Oct. 19, 1992:

The three major candidates for president -- Incumbent George Bush, Democrat Bill Clinton and independent Ross Perot -- hold their third and final debate in East Lansing, Mich.

Seen by an estimated 99 million people, most observers say it is Bush's best performance of the three debates. But it's hardly enough to close the gap in the polls against Clinton, the governor of Arkansas.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Oct. 16, 1996:

St. Petersburg, Fla., was hoping to get the 2nd Clinton-Dole debate, but it went instead to San Diego.

It is a more aggressive Bob Dole in his debate against President Clinton than we saw 10 days earlier, but all polls show the Republican challenger failing to make any headway.

The 90-minute debate in San Diego, their second and final encounter, has Dole attacking Clinton on "character" and ethics issues, and Clinton responding by calling Dole "out of touch."

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Oct. 15, 1991:

Gender politics played a major role in the Thomas confirmation hearings.

The Senate, by the closest margin involving a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court in more than a century, confirms President Bush's choice of Clarence Thomas as an associate justice. The vote is 52-48, with two Republicans (Jeffords of Vermont and Packwood of Oregon) voting no and 11 Democrats voting yes.

The vote had been delayed over accusations of sexual harassment leveled by Anita Hill at Thomas, who becomes the second African-American ever named to the court.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Oct. 14, 1993:

Solomon's exit leaves Gingrich unopposed to lead House GOP.

Rep. Jerry Solomon (R-NY) ends his bid to succeed House Minority Leader Bob Michel, who announced his retirement earlier in the month. Solomon's decision leaves Newt Gingrich of Georgia unopposed in his bid to become the Republican leader in the House for the 104th Congress.

Gingrich becomes more than the Republican leader. With the GOP picking up 52 seats in 1994, Gingrich becomes speaker of the House -- the first time a Republican led the chamber in 40 years.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Oct. 13, 1988:

The second presidential debate of 1988 is best remembered by the first question.

The second and final presidential debate between Vice President George Bush and Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis takes place in Los Angeles.

The debate begins with moderator Bernard Shaw of CNN asking Dukakis, "Governor, if Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?" There may have been other questions in the 90 minutes, but this is the one that everyone remembers.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Did you miss this daily feature while I was away in Arizona last week? Susan Casey of Atlanta, Ga., sure did:

I hope you're having a great time in Arizona, but I'm sorry you didn't post your 'this day in campaign history' feature. It's one of my favorite parts of your blog!

Apologies all around. Here are what would have been the postings on Thursday and Friday.

Oct. 8, 1982: The unemployment rate is at 10.1 percent, the highest in more than 40 years. Today's news immediately leads congressional Democrats and their allies in organized labor to say that the 1982 midterm elections will be a referendum on President Reagan's economic policies and will give the Democrats the White House in 1984.

Oct. 9, 1974: Rep. Wilbur Mills (D-AR), chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee and one of Congress' most powerful lawmakers, is stopped for speeding by Washington, D.C. police at 2 a.m. Shortly after the car is stopped, a woman inside, a stripper by the name of Fanne Fox, jumps into the Potomac River.

Oct. 7, 1980:

Rep. John Jenrette (D-SC) is convicted on two counts of bribery and one of conspiracy for his role in the Abscam scandal.

He is the second lawmaker convicted in the scandal, following Rep. Ozzie Myers (D-PA), who was expelled from the House in September. Jenrette will lose his seat in November to Republican John Napier.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Oct. 6, 1976:

President Gerald Ford and Democratic challenger Jimmy Carter hold their second debate, this one focusing on foreign policy.

Ford, on the defensive for much of the 90 minutes, makes an apparent blunder when he says, "There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never be will under a Ford administration. ... I don't believe the Poles consider themselves dominated by the Soviet Union."

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Oct. 5, 1978:

Florida State Sen. Bob Graham, who trailed state Attorney General Robert Shevin by 100,000 votes in the initial Democratic gubernatorial primary in September, comes back to defeat Shevin in the runoff.

