Beach, Fla.

He defeats the incumbent, Melvin Richard, in a nonpartisan election.

Roosevelt became a Miami Beach resident in 1963, when he moved there with his fifth wife.

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6:51 AM ET | 06-01-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1956: Ky. GOP Begins Path To November Sweep

May 29, 1956:

The GOP, led by Eisenhower, will sweep both Senate races in Kentucky in November.

A divided Kentucky Democratic Party renominates Sen. Earle Clements, the Senate majority whip, in the primary over a candidate backed by Gov. Happy Chandler. Republicans nominate former Rep. Thruston Morton for the seat.

Regarding the Senate seat held by Alben Barkley, a Democrat who died in April, the two parties will later nominate ex-Gov. Lawrence Wetherby (D) and ex-Sen. John Sherman Cooper (R).

In November it will be a GOP sweep in Kentucky, led by President Eisenhower.

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6:36 AM ET | 05-29-2009 | permalink

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This Day In 1960: Terry Sanford Nears N.C. Governorship

May 28, 1960:

Terry Sanford, considered a racial moderate, is the leading vote-getter in the North Carolina Democratic primary for governor, but he fails to win a majority of the vote. Sanford, a former state senator, will win the June 25 runoff against a segregationist candidate and go on to win the governorship in November.

He will later twice try for the Democratic presidential nomination, and in 1986 he will be elected to the U.S. Senate.

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9:33 AM ET | 05-28-2009 | permalink

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This Day In 1952: Taft Gets Big Victory As Ike Is Denied In Texas

May 27, 1952:

Taft's victory over Ike in Texas will later be overturned at the GOP convention.

The Texas Republican state committee, controlled by allies of Ohio Sen. Robert Taft, refuses to seat 484 supporters of Dwight Eisenhower.

The Eisenhower forces will cry foul, but it won't be until the national convention in July when the party will reverse the action taken by Texas Republicans and seat delegates favorable to Eisenhower. It will be a key vote that ultimately gives Ike the nomination over Taft.

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7:45 AM ET | 05-27-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1989: Buz Lukens Found Guilty For Sex With Minor

May 26, 1989:

Rep. Donald "Buz" Lukens is found guilty of having sex with a 16-year old girl. The Ohio Republican faces a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. But he says he won't resign and plans to continue his congressional career.

Lukens will be badly defeated in the May 1990 GOP primary by state Rep. John Boehner, who still holds the seat. And in October of '90, the House ethics committee announces that new sexual harassment charges, this involving a congressional employee, have been filed against Lukens. He will resign his House seat on Oct. 24.

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6:43 AM ET | 05-26-2009 | permalink

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This Day In 1990: Larry Craig Wins Idaho GOP Senate Primary

May 22, 1990:

The Republican primary battle to replace retiring Sen. Jim McClure (R) in Idaho is won by Rep. Larry Craig. He will go on to defeat the Democratic nominee, Boise city councilman Ron Twilegar, in November and serve three terms in the Senate.

In August of 2007, it will be reported that Craig was arrested in June at a Minneapolis airport bathroom on a morals charge. The senator, who had been wavering on running again in 2008, eventually announced his retirement.

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12:45 PM ET | 05-22-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1995: Les Aspin Dies

May 21, 1995:

Les Aspin, a Wisconsin Democrat and former chairman of the House Armed Services Committee who gave up his congressional seat to become President Clinton's first secretary of defense, dies of a stroke. He was 56.

Aspin took over Armed Services in 1985, ousting Illinois Democrat Melvin Price. His expertise on defense matters brought him into the Clinton Cabinet. But his tenure at Defense lasted less than a year. He began trying to implement Clinton's policy of lifting the ban against gays in the military. But what sealed his doom were chronic managerial problems; he was forced out of his job in December of '93.

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9:42 AM ET | 05-21-2009 | permalink

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This Day In 2006: N.O. Mayor Nagin, Despite Katrina, Re-Elected

May 20, 2006:

Despite poor reviews of his handling of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin wins a second term, defeating Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu in a runoff election.

The voting, as expected, is mostly on racial lines, and that was thought to be a problem for Nagin, who is black, in a city where more than half of its residents fled in the wake of the 2005 hurricane. But Nagin wins back some of the conservative white voters who supported him in the last election but abandoned him after Katrina. He portrayed Landrieu, the brother of Sen. Mary Landrieu and son of Moon Landrieu -- the city's last white mayor -- as part of the "politics as usual" establishment.

Nagin defeats Landrieu, 52-48 percent.

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6:25 AM ET | 05-20-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1992: Dem Senate Primary In Ore. Too Close To Call

May 19, 1992:

AuCoin will eventually be declared the Dem primary winner but lose to Packwood in November.

The Democratic primary battle to find an opponent for Sen. Bob Packwood (R) in November is too close to call.

Rep. Les AuCoin finishes just 39 votes ahead of businessman Harry Lonsdale, the 1990 nominee against GOP Sen. Mark Hatfield. AuCoin will eventually claim the Dem nomination but lose to Packwood in the general election.

A nine-term member of the House, AuCoin will be hampered by his overdrafts in the House bank. And shortly after the November election, allegations about Packwood's treatment of women will begin a long process that ultimately results in his resignation from the Senate.

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6:59 AM ET | 05-19-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1987: Sen. Paul Simon Launches Dem Prez Bid

May 18, 1987:

Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois announces he will seek the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination.

First elected to the Senate in 1984, the bow-tie-wearing Simon will run as an unabashed liberal. Before he decided to run, he had been behind an effort to persuade Sen. Dale Bumpers (D-AR) to seek the presidency. When Bumpers said no, Simon began to think about his own candidacy.

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7:35 AM ET | 05-18-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1984: Hart Beats Mondale In 2 More Primaries

May 15, 1984:

Sen. Gary Hart (D-CO) easily defeats former Vice President Walter Mondale in the Nebraska and Oregon primaries. Mondale, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, fails to carry a county in either state.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson finishes a poor third in both states.

Nonetheless, Mondale will win the nomination on the first ballot at the San Francisco convention.

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9:21 AM ET | 05-15-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1979: Bob Dole Declares For President (1st Of 3)

May 14, 1979:

Bob Dole, the senator from Kansas and his party's nominee for vice president in 1976, declares his candidacy for the 1980 Republican presidential nomination. He is also a former GOP national chairman.

Dole received harsh reviews for his role as President Ford's running mate, where he was widely portrayed as a "hatchet man." He promises not to personally attack President Carter or any of his Republican rivals.

His 1980 bid goes nowhere. In 1988, he will run again but lose the nomination to George Bush. In 1996, he will finally win the GOP nomination, but gets trounced in November by President Bill Clinton.

