The '08 Candidates' First Campaign
'Outsider' Image Worked Before for Thompson()
September 3, 2007 In 1994, Fred Thompson, a longtime lobbyist, exchanged his business suits for a plaid shirt and a red pickup truck. His new, folksy "outsider" image won over Tennessee voters