Both candidates are from the Miami area, but Graham sweeps the northern and central areas of the state. With a running mate from the northern Panhandle part of the state, the winning team becomes known as the Graham-cracker ticket. Graham will defeat Republican millionaire businessman Jack Eckerd in November and succeed term-limited Gov. Reubin Askew. He will be re-elected in 1982 and then oust Paula Hawkins (R) from her Senate seat in 1986 for the first of his three terms.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Oct. 2, 1968:

If confirmed, Fortas would have succeeded Chief Justice Earl Warren, never a favorite among conservatives.

In the wake of a filibuster led by Senate Republicans and Southern Democrats, President Johnson withdraws the nomination of Abe Fortas to be Chief Justice of the United States.

The move follows a 45-43 vote in the Senate that refused to invoke cloture -- end debate -- and take up the nomination, well short of the two-thirds needed. It's the first time in history that the Senate refused to consider a nomination to the court.

Johnson had nominated Fortas, an old pal whom he named as an Associate Justice in 1965, to succeed retiring Chief Justice Earl Warren.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Oct. 1, 1972:

The New York County (Manhattan) Democratic Committee selects Bella Abzug as the party's nominee in the 20th Congressional District to replace the late Rep. William Ryan.

Abzug, who was first elected to Congress in 1970 and whose own district was eliminated by redistricting, challenged Ryan in the June Democratic primary and lost by a 2-1 margin. But Ryan died on Sept. 17 of cancer. In the meeting of Manhattan Democrats, Abzug defeated Ryan's widow, Priscilla, by a vote of 576 to 333.

Abzug will be re-elected to Congress in November, beating a field that includes Priscilla Ryan as the candidate of the Liberal Party. She will serve until 1976, when she leaves to make an unsuccessful bid for the Senate.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 30, 1969:

Democrats pick up their third House seat of the year, and each result is portrayed as a reflection on President Nixon's Vietnam war policies.

In a special election in Massachusetts' 6th District to fill the seat of the late GOP Rep. William Bates, state Rep. Michael Harrington (D) defeats state Sen. William Saltonstall (R). Harrington is a strong opponent of the war, while Saltonstall, the son of former Sen. Leverett Saltonstall, supported Nixon.

Harrington becomes the first Democrat to represent the district since the 1874 elections. It's also the third time a Democrat picked up a Republican House seat this year in special elections; the other two were in Wisconsin's 7th CD (David Obey) and Montana's 2nd CD (John Melcher).

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 29, 1970:

Florida State Sen. Lawton Chiles, until recently a political unknown statewide, upsets former Gov. Farris Bryant in the Democratic primary runoff for the U.S. Senate.

Chiles, with little funds, gained attention for his walk across the state. He will go on to defeat Rep. Bill Cramer (R) in November and hold the seat of retiring Sen. Spessard Holland for the Democrats.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 28, 1966:

Lester Maddox, a former Atlanta restaurant owner and staunch segregationist, easily wins the Democratic primary runoff for governor against liberal ex-Gov. Ellis Arnall.

Arnall, who led the six-candidate field in the initial Sept. 14 primary -- where state Sen. Jimmy Carter finished third -- had been favored to defeat Maddox. But Maddox benefited from widespread unhappiness with President Lyndon Johnson and widespread civil unrest; he used an ax handle as his campaign symbol -- which he used to keep blacks out of his restaurant rather than permit desegregation.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 25, 1962:

In defiance of a federal court order, Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett (D) physically prevents James Meredith, a 29-year old Air Force veteran, from enrolling as the first black student at the University of Mississippi. Mississippi's two U.S. senators and five of its six House members support Barnett's action.

Four days later, President John Kennedy federalizes the Mississippi National Guard and sends federal troops to the Oxford campus. Meredith is enrolled on Oct. 1.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 24, 1955:

President Dwight Eisenhower suffers a "moderate" heart attack following a return from a golf and fishing trip. Almost immediately, there are questions about his capacity to lead and renewed attention on Vice President Richard Nixon.