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8:16 AM ET | 05-14-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1986: Nebraska Gov Race First To Have 2 Women

May 13, 1986:

For the first time in history, two women will square off against each other in a race for governor. In Nebraska, former Lincoln Mayor Helen Boosalis wins the Democratic primary, while state Treasurer Kay Orr wins on the GOP side.

Orr will defeat Boosalis in November to succeed retiring Democrat Bob Kerrey.

Later in the year, in a battle for a U.S. Senate seat in Maryland, the two major-party nominees will be women -- the second time in history that happened in a Senate race.

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7:06 AM ET | 05-13-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1982: Ethics Cmte Begins Probe Into Rep. Richmond

May 12, 1982:

The House ethics committee announces it has begun an investigation into the activities of Rep. Fred Richmond. The Brooklyn Democrat is alleged to have asked his staff to purchase marijuana and cocaine for his personal use and to have used improper funds to help with his re-election campaign.

In August Richmond will resign his House seat and, in a deal with prosecutors, plead guilty to three counts of drug possession and income tax evasion. His seat will be won in November by Ed Towns (D), a deputy Brooklyn borough president who still holds the seat today.

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9:43 AM ET | 05-12-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1976: Church Upsets Carter In Neb. Primary

May 11, 1976:

In the first state he has campaigned in since announcing his candidacy, Sen. Frank Church of Idaho upsets former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter in the Nebraska Democratic presidential primary.

On the GOP side, former California Gov. Ronald Reagan wins convincingly over President Gerald Ford.

Carter and Ford, however, will go on to win their parties' respective nominations.

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5:34 AM ET | 05-11-2009 | permalink

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This Day In 1975: Rep. Hinshaw Indicted On 12 Felony Counts

May 8, 1975:

Rep. Andrew Hinshaw (R-CA) is indicted on 12 counts of bribery, embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds. The charges stem from actions he allegedly took prior to coming to Congress, when he was Orange County assessor.

Hinshaw was first elected to Congress in 1972 and easily re-elected two years later. But the indictments end his political career. He will appear on the June 1976 primary ballot but not seriously campaign for the nomination, which will go to state Rep. Robert Badham.

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7:21 AM ET | 05-08-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1968: Alabama Gov. Lurleen Wallace Dies

May 7, 1968:

Alabama's Lurleen Wallace (D), who ran for governor and won in 1966 as a surrogate for her husband, George -- who was barred by state law from seeking re-election -- dies of cancer. She was 41 years old, and her death came as George Wallace was pursuing his third-party presidential bid.

Mrs. Wallace, in fact, was already suffering from cancer when she won the governorship in '66. Her death elevates Lt. Gov. Albert Brewer (D) to the governorship. Brewer, a supporter of George Wallace's White House plans, will clash with him in a bitter and ugly 1970 primary when Brewer decides to seek a full term and Wallace wants to return as governor.

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8:45 AM ET | 05-07-2009 | permalink

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This Day In 1972: Helms Wins GOP Primary En Route To Senate

May 6, 1972:

As Jesse Helms was winning on the GOP side, Rep. Galifianakis was en route to toppling Sen. Jordan in Dem primary. But he needed 2 buttons to do it.

Conservative broadcaster Jesse Helms, a former Democrat, makes his first bid for elective office a success, easily winning the three-way Republican Senate primary in North Carolina.

It is more complicated on the Democratic side, where Sen. B. Everett Jordan is outpolled by Rep. Nick Galifianakis, but neither candidate receives the required majority to avoid a runoff. Galifianakis, whose name is so long he needed two buttons to spell it out, said Jordan was too conservative and out of touch for N.C., but what probably aided him were voter concerns over Jordan's age (75) and health. The two Democrats will go into a June 3 primary runoff, which Galifianakis will win.

In November, Helms will defeat Galifianakis, becoming the first popularly elected Republican senator from North Carolina in history. He will be re-elected four times before retiring in 2002.

7:00 AM ET | 05-06-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1970: Taft Beats Rhodes, Post-Kent State

May 5, 1970:

In a collision between two of Ohio's top Republicans, Rep. Robert Taft Jr. narrowly defeats term-limited Gov. James Rhodes in the GOP primary for an open Senate seat. The election comes one day after Rhodes sent National Guard troops to Kent State University to quell a student uprising in the wake of the incursion into Cambodia. Four students were killed by troops at Kent State.

In another close contest, on the Democratic side, Howard Metzenbaum, an ally of retiring Sen. Stephen Young, defeats former astronaut John Glenn. Glenn was the celebrity and hero, but Metzenbaum outspent and outworked him. Six years earlier, Glenn had sought to run against Young but suffered an ear injury in a bathroom fall.

In the general election in November, Taft will defeat Metzenbaum.

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6:58 AM ET | 05-05-2009 | permalink

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This Day In 1953: Ex-Sen. Wagner (D-NY) Of Wagner Act Fame Dies

May 4, 1953:

Former Sen. Robert F. Wagner Sr. (D-NY), who served from 1926 until resigning in 1949 because of ill health, and who is best known for the Wagner National Labor Relations Act in 1935 during the New Deal, dies at 75.

His son, Robert Jr., the Manhattan borough president, will be elected mayor of New York City later this year.

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7:01 AM ET | 05-04-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1952: Conn. Sen. McMahon Declares For President

May 1, 1952:

 

Sen. Brien McMahon of Connecticut announces his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.

A self-described "liberal Democrat" and a staunch supporter of President Truman's foreign policy, McMahon was the author of the 1946 Atomic Energy Control Act.

McMahon was first elected to the Senate in 1944 and won a second term in 1950. He died in office in 1952. In the special election held that year to succeed him, Prescott Bush (R) -- father and grandfather of future presidents -- defeated Rep. Abraham Ribicoff (D).

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7:09 AM ET | 05-01-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1956: Sen. Alben Barkley, Ex-VP, Dies

April 30, 1956:

Sen. Alben Barkley, the Kentucky Democrat who was elected vice president under Harry Truman in 1948 and who briefly pursued his party's presidential nomination in '52 after Truman decided not to run again, dies of a heart attack at 78.

Barkley, the Senate minority (and former majority) leader, was the keynote speaker at the 1948 Democratic convention when he was selected to join the Truman ticket. Then 71 years of age, he was the oldest person ever to become VP.

He returned to the Senate in the 1954 elections.

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6:53 AM ET | 04-30-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1969: Barry Goldwater Jr. Elected To House

April 29, 1969:

A special congressional runoff election in California's 27th District, necessitated when Rep. Ed Reinecke (R) resigned to become lieutenant governor, is won by Barry Goldwater Jr.

Goldwater, a 30-year old Los Angeles stockbroker and the son of the 1964 Republican presidential nominee, easily defeated Democrat John Van de Kamp. Goldwater will serve in the House until 1982, when he will make an unsuccessful bid for the GOP Senate nomination.

That was then. In 2008, Goldwater was the Political Junkie guest on NPR's Talk of the Nation. We've uncovered this rare photo of Goldwater with, um, me, holding up a Goldwater for Congress poster from '69 (from the famed Rudin collection).

Ken Rudin and Barry Goldwater Jr. hold up a Goldwater poster from his (Barry's, not Ken's) 1969 election.Photo by John Dean (who along with Goldwater was our special Junkie guest in a April 2008 TOTN).

 

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P.S. Thanks to host Kathleen Dunn and all the great folks at Wisconsin Public Radio for a fun program this morning.

10:37 AM ET | 04-29-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1943: Stassen Trades Governorship For Navy

April 28, 1943:

Harold Stassen (R) resigns as governor of Minnesota to enter the Navy as a lieutenant commander.

Elected in 1938 to the first of his three two-year terms -- at the age of 31 -- Stassen was considered a boy wonder in Minnesota politics with a great future. But he would never win another race, a career that included nine bids for the GOP presidential nomination. He came closest in 1948, where he lost to eventual nominee Thomas Dewey, the governor of New York.

The end of his political influence came in 1956, when he publicly called on Vice President Richard Nixon to leave the ticket, a decision not shared by President Eisenhower.

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8:59 AM ET | 04-28-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1959: Texas Passes 'LBJ Law'

April 27, 1959:

The Texas state legislature passes a bill that would permit a candidate to run for the U.S. Senate while simultaneously seeking the presidency or vice presidency. It just so happens that Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson (D) is up for re-election in 1960 and has been mentioned as a candidate for president or vice president as well.

The bill, which came to be known as the "LBJ Law," will enable Johnson to run for re-election to the Senate in '60 -- where he defeated Republican John Tower, a college professor -- and pursue the Democratic presidential nomination. When the latter goal failed, he was picked as the running mate to John Kennedy.

After Johnson resigned as senator, Tower won the special election to fill the seat, becoming the first Texas Republican senator since Reconstruction.

The same law will be utilized in 1988 by Lloyd Bentsen (D), who won re-election to the Senate but failed in his VP bid as the running mate of Michael Dukakis.

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10:05 AM ET | 04-27-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1971: Crowds Protest Vietnam War In DC, SF

April 24, 1971:

More than 175,000 people march in Washington, reaching the steps of the Capitol, to demand an end to the war in Vietnam. The crowd includes several members of Congress, but none of the prospective presidential candidates for 1972.

It is believed to be the largest rally ever held at the Capitol.

On the same day, in San Francisco, 150,000 march for the same cause. The rallies were sponsored by the National Peace Action Coalition.

Two days earlier, also at the Capitol, John Kerry of Vietnam Veterans Against the War testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

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6:49 AM ET | 04-24-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1985: Sam Ervin Of Senate Watergate Fame Dies

April 23, 1985:

Former Sen. Sam Ervin (D-NC), who chaired the Senate Watergate Committee in the spring of 1973 and became a national figure in the process, dies of respiratory failure. He was 88.

Ervin started off his career as a strong opponent of civil rights legislation, but his stewardship of the committee during the nationally televised hearings made him a folk hero among many Democrats. He was perhaps best known for his arching eyebrows and "aw shucks" country manner.

First elected to the Senate in 1954, he did not seek re-election in 1974.

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8:52 AM ET | 04-23-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1975: Stu Symington Says 4 Is Enough

April 22, 1975:

Sen. Stuart Symington, a Missouri Democrat, announces he will not seek a fifth term in 1976.

Symington, 73, was first elected in 1952 and was a candidate for his party's presidential nomination in 1960.

The Democratic nominee to replace Symington in '76, Rep. Jerry Litton, will die in a plane crash the night of his primary win. Disarray in the Democratic camp will lead to the victory in November by state Attorney General John Danforth, who narrowly lost to Symington in 1970, and who becomes the first Missouri Republican to win a Senate seat since 1946.

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7:44 AM ET | 04-22-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1981: Siljander Wins Stockman's House Seat

April 21, 1981:

Michigan state Rep. Mark Siljander (R), a Christian fundamentalist and strong anti-abortion conservative, wins a special election in the state's 4th Congressional District with nearly 73 percent of the vote. He succeeds David Stockman, who was named as President Reagan's budget director.

Stockman had tried to get a longtime ally to replace him but Siljander beat him in the Republican primary.

In fact, the Michigan GOP establishment battled with Siljander throughout his tenure in Congress over his tendency to link religion and politics. He was finally ousted in the 1986 primary by Fred Upton, a moderate, who still serves. Siljander made what many considered to be a major gaffe by inferring, in an appeal to fundamentalist ministers, that Upton was backed by the forces of Satan.

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7:12 AM ET | 04-21-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 2005: Vermont's Sen. Jeffords Calls It Quits

April 20, 2005:

Jeffords was elected to the Senate 3 times, and to the House 7 times, as a Republican.

Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont, whose decision in 2001 to leave the Republican Party and become an independent handed the Democrats the majority in the Senate, announces he will not seek re-election next year.

Jeffords, a liberal, had been one of the last of the so-called "Rockefeller Republicans" from New England. But his unhappiness with President Bush and the conservative direction of the party led him to quit the GOP on May 24, 2001. That shifted the numbers in the Senate from 50-50 (a GOP majority thanks to the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Cheney) to 51-49 Democratic.

The Dems held the majority only until the 2002 elections.

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11:32 AM ET | 04-20-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1961: Cuba's Bay Of Pigs Invasion Begins

April 17, 1961:

A force of about 1,500 Cuban refugees, trained by the CIA and tacitly supported by the Kennedy Administration, invades Cuba in the hope of toppling the government of Fidel Castro.

The invasion, commonly known as the "Bay of Pigs," is easily crushed by the Castro government, resulting in a serious humiliation for the White House.

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7:19 AM ET | 04-17-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1954: Senate Gets Second Woman (8th In History)

April 16, 1954:

Griswold is succeeded by a woman, Eva Bowring, who becomes the 8th female senator in history.

Two days after Sen. Dwight Griswold (R) of Nebraska dies, Gov. Robert Crosby appoints Eva Bowring, a fellow Republican, to replace him. She becomes the second woman in the current Senate -- alongside Maine's Margaret Chase Smith (R) -- and just the eighth in history.

Bowring is a former vice chair of the Nebraska GOP who worked for the election of President Eisenhower in 1952. She says she will not seek to hold the seat and will serve only until a successor is elected in November.

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9:55 AM ET | 04-16-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1947: Mayor Kennelly Inaugurated In Chicago

April 15, 1947:

Martin Kennelly, a Democrat who was elected mayor of Chicago two weeks earlier, is inaugurated for the first of his two terms.