The president, three weeks shy of his 65th birthday, will recover and win a second term in 1956.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 23, 1952:

In a nationwide TV and radio broadcast, Sen. Richard Nixon of California, the Republican nominee for vice president, defends his financial dealings and ethics in an attempt to remain on the GOP ticket.

The so-called "Checkers" speech is a success; the following day, presidential nominee Dwight Eisenhower announces he will keep him as his running mate.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 22, 1954:

With Gov. Thomas Dewey (R) retiring, New York's two major political parties nominate their gubernatorial candidates at their respective state conventions to succeed him. Republicans unanimously back two-term Sen. Irving Ives, who is Dewey's personal choice. Democrats nominate former Mutual Security Administrator Averell Harriman, who defeats Rep. Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. on the first ballot at their state convention; FDR Jr. then becomes the Democratic candidate for state attorney general.

An unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1952, Harriman will narrowly defeat Ives in November. But Roosevelt's bid for statewide office will fail; he will be defeated by Rep. Jacob Javits (R).

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 21, 1999:

George Brown's widow failed in her bid to replace the veteran California Democrat in Congress.

In a rare defeat for a widow of a member of Congress trying to succeed him, Marta Macias Brown loses in her bid to replace the late Rep. George Brown (D) in a special election in California's 42nd District. The winner is state Sen. Joe Baca (D), who defeats Marta Brown by 518 votes.

Baca will easily claim the seat against a Republican candidate in the Nov. 16 runoff. He still serves in the House, having been elected to a fifth full term last year.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 18, 1990:

The favorites are defeated in the Massachusetts gubernatorial primaries, thanks to an influx of independent voters.

Boston University President John Silber, a political novice, surprises former state Attorney General Francis Bellotti on the Democratic side, while for the Republicans, ex-U.S. Attorney Bill Weld, who is pro-choice, upsets conservative state Rep. Stephen Pierce, who was backed by the party establishment.

Voters, angry at the state of Massachusetts' fiscal situation and ready to blame retiring Gov. Michael Dukakis and the Democrats, will elect Weld governor in November, the first Republican to win the post since 1970.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 17, 1991:

Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus narrowly wins renomination in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, edging past ex-Rep. Wayne Dowdy. On the Republican side, businessman Kirk Fordice and state Auditor Pete Johnson are forced into a runoff.

Mabus was hoping to become the first Miss. governor in the 20th century to serve consecutive four-year terms. But Fordice will go on to win the GOP runoff and beat Mabus in November, becoming the first Republican governor of the state since Reconstruction.

Sept. 16, 2003:

One small step for Edwards, one giant leap for videographers.

John Edwards, a first-term senator from North Carolina, declares his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination in his hometown of Robbins. The announcement comes a week after he said he would not seek re-election to the Senate.

Edwards will finish a strong second to Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry in the Iowa caucuses. But despite favorable reviews of his campaign, he is never able to stop Kerry's march to the nomination. Nonetheless, Kerry picks Edwards as his running mate.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 15, 1997:

Conservatives opposed President Clinton's nomination of Weld as ambassador to Mexico.

Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld (R) withdraws his nomination to become ambassador to Mexico, unable to get Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Jesse Helms to allow a confirmation hearing. Helms said Weld was not of "ambassador quality," citing Weld's support of the medical use of marijuana and giving needles to heroin addicts.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 14, 1992:

Rep. Ted Weiss (D-NY), seeking a ninth term, dies of heart failure -- one day before the New York primary, where he was headed towards an easy win. He was 64.

A liberal leader among House Democrats, Weiss will win his primary posthumously, with about 88 percent of the vote.

Among those who will make themselves available for the Democratic nomination to replace the congressman include former Rep. Bella Abzug and Weiss' widow, Sonya Hoover Weiss. But party leaders instead select state Assemblyman Jerrold Nadler, who easily keeps the 8th CD seat (mostly the upper westside of Manhattan) for the Dems in November. He still serves.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 11, 1998:

A report by independent counsel Kenneth Starr is released to the public. The "Starr Report" recommends 11 possible grounds for impeaching President Bill Clinton, including lying under oath, witness tampering and obstruction of justice regarding his relationship with former intern Monica Lewinsky.