He will win re-election in 1951, but in 1955 he will be unseated in the primary by Cook County Democratic leader Richard J. Daley. Daley will go on to serve until his death in 1976 -- longer than any other mayor in the city's history.

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6:52 AM ET | 04-15-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1945: Funeral Services For President Roosevelt

April 14, 1945:

Funeral services are held in the White House.for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the nation's 31st chief executive, who died two days earlier.

Roosevelt, 63, succumbed to a cerebral hemorrhage while at his retreat in Warm Springs, Ga. Some 500,000 people lined the streets of Washington as the president's body arrived in the nation's capital by train. The funeral procession then made the trip from Union Station to the White House.

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9:34 AM ET | 04-14-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1967: House Ethics Committee Is Created

April 13, 1967:

First up for the new House ethics committee: What to do about Adam Clayton Powell.

The House, by a 400-0 vote, establishes the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. Known simply as the House ethics committee, the panel was created primarily to officially investigate the affairs and behavior of Rep. Adam Clayton Powell (D-NY), who has been barred from taking his seat in Congress because members found he had misappropriated public funds for his personal use.

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10:19 AM ET | 04-13-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1986: Rep. Joe Addabbo, Pentagon Critic, Dies

April 10, 1986:

Rep. Joseph Addabbo, a New York Democrat who served in the House for a quarter-century, dies of cancer at the age of 61.

The chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Addabbo was a strong critic of Pentagon spending and led the effort to defeat a 1982 measure that would begin to build the MX missile, though that effort was later reversed.

His district, located in southern Queens, will later elect an African-American, state Assemblyman Alton Waldon, in a special June 10 election. But another black candidate, the Rev. Floyd Flake, would oust Waldon less than three months later in the September Democratic primary.

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6:29 AM ET | 04-10-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1993: Harold Ford Sr. Acquitted On Felony Counts

April 9, 1993:

Rep. Harold Ford Sr. (D) of Tennessee is acquitted on one count of conspiracy, three counts of bank fraud, and 14 counts of mail fraud. Ford had been under indictment since 1987; a 1990 trial ended in a hung jury. He had charged the government with pursuing a vendetta against him because he was African-American.

For all his time in the courtroom, Ford was untouchable at home. First elected in 1974, he stayed in office until 1996, when he retired and was succeeded by his son Harold Jr.

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6:56 AM ET | 04-09-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 2008: Jackie Speier Wins Lantos' House Seat

April 8, 2008:

Former state Sen. Jackie Speier (D) wins a special election in California's 12th Congressional District to fill the seat of the late Rep. Tom Lantos, a fellow Democrat.

Lantos, who held the seat 27 years, died in February.

Back in 1978, Speier, then a congressional aide to Rep. Leo Ryan (D), was among those shot in Jonestown, Guyana, by supporters of cult leader Jim Jones. Ryan was killed in the attack.

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7:01 AM ET | 04-08-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1988: Sen. Paul Simon Suspends Dem WH Bid

April 7, 1988:

Sen. Paul Simon, an Illinois Democrat seeking his party's presidential nomination, announces he will suspend his campaign.

Hoping to capture the votes of liberals and academics, Simon finished second in Iowa and third in New Hampshire and, other than a victory in his home state, failed to make a difference. His withdrawal comes two days after a dismal showing in the Wisconsin primary, where he received just 5 percent of the vote.

Simon was first elected to the Senate in 1984, defeating incumbent Republican Charles Percy. He will retire after two terms and be succeeded by fellow Democrat Dick Durbin.

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7:36 AM ET | 04-07-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1943: Chicago Re-Elects Mayor Edward Kelly

April 6, 1943:

Chicago Mayor Edward Kelly, a Democrat, is re-elected by more than 115,000 votes over Republican George McKibbin, the Illinois finance director.

Kelly became mayor in 1933, following the assassination of incumbent Anton Cermak. When Kelly completes his term in 1947, he will have served longer than any previous mayor of Chicago. And he would want to run again. But amid charges of rampant corruption in his administration, Kelly bowed to pressure and retired.

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11:55 AM ET | 04-06-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1984: Mondale Wins New York Dem Primary

April 3, 1984:

Mondale won the vote and captured most of the delegates in NY.

Former Vice President Walter Mondale wins the big contest of the day, an easy victory in the New York Democratic presidential primary.

Mondale receives 45 percent of the vote, compared to 27 percent for Colorado Sen. Gary Hart and 25 percent for the Rev. Jesse Jackson. It cements his status as the clear leader for his party's nomination.

Hart's win in Wisconsin today is comparatively narrow. He got 46 percent of the vote, just four percentage points ahead of Mondale. Jackson trailed with 10 percent.

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7:13 AM ET | 04-03-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1985: Dems Thwart GOP Bid To Seat McIntyre

April 2, 1985:

Republicans fumed over the Dems' refusal to seat Rick McIntyre in IN 08.

House Democrats defeat a motion, for the fourth time in three months, which would have seated Republican Richard McIntyre as the congressman from Indiana's 8th District.

A recount of the 1984 race between McIntyre and Rep. Frank McCloskey (D) in early February had McIntyre ahead by 418 votes. But Democrats insisted that seating McIntyre was still premature, and they prevailed on a 241-183 vote. Only five Democrats voted with the GOP to seat the Republican.

Later in the month, another recount, this one directed by a Democrat-dominated House Administration Committee, will have McCloskey ahead by four votes. With that result in hand, the House will vote to seat McCloskey on May 1, leading to a walk out by GOP members.

The incident will long be cited by Republicans as an example of what they called the "autocratic, tyrannical" rule of the Democratic majority.

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7:03 AM ET | 04-02-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1980: Jerry Brown, A Wis. Loser, Ends WH Bid

April 1, 1980:

After finishing a disappointing third in today's Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary, California Gov. Jerry Brown ends his candidacy.

Brown had campaigned long and hard in the Badger State, hoping its pockets of liberal enclaves would back his candidacy. But he wound up with just 12 percent of the vote, well behind President Jimmy Carter (56 percent) and Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy (30 percent).

Some felt that the candidacy on the GOP side of liberal Illinois congressman John Anderson pulled away votes that Brown may have been counting on.

Brown would again seek his party's nomination in 1992, with a similar result. Currently the state's attorney general, he is expected to once again seek the governorship in 2010, when Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is term-limited.

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9:09 AM ET | 04-01-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1968: LBJ Packs It In, Says He Won't Run Again

March 31, 1968:

Some wanted LBJ to stay. Many others were glad to see him leave.

President Lyndon Johnson stuns the nation by announcing he "shall not seek" and "will not accept" the nomination of the Democratic Party for another term.

The decision comes in the wake of his weaker-than-expected showing in the March 12 New Hampshire primary and the subsequent presidential candidacy of Sen. Robert Kennedy of New York. It also comes as the nation remains deeply divided over what to do in Vietnam.

Johnson's bombshell came at the end of a nationally televised policy statement in which he announced the halting of bombing raids over North Vietnam.

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8:55 AM ET | 03-31-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1981: Reagan Is Shot In Assassination Attempt

March 30, 1981:

Secretary of State Haig's declaration following the Reagan shooting was widely lampooned.

President Reagan is wounded in an assassination attempt outside a Washington hotel. The president receives a gunshot wound in his left lung. The would-be assassin, 25-year-old John Hinckley Jr., also critically wounds White House press secretary James Brady.

Hinckley also shoots and wounds Timothy McCarthy, a Secret Service agent who dived in front of President Reagan to take the bullet, and Thomas Delahanty, a D.C. police officer. (Thanks to reader Tom Goffe for including these two men.)

With Vice President George Bush on an Air Force jet headed to Washington from Texas, Secretary of State Alexander Haig holds an afternoon press briefing where he famously says, "As of now, I am in control here in the White House."

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10:51 AM ET | 03-30-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1973: Lindy Boggs Succeeds Husband In Congress

March 20, 1973:

A special election in Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District to succeed House Majority Leader Hale Boggs (D), who disappeared in a plane crash over Alaska back in October, is easily won by his widow, Corinne (Lindy) Boggs. She is the first woman ever elected to the House from Louisiana.

Lindy Boggs will hold the seat with no difficulty until she retires in 1990 and is replaced by the Honorable William Jefferson, who becomes the state's first African-American member of Congress.

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11:32 AM ET | 03-20-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1974: Buckley Is First Right-Wing Split From Nixon

March 19, 1974:

Conservatives took Jim Buckley's 1970 Senate slogan and adapted it in the wake of their displeasure over Nixon.

In a major blow to the political viability of President Nixon, who is under siege for his role in the Watergate scandal, Sen. James Buckley of New York calls for his resignation. Buckley says Nixon's resignation is necessary because Watergate has "plunged our country into what historians call a 'crisis of the regime.' A crisis of the regime is a disorder, a trauma, involving every tissue of the nation, conspicuously including its moral and spiritual dimensions."

Buckley, first elected in 1970 as the candidate of New York's Conservative Party, is the first conservative Republican in Congress to call for Nixon to quit.

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11:53 AM ET | 03-19-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1976: Sen. Frank Church Announces For President

March 18, 1976:

Though many of the key primaries and caucuses have already passed, Sen. Frank Church of Idaho declares his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination. Church will direct his attention toward the Nebraska primary on May 11, arguing that there is still time to make a difference.

Church will win Nebraska, narrowly, over former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter. But in the end the verdict is that Church entered the race too late. Carter will win the nomination on the first ballot.

Church's Senate career will come to an end in 1980; he will be defeated in his bid for a fifth term by Rep. Steve Symms (R).

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3:46 PM ET | 03-18-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1970: Hruska Links Judge To 'Mediocre'

March 16, 1970:

As the Senate is in the process of debating the nomination of Judge G. Harrold Carswell as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court -- to fill the seat vacated by Abe Fortas -- Nebraska Republican Roman Hruska says in a TV interview, "Even if he [Carswell] were mediocre, there are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. They are entitled to a little representation, aren't they? We can't have all Brandeises and Frankfurters and Cardozos."

The Senate will reject Carswell's nomination on April 8 by a vote of 51-45, giving President Nixon a second consecutive setback; in 1969, it rejected Nixon's choice of Clement Haynsworth.

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12:01 PM ET | 03-16-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1968: RFK 'Reconsiders' Presidential Bid

March 13, 1968:

One day after Sen. Eugene McCarthy does far better in the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary than anyone expected -- coming within six points of President Lyndon Johnson -- New York Sen. Robert Kennedy says he is "actively reconsidering" his earlier decision not to run for president.

It was only in January when Kennedy said he wouldn't run against Johnson "under any foreseeable circumstances."

Three days after he said he would reconsider, Kennedy enters the race. McCarthy supporters will brand him as an opportunist, and worse. Johnson will drop out of the race on March 31. Kennedy goes on to make headway in his bid for the nomination, but he will be assassinated on June 5, shortly after declaring victory in the California primary.

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9:49 AM ET | 03-13-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1956: 'Southern Manifesto' On Race Signed By 100

March 12, 1956:

Worn by Southerners in the 1950s who said they would "never" agree to integration.

One hundred members of Congress from the South -- 19 senators and 81 representatives (96 Democrats and four Republicans) -- present a "Declaration of Constitutional Principles" that criticized the Supreme Court in its Brown v. Board of Education decision for desegregating schools and protested civil rights initiatives.

It is widely referred to as the Southern Manifesto advocating continued segregation. Nearly every leading member of Congress from the South signs it. But the organizers decide to exclude Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson and House Speaker Sam Rayburn, both of Texas, because they don't want the national party to be linked to their efforts.

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11:15 AM ET | 03-12-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1953: Senate Begins Process To Give D.C. Vote

March 11, 1953:

The Senate passes a bill calling for residents of the District of Columbia to have a nonvoting delegate in the House of Representatives. The measure now goes to the House.

Until this measure is signed into law, Washingtonians cannot vote.

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3:37 PM ET | 03-11-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 2008: Spitzer Is Linked To Prostitution Ring

March 10, 2008:

Everything changed, all right.

Following a New York Times report that he was involved in a prostitution ring, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) holds a news conference where he apologizes for acting "in a way that violates my obligations to my family." But he never addresses the issue of why he is actually apologizing.

Two days later, with a seemingly shell-shocked wife at his side, he will announce his resignation as governor. Succeeding him will be Lt. Gov. David Paterson (D), who becomes the state's first black chief executive.

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9:43 AM ET | 03-10-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 2004: Kerry Sweep Gets Him Closer To Goal

March 9, 2004:

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry continues his march toward the Democratic presidential nomination, sweeping primaries in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

His main challenger, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, dropped out of the race last week.

On the Republican side, President George W. Bush -- essentially unopposed in his bid for renomination -- officially wins enough delegates to make him the GOP nominee once again.

In congressional primaries, Texas Democrat Chris Bell -- his district among those drastically redrawn by Republicans led by Tom DeLay -- is defeated by Al Green, a local NAACP official.

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12:02 PM ET | 03-09-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1991: President Bush Declares End To Gulf War In Address To Congress

March 6, 1991:

Republicans wore these buttons during Bush's address to Congress, making the point that many Democrats voted otherwise.

President George H.W. Bush addresses a joint session of Congress, heralding the end of the Persian Gulf War. His public approval reaches 89 percent in the polls.