On Dec. 19, the House will impeach Clinton on two counts: perjury, by a vote of 228-206, and obstruction of justice, by a vote of 221-212. But he will be acquitted in the Senate in January of 1999.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 10, 1996:

Ross Perot, the presidential candidate of the Reform Party, picks economist and writer Pat Choate as his running mate. Choate has been advising Perot on economic issues for years, and the two co-authored a book in 1993 opposing the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 9, 1993:

Sen. Malcolm Wallop (R-WY), one of the Senate's leading conservatives, announces he will not seek a fourth term in 1994.

There is speculation that Wallop will seek the governorship in '94, a post he sought in 1974 but lost in the GOP primary.

Wallop ultimately does not run for governor; he will be succeeded in the Senate by Rep. Craig Thomas (R).

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 8, 1981:

Rep. William Cotter, a Connecticut Democrat first elected in 1970, dies of pancreatic cancer. He was 55. Cotter, a strong critic of oil industry profits, regularly won re-election with little effort.

He will be succeeded in a special January 1982 election by Barbara Kennelly (D), the Connecticut Secretary of State.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 4, 1990:

The Democratic primary for governor of Florida turns into a rout, as former Sen. Lawton Chiles clobbers Rep. Bill Nelson with nearly 70 percent of the vote. Attacks by Nelson on Chiles' ethics and mental health clearly backfired.

Chiles will go on to defeat Republican Gov. Bob Martinez in November. He will barely win re-election in 1994 over future First Brother Jeb Bush. Nelson will rebound by getting elected senator in 2000. And Bush himself will win the governorship for the first of two terms in 1998, defeating Chiles' lt. gov., Buddy MacKay.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 3, 1991:

Former California Gov. Jerry Brown launches his third bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, attacking the "confederacy of corruption, careerism and campaign consulting" that he said had taken control over politics.

This bid, like his efforts in 1976 and 1980, will prove unsuccessful.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 2, 1986:

In a battle between two giants of the civil rights movement, former Atlanta City Councilman John Lewis upsets state Sen. Julian Bond by a 52-48 percent margin in the Democratic runoff in Georgia's 5th Congressional District.

Lewis had run a very aggressive campaign, at one point announcing he had taken a drug test and challenging Bond to do the same. Bond, a more reserved and somewhat aloof campaigner who was endorsed by Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, was thrown on the defensive.

Lewis wins a clear majority of white votes in the black-majority district. He will go on to defeat the Republican candidate in November and succeed Rep. Wyche Fowler (D), who will be elected to the Senate.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Sept. 1, 1983:

Two members of Congress die on the same day. Rep. Larry McDonald (D-GA) is killed when the Soviets shoot down a Korean airliner; hours later, Sen. Henry "Scoop" Jackson (D-WA) dies of a heart attack.

A Soviet fighter plane shoots down a Korean civilian airliner that kills 269 passengers. Among the Americans on the plane is Rep. Larry McDonald (D-GA), a fierce anti-Communist. Moscow insists that the plane veered over Soviet air space.

Later in the day, Sen. Henry "Scoop" Jackson (D-WA), a two-time Democratic presidential candidate and one of the Senate's leading defense hawks, dies of a massive heart attack, not long after a trip to Asia. Jackson, in Congress 42 years, was 71.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Aug. 31, 1964:

For some inexplicable reason, this has long been one of my favorite buttons in my collection.

The New York Republican Party renominates Sen. Kenneth Keating for a second term. There is some dissension, over Keating's refusal to back the GOP presidential ticket led by Barry Goldwater, but the nomination is without opposition.

The state's Conservative Party, however, sees things differently. Calling Keating a "left-wing traitor," the party picks college professor Henry Paolucci to run for the Senate.

The next day, New York Democrats nominate U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy as their candidate.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Aug. 28, 1968:

Vice President Hubert Humphrey is nominated for president on the first ballot of a tumultuous and divisive Democratic convention in Chicago.