That is a far cry from what it was late in 1990, when conservatives rebelled against his change of heart on taxes. But the 89 percent will be his apex; his popularity will fall as the economy weakens.

He will be defeated in his bid for a second term in 1992 by Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton.

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1:47 PM ET | 03-06-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1996: Dole Sweeps 8 GOP Primaries

March 5, 1996:

Bob Dole wins Georgia and 7 other states, en route to the GOP presidential nomination.

Three days after an impressive victory in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole sweeps eight more primaries, in Georgia, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont and Colorado.

The results will force two GOP candidates out of the race: former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander and Sen. Dick Lugar of Indiana.

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12:18 PM ET | 03-05-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1992: Clinton Wins 1st Primary; Bush Sweeps

March 3, 1992:

Bill Clinton, en route to Democratic presidential nomination, wins the Georgia primary, his first.

Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton (D) wins his first presidential primary, leading the field in Georgia.

But other Democrats win as well: Former Sen. Paul Tsongas, the New Hampshire victor, wins in his home state of Massachusetts; ex-California Gov. Jerry Brown is victorious in Colorado; and Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa wins caucuses in Minnesota and Idaho. Only Dem shut out: Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey, and he drops out of the race two days later.

On the Republican side, President George Bush wins every contest against main challenger Pat Buchanan.

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11:40 AM ET | 03-03-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1999: Pat Buchanan Runs Again

March 2, 1999

Pat Buchanan, a conservative commentator, makes his third bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

He challenged President George Bush for renomination in 1992. And he won the New Hampshire primary in 1996. But this time his efforts won't bring much attention. And he will have a disappointing showing in the Iowa straw poll that summer. In October, he will leave the GOP to plot out a White House bid as a candidate of the Reform Party.

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11:45 AM ET | 03-02-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1989: Speaker Wright Investigation Intensifies

Feb. 27, 1989:

Speaker Jim Wright was already the target of House conservatives who disagreed with his opposition to funding Nicaraguan Contras.

The House ethics committee begins its review of allegations against Speaker Jim Wright (D-TX), who has been under investigation for eight months over his finances. Eventually the committee will rule that Wright violated House rules.

Speaker Wright will announce to the House on May 31 that he will resign, rather than continue to fight the charges. He blamed "mindless cannibalism" by "self-appointed vigilantes" for his fate.

House Majority Leader Tom Foley, a Washington Democrat, will become the new speaker.

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9:18 AM ET | 02-27-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1987: Regan Out, Baker In As WH Chief Of Staff

Feb. 26, 1987:

Donald Regan, President Reagan's embattled chief of staff, resigns and is replaced by former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker (R-TN).

Regan's standing began crumbling as the administration became more enmeshed in the Iran-Contra scandal, in which White House officials were part of a plot to sell arms to Iran and use the profits to illegally supply Contra rebels fighting the leftist government in Nicaragua.

Baker retired from the Senate after 1984 and had been thought of as a potential presidential candidate in 1988. When he accepted the chief of staff position, it ended any aspirations for elective office.

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10:54 AM ET | 02-26-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1985: Louisiana Sen. Russell Long Calls It Quits

Feb. 25, 1985:

Sen. Russell Long (D-LA), first elected to the Senate in 1948 and son of the legendary Huey Long, announced he would not seek an eighth term in 1986.

The former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Long was considered to be one of Congress' leading experts on tax policy. He was named Senate majority whip in 1965 and held the post until 1969, when he was defeated by Massachusetts' Ted Kennedy.

Republicans hoped that Long's retirement would give them a chance to win his seat, but Democrats kept it in 1986 with Rep. John Breaux.

Long died on May 9, 2003.

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12:08 PM ET | 02-25-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1981: House Vacates Spellman's Seat

Feb. 24, 1981:

The House declared Maryland's 5th Congressional District vacant. The seat had been held since 1975 by Gladys Noon Spellman (D), who had been in a semiconscious state since suffering a heart attack the previous October. Nonetheless, she was re-elected to a fourth term in November with more than 80 percent of the vote.

The House took the action when it became apparent that Spellman would never recover. Steny Hoyer, a state legislator, won the seat in a special May election. He continues to hold the seat today.

Spellman was comatose for the rest of her life. She died on June 19, 1988.

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3:06 PM ET | 02-24-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1983: Ex-Fla. Gov. Reubin Askew Runs For President

Feb. 23, 1983:

Former Florida Gov. Reubin Askew declares his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination. Once considered a rising star in the party -- he was the keynote speaker at the 1972 Democratic convention and turned down George McGovern's offer to be his running mate that year -- Askew's White House bid comes after being out of electoral office since 1978, though he also served as U.S. trade representative in the Carter administration.

By the time Askew decided to run for president, most voters had no idea who he was. Opposed to abortion rights, he failed to make headway with conservative Democrats in Iowa. On March 1, after a disappointing last-place finish in the New Hampshire primary, Askew ended his bid.

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12:16 PM ET | 02-23-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1979: Wis. Voters Begin Petri Road To Congress

Feb. 20, 1979:

Voters in Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District nominate two state senators -- Republican Tom Petri and Democrat Gary Goyke -- to run for the seat of Rep. William Steiger (R), who died last December.

Among the candidates Petri defeats in the GOP primary is state Rep. Tommy Thompson, who would later become a four-term governor and serve in President George W. Bush's Cabinet.

Petri will go on to defeat Goyke in the April 1979 general election by just 1,200 votes out of 142,000 cast. He was elected to his 15th full term last November with 64 percent of the vote.

(Seriously, what other blog can give you such dramatic moments in political history like this one?)

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10:37 AM ET | 02-20-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1975: Senate Struggles To Resolve N.H. Election

Feb. 19, 1975:

The Senate Rules Committee votes to recount about 3,500 votes in the still-disputed 1974 Senate election between former Rep. Louis Wyman (R) and John Durkin (D). The ruling was not considered good news for Wyman, who wanted a complete recount of all 223,000 votes cast back in November.

Ultimately the Senate will declare the seat vacant and, in September, Durkin will win the seat in a special election.

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2:14 PM ET | 02-19-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1974: Democrats Win VP Gerald Ford's House Seat

Feb. 18, 1974:

In a special congressional election, Richard Vander Veen wins the House seat vacated by now-Vice President Gerald Ford in Michigan's 5th District.

Vander Veen is the first Democrat to win the seat since 1910, and the result is widely seen as a repudiation of President Nixon and his role in the Watergate scandal. It's also regarded as a sign of bad things to come for the GOP in 1974. And it was.

Vander Veen defeated state Senate Majority Leader Richard Vander Laan (R), 51 to 44 percent. The seat had been held by Ford for the past quarter-century.

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5:00 PM ET | 02-18-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1980: Bush Wins Puerto Rico GOP Prez Primary

Feb. 17, 1980:

The Republican presidential primary season opens in Puerto Rico, where former Rep. George Bush (R-TX) -- victorious in the Iowa caucuses a month earlier -- wins a landslide victory. He gets 59 percent of the vote, 20 percentage points better than the runner-up, Sen. Howard Baker (R-TN).

Bush gets all 14 delegates in the winner-take-all contest, helped in large part by the efforts of his son Jeb, who speaks fluent Spanish and had been campaigning on behalf of his father on the island for months. No other GOP candidate, including former California Gov. Ronald Reagan, competes in Puerto Rico.

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5:38 PM ET | 02-17-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1954: Carmine DeSapio Wins Dem Party Post

Feb. 13, 1954:

Carmine DeSapio, the Democratic leader of Tammany Hall -- New York's Manhattan -- was elected Democratic National Committeeman from New York.

DeSapio would go on to become one of the most powerful party leaders in the country. He got his start by helping elect Robert F. Wagner Jr. as mayor of NYC in 1953 and Averell Harriman as governor the following year.

He was defeated as district leader by Ed Koch, later a congressman and mayor, in the early 1960s. In 1969 he was convicted of bribery charges, serving two years in prison. He died on July 27, 2004.

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3:09 PM ET | 02-13-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1972: Wilbur Mills Joins Presidential Race

Feb. 12, 1972:

Rep. Wilbur Mills (D-Ark.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, announces his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Although Mills will never make any headway in the primaries -- his best showings were a fourth-place finish in New Hampshire and Massachusetts -- he nonetheless will remain a candidate until the third day of the Democratic National Convention in July.

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7:22 AM ET | 02-12-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1973: Women's Caucus Elects Its First Chair

Feb. 11, 1973:

The National Women's Political Caucus holds its first convention and elects its first chair -- Frances "Sissy" Farenthold, a former state representative from Texas who sought that state's Democratic nomination for governor in 1972.

Farenthold finished second in that primary, ahead of the incumbent governor and lieutenant governor. But she tried again in 1974 and got clobbered by Dolph Briscoe, who was elected governor in '72 and cruised to another term two years later.

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5:25 PM ET | 02-11-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1962: Michigan's Romney Announces For Governor

Feb. 10, 1962:

George Romney, the president of American Motors, announced his candidacy for governor of Michigan. Romney, a Republican, would defeat Gov. John Swainson (D) in November.

Romney went on to win easy re-elections in 1964 and 1966, the latter for a four-year term. He sought the GOP presidential nomination in 1968, but a remark about being "brainwashed" by the Pentagon over Vietnam policy would haunt him, and he would be out of the race by the end of February, a couple of weeks before the New Hampshire primary.

Richard Nixon, the Republican who would go on to win the presidency that year, picked Romney as secretary of housing and urban development. He stayed in that post until shortly after Nixon began his second term.

Romney died in 1995 at the age of 88. His son, Mitt, served one term as governor of Massachusetts and sought the GOP presidential nomination last year.

NOTE: We were unable to completely identify all the candidates on that Utah button we used in yesterday's "this day" feature. We knew about Sen. Reed Smoot and Rep. Elmer Leatherwood but couldn't identify "Hansen." We got this note from Ron Merlo of Glendale, Calif.:

Elias Hansen was a justice on the Utah Supreme Court from 1927 to 1937 (and chief justice the last two years). Assuming the office was elective in 1926 (when Smoot ran for senator and Leatherwood for representative), he could be your unknown.

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4:08 PM ET | 02-10-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1941: Reed Smoot, Of Smoot-Hawley Fame, Dies

Feb. 9, 1941:

This button is for Utah Republicans Reed Smoot for Senate and Elmer Leatherwood for Congress. Anyone know who Hansen was?

Former Sen. Reed Smoot, a five-term Republican from Utah, died at 79.

Smoot was the co-author of the Smoot-Hawley bill of 1929 that raised U.S. tariffs on thousands of imported goods to record levels. Many economists argue that the bill was one of the catalysts of the Great Depression.

Smoot was defeated in his bid for a sixth term in 1932 by a landslide.

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7:12 PM ET | 02-09-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1988: Arizona Gov. Mecham Impeached

Feb. 5, 1988:

The Arizona state House votes to impeach Gov. Evan Mecham (R) on campaign finance, obstruction of justice and other charges. Mecham had been in office only 13 months.

The Arizona Senate will vote to convict him on April 4, ending his governorship.

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2:38 PM ET | 02-05-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 2000: Gary Bauer Ends Presidential Campaign

Feb. 4, 2000:

Eleven days after a disappointing showing in the Iowa caucuses, Gary Bauer ends his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

Bauer, a conservative activist who ran on "family values" issues, finished fourth in Iowa on Jan. 24, with 8.5 percent of the vote. The top three finishers: George W. Bush (41 percent), Steve Forbes (30.5 percent), and Alan Keyes (14 percent). John McCain, who didn't participate in Iowa -- he focused on New Hampshire -- got under 5 percent. Orrin Hatch, the senator from Utah, received 1 percent.

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9:57 AM ET | 02-04-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1998: Greg Meeks Wins Flake's N.Y. House Seat

Feb. 3, 1998:

The House seat of Floyd Flake, leaving Congress to focus on his church, goes to Gregory Meeks in a special election.

State Assemblyman Gregory Meeks (D) wins a special election in New York's 6th Congressional District, in Queens, to fill the seat of Rep. Floyd Flake (D), who resigned to lead an African Methodist Episcopal church in the area.

Flake endorsed Meeks as his successor. Since the special election, which he won with 56 percent of the vote, Meeks has not faced any electoral opposition. He won a sixth full term last November. In 2004 he was a national co-chair of the Kerry-Edwards campaign. He was among those thought to be under consideration earlier this year to fill the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton.

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2:16 PM ET | 02-03-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1989: Senate Committee Delays Tower Vote

Feb. 2, 1989:

The Senate Armed Services Committee puts off a scheduled vote on the nomination of former Sen. John Tower (R-TX) to be secretary of defense. The committee acts in the wake of testimony last week by conservative activist Paul Weyrich that questioned Tower's "moral character."

The full Senate will reject Tower's nomination on March 9. President George Bush will then nominate Rep. Dick Cheney of Wyoming, who will easily win confirmation.

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1:26 PM ET | 02-02-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1984: Reagan Says He'll Run Again

Jan. 29, 1984:

President Ronald Reagan declares his candidacy for a second term.

He will go on to win renomination with little opposition and defeat Democratic challenger Walter Mondale in November in a landslide, carrying 49 of 50 states.

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4:06 PM ET | 01-29-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1983: RNC Elects The Laxalt-Fahrenkopf Team

Jan. 28, 1983:

Laxalt was President Reagan's best friend in the Senate.