He receives 1,760-1/4 delegates, far outdistancing Sen. Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota, who gets 601 delegates. Others whose names are placed in nomination are South Dakota Sen. George McGovern, the Rev. Channing Phillips, and North Carolina Gov. Dan Moore.

Humphrey will spend much of the fall campaign trying to unify his party. He will narrowly lose the election to former Vice President Richard Nixon.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Aug. 27, 1968:

12 years after Gruening's defeat, his grandson Clark will return the favor and oust Gravel in the 1980 Democratic primary.

Sen. Ernest Gruening, the 81-year old Alaska Democrat who was one of just two senators to vote against the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin resolution, is defeated in the Democratic primary by former state House Speaker Mike Gravel.

Ted Stevens, the state House Majority Leader, is defeated in his bid for the Republican nomination.

Gravel will go on to keep the seat for the Democrats in November.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Aug. 26, 1980:

Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel, seeking a third term, is ousted in the Democratic primary by former state Rep. Clark Gruening -- the grandson of the senator Gravel unseated in the Democratic primary 12 years earlier, Ernest Gruening.

The Republican nomination goes to Frank Murkowski, a banker, who will win the seat for the GOP in November.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Aug. 25, 1970:

As Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller coasts to renomination in the Arkansas Republican gubernatorial primary, former Gov. Orval Faubus hits a speed bump in the Democratic primary.

Seeking a comeback after four years of being out of office, Faubus has a clear lead over seven other candidates but not enough to escape a September runoff. Finishing a surprisingly strong second is Dale Bumpers, a cattle rancher and political novice.

Bumpers will stun Faubus in the runoff and go on to defeat Rockefeller in November.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Aug. 24, 1972:

As GOP chair, Dole liked to say that the Watergate break-in "happened on my day off."

One day after Republican delegates renominate the Nixon-Agnew ticket, the RNC unanimously re-elects Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas as Republican national chairman.

Dole then reappoints Tom Evans of Delaware and Anne Armstrong of Texas as national party co-chairs.

Dole apparently has been spared any political blame for the break-in at the Democratic national headquarters at the Watergate office building that occurred back in June; one RNC staffer, James McCord, was among those arrested in the break-in.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Aug. 14, 1946:

Joseph McCarthy, a circuit court judge and World War II veteran, upsets Sen. Robert La Follette Jr. in the Wisconsin Republican Senatorial primary.

McCarthy will win the seat in November. Within four years, he will become nationally known for his crusade against Communists, real and imagined, in the U.S. government.

He will be "condemned" (censured) by the Senate in 1954, and will serve in that body until his death in 1957.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Aug. 13, 1966:

John Rarick effectively tied Rep. Jimmy Morrison to President Johnson.

In a bitter Louisiana Democratic primary fought over federal civil rights legislation, Rep. Jimmy Morrison is forced into a runoff by former state district judge John Rarick, a strong segregationist.

Rarick accused Morrison, who voted for the 1965 Voting Rights Act, of being the "black power candidate" and an "LBJ rubber stamp" during the campaign. Rarick will defeat Morrison in the Sept. 24 runoff.

(OK, I concede this is not one of the more memorable moments in campaign history. But I've always loved this button and the story behind it. So there.)

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Aug. 12, 1954:

The Senate, on an 85-0 vote, passes a bill that would outlaw the Communist Party. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Hubert Humphrey (D-MN), but opposed by President Eisenhower, Attorney General Herbert Brownell and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.

A partial explanation for Humphrey's role might be that Sen. Joe McCarthy (R-WI) had spent the previous four years attacking Democrats as soft on communism. But the Minnesota Democrat was also aware that there was genuine concern about Communist subversion in the U.S., and he didn't want to cede the issue to Republicans. Among Humphrey's co-sponsors were Sens. John Kennedy (D-MA), Paul Douglas (D-IL) and Wayne Morse (D-OR), all liberals.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Aug. 11, 1965:

The arrest of a black person by a white police officer in Watts touched off claims of police brutality, resulting in six days of riots that left 34 dead.