The Republican National Committee elects Sen. Paul Laxalt of Nevada, a strong ally of President Reagan, as its first-ever general chairman, along with his protege, Frank Fahrenkopf, as chairman, who will run the day-to-day operations of the RNC.

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11:50 AM ET | 01-28-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1987 -- Reagan Admits Iran-Contra 'Mistakes' In SOTU

Jan. 27, 1987:

In his State of the Union address, President Ronald Reagan acknowledges that "serious mistakes were made" in his administration's decision to trade arms to Iran in a bid to release Americans held hostage. "It did not work, and for that I assume full responsibility."

Dealing with the Iran-Contra scandal will take up much of Reagan's second term in office.

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2:41 PM ET | 01-27-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1981 -- Kelly Convicted In Abscam Scandal

Jan. 26, 1981:

Former Rep. Richard Kelly (R-FL) became the sixth member of Congress, and the only Republican, to be convicted of bribery charges in the wake of the government's Abscam probe.

Kelly, who was defeated for renomination the previous September, said he would appeal. He acknowledged taking $25,000 in cash but said he had done so as part of his own investigation into the "suspicious characters" he was dealing with.

The other five House members convicted in Abscam, all Democrats: Ozzie Myers and Ray Lederer of Pennsylvania, John Jenrette of South Carolina, Frank Thompson of New Jersey, and John Murphy of New York. The only senator involved in the scandal, Democrat Harrison Williams of New Jersey, would go on trial March 30.

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11:03 AM ET | 01-26-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1980

Jan. 16, 1980:

Rep. Steve Symms (R-ID), a strong conservative, announced his bid for the Senate against four-term Democratic incumbent Frank Church. Symms would go on to narrowly defeat Church in November by just over 4,000 votes. Idaho has not elected a Democratic senator since.

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4:05 PM ET | 01-16-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1982

Jan. 15, 1982:

Democratic superdelegates helped Walter Mondale win his party's prez nomination in 1984

The Democratic National Committee changed the rules for its 1984 delegate selection, announcing the creation of "superdelegates" -- party regulars and elected officials -- who would automatically become delegates at the convention. The change was orchestrated by North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt and New York Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro, who headed up a party commission looking at changing the nominating process.

The move was seen as an indication that Democrats did not want to see a repeat of what happened in 1972, when an outsider like George McGovern could win the party's presidential nomination, and repeated in 1976, when a similar outsider like Jimmy Carter won the nomination. By making Democratic governors, members of Congress, and state party officials automatic delegates, Democrats were saying that it was time for the "adults" in the party to put their foot down when it came to nominating presidential candidates.

(P.S. The first Democrat to benefit from this change in the rules was Walter Mondale, the former vice president, who won the 1984 presidential nomination thanks in part to the role played by the superdelegates. Mondale lost 49 of 50 states that year to President Reagan.)

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2:27 PM ET | 01-15-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1977

Jan. 14, 1977:

Still smarting over their defeat in the 1976 elections, Republicans elected former Sen. Bill Brock of Tennessee as their national party chairman. Former President Gerald Ford had preferred James Baker, his campaign manager, and GOP rival Ronald Reagan backed Richard Richards, the Utah party chair. Brock, the second pick of many, was considered a compromise choice. Brock himself was part of the '76 loss, as he was beaten for his seat by Democrat Jim Sasser.

Brock would help lead Republicans to pick up congressional seats in 1978. In 1980, when he was still chair, the GOP won the White House with Reagan and took control of the Senate for the first time since 1954.

Richards, Reagan's choice, succeeded Brock as party chair in 1981.

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12:23 PM ET | 01-14-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1978

Jan. 13, 1978:

Sen. Hubert Humphrey (D-Minn.), a former vice president and the Democratic nominee for president in 1968, died of cancer at age 66.

In 1948, as mayor of Minneapolis and a candidate for the Senate, he gave an electrifying speech at the Democratic National Convention on civil rights that caused Southerners, including South Carolina Gov. Strom Thurmond, to walk out and form their own party. That year he unseated GOP Sen. Joseph Ball; he was re-elected in '54 and '60. Humphrey also sought his party's presidential nomination in 1960, losing out to Sen. John F. Kennedy.

He became President Lyndon Johnson's running mate in the 1964 election, and the ticket went on to win in a landslide. When LBJ decided in late March of 1968 against seeking re-election, Humphrey declared his own candidacy. He entered no primaries but won the nomination at a riotous convention that summer in Chicago. With his party split in two over the Vietnam War, he lost the 1968 presidential election to Republican Richard Nixon.

Humphrey came back to the Senate in 1970, winning the seat vacated by fellow Democrat Eugene McCarthy. He again tried for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972, losing out to Sen. George McGovern. After his death at his Waverly, Minn., home, his body was flown to Washington, where an estimated 60,000 people came to pay their respects.

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3:00 PM ET | 01-13-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1976

Jan. 12, 1976:

Sen. Hiram Fong (R-Hawaii) announces his retirement after three terms. Fong was also the state's favorite son candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1968. Hawaii has not sent a Republican to the Senate since Fong retired.

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12:58 PM ET | 01-12-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1975

Jan. 9, 1975:

The two candidates in the still-undecided 1974 New Hampshire Senate race, Republican Louis Wyman and Democrat John Durkin, took their case before a Senate subcommittee. The N.H. Ballot Law Commission ruled that Wyman won the race by two votes, but Durkin appealed the decision to the entire Senate.

(With the Senate hopelessly deadlocked, a new election was called, for September 1975, which Durkin won.)

(P.S. Yes, I know, today would have been Richard Nixon's 96th birthday. But he got a "This Day" mention yesterday. Fair is fair.

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1:58 PM ET | 01-09-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1960

Jan. 8, 1960:

Vice President Richard Nixon declared his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination.

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4:07 PM ET | 01-08-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1960

Jan. 7, 1960:

Rep. Richard Simpson (R-PA), the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee and the ranking GOPer on the House Ways and Means Committee, died at 59 following brain surgery.

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11:03 AM ET | 01-07-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1959

Jan. 6, 1959:

A flip of the coin decided that E.L. (Bob) Bartlett would be Alaska's new senior senator and Ernest Gruening would be the junior senator. The two Democrats were elected on Nov. 25, 1958, after Alaska became the 49th state.

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10:45 AM ET | 01-06-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1967

Jan. 5, 1967:

Rep. Adam Clayton Powell (D-NY), who chaired the Education and Labor Committee, said that the attempt by the House to strip him of his seniority or chairmanship or remove him from office altogether was "motivated by the desire to politically castrate one of America's most powerful Negroes of his power." Powell was accused of financial improprieties.

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2:20 PM ET | 01-05-2009 | permalink

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