Following the arrest of a black driver by a white highway patrolman, and subsequent charges of police brutality, the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles erupts in a race riot. Six days later, the costs will be 34 deaths, 856 injured, and damages approaching $200 million.

Politically, the black violence will lead to a white backlash that many will say was responsible for Gov. Pat Brown's defeat at the hands of Ronald Reagan in the 1966 elections.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Aug. 10, 1944:

The American Labor Party, a left-wing "third party" in New York, endorses President Franklin Roosevelt for a fourth term. The ALP, disappointed that FDR dropped Henry Wallace as his running mate, nonetheless enthusiastically supports the ticket of Roosevelt and Harry Truman. The party also backs Sen. Robert F. Wagner Sr. (D-NY) for re-election.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

July 27, 1995:

Some conservatives were never convinced that former White House aide Vince Foster committed suicide.

The focus of the Senate Whitewater Committee is on the despondent note left by former Deputy White House Counsel Vince Foster, whose body was found with a bullet wound to the head in July of 1993.

There is a growing controversy over the White House's role in handling documents belonging to Foster, and some Republicans continue to doubt that he committed suicide, as it has been officially ruled. A Secret Service agent testified that Maggie Williams, the chief of staff to First Lady Hillary Clinton, left Foster's office the night of his death with a stack of folders, a claim that Williams denied.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

July 24, 1980:

This button commemorates the time when Carter relieved himself on an airport runway in front of the media.

The Senate unanimously votes to set up a panel to investigate Billy Carter's business dealings with Libya. The action comes ten days after the Justice Department disclosed that Carter, brother of President Jimmy Carter, had registered as a foreign agent representing the Libya, well after he received $220,000 from that country's government.

Billy Carter denied any wrongdoing and said he had made a complete disclosure on all his dealings with the Arab nation.

In 1978, he announced he was a friend of Libya and had visited the country, with all expenses paid by the Libyan government. Previous letters from the Justice Department urging that he register as a foreign agent were ignored by the president's brother. A DoJ report released in November of 1980 said that President Carter, despite claims to the contrary, failed to cooperate fully with the investigation.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

July 23, 1990:

President Bush nominates David Souter, a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge from New Hampshire, to succeed retiring Justice William Brennan on the Supreme Court.

Souter will be confirmed by a 90-9 vote on Oct. 9.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

July 22, 1986:

In 1964, Claiborne sought the Democratic nomination for senator in Nevada, losing the primary to incumbent Howard Cannon.

The House votes 406-0 to impeach U.S. District Judge Harry Claiborne of Nevada. While the vote is taking place, Claiborne is in prison for tax fraud.

Appointed to the bench in 1978 by President Carter, Claiborne is the first sitting federal judge ever to be impeached, the 14th federal official to be impeached in history, and the first in 50 years.

Claiborne's attorney, Oscar Goodman, insists the charges are part of a government vendetta.

The Senate will convict Claiborne in October, thus removing him from the bench.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

July 21, 1981:

In a special congressional election in Pennsylvania's 3rd CD held to replace Rep. Raymond Lederer (D-PA), state Sen. Joseph Smith is the winner. Smith, a Democrat, ran as a Republican after he lost the Dem nomination to David Glancey in May and agreed the next day to run on the GOP line.

Smith was backed by organized labor and former Philadelphia mayor Frank Rizzo, a foe of current mayor Bill Green, who supported Glancey.

The seat became vacant on May 5 when Lederer, who was convicted in the Abscam scandal, resigned.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

July 20, 1983:

The House censures both Reps. Daniel Crane (R-IL) and Gerry Studds (D-MA) for having sex with teenage congressional pages.

The action was far less severe than some wanted, such as Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA), who wanted them both to be expelled.

The ethics committee report said that Crane had sexual relations with a 17-year old female page in 1980, and that Studds, in 1973, had a sexual relationship with a 17-year old male page, though he may have been 16 when the relationship began.

Crane will lose his House seat in 1984; Studds will continue to be re-elected until his retirement in 1996.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

July 17, 1990:

Lt. Gov. Zell Miller is the leading vote getter in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in Georgia but fails to reach the 50 percent threshold to avoid a runoff.

Miller gets 41 percent of the vote to 29 percent for former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, who is hoping to become Georgia's first black governor. Finishing third is future governor Roy Barnes and in fifth place is former governor Lester Maddox. State Rep. Johnny Isakson wins the Republican nomination.

Miller and Young will go to an Aug. 7 runoff, which Miller will win. He will also defeat Isakson in November. Both Miller and Isakson will years later be elected to the Senate.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

July 16, 1992:

Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton accepts the Democratic presidential nomination at his party's convention in New York City.

In a 54-minute speech, he talks about growing up without a father and the values instilled in him by his mother, and lays out the argument against President George Bush.

Earlier in the day, billionaire Ross Perot ends his independent presidential candidacy -- though he will revive it in the fall.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

July 15, 1997:

Massachusetts Gov. William Weld (R), whose nomination to become ambassador to Mexico is being held up by Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Jesse Helms, attacks the North Carolina Republican in an unusual news conference in Boston.

Helms, a strong conservative, has said that Weld is not of "ambassador quality." He expressed strong opposition to Weld's position of supporting the medical use of marijuana and giving needles to heroin addicts. Weld, in today's presser, urges President Clinton not to give in to "ideological extortion."

The White House will continue its support for Weld, but Helms, in refusing to hold confirmation hearings, wins in the end. Weld will withdraw his nomination on Sept. 15.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

July 13, 1982:

State Assemblyman Matthew "Marty" Martinez (D) narrowly wins the California congressional seat vacated by Democrat George Danielson, who was appointed to the state court of appeals.

Martinez defeats Ralph Ramirez (R) with 51 percent of the vote.

In November, Martinez will face Rep. John Rousselot (R-26th), who was forced into the new 30th CD because of redistricting. Martinez will win, and will hold the seat until 2000, when he is ousted in the Democratic primary by Hilda Solis.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

July 10, 1989:

Hastings lost the Democratic gubernatorial nomination from Florida in the 1990 primary.

The impeachment trial of U.S. District Judge Alcee Hastings begins in the Senate. The House impeached him in 1988 on bribery and perjury charges.

On Oct. 20, 1989, the Senate will vote to convict and remove him from office, 67-28.

In September of 1992 a federal judge will rule that the Senate had improperly removed Hastings from the bench. Less than two months later, he will be elected to the House from Florida's 23rd CD, becoming the first federal judge to serve in a body that impeached him. He still holds the seat.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

July 9, 1985:

David Stockman, President Reagan's budget director who has made many admirers as well as enemies on Capitol Hill for his zealous desire to cut government spending, announces he will step down. Congress is in the midst of trying to cut fiscal 1986 spending by $56 billion, which would still leave a deficit of $180 billion.

Stockman, a former Michigan Republican representative, will be succeeded at OMB by Jim Miller.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

July 8, 1987:

The Bork nomination was controversial from Day 1.

Senate Democrats announce that confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork, a federal appeals court judge nominated by President Reagan, will begin on Sept. 15. If confirmed, Bork, a strong conservative, will replace Nixon appointee Lewis Powell, considered more moderate.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joe Biden (D-DE) says he will curtail his presidential campaign in order to give more attention to the Bork hearings.

On Oct. 23, the Senate will reject Bork's nomination by a vote of 58-42.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

July 7, 1981:

No O'Connor button, but here's a rarity: a Potter Stewart for Cincinnati City Council.

President Reagan nominates Arizona appeals court Judge Sandra Day O'Connor to fill the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court of retiring Justice Potter Stewart. O'Connor is the first woman ever nominated to the high court.

She will be confirmed by the Senate on Sept. 21 by a 99-0 vote.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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 have been 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 Administration director, but the nomination will go to Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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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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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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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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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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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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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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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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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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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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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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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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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

NOTE: Do you have any interest in seeing this feature continue daily? Or should it be cut back to once a week? Let me know what you think.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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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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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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).

 

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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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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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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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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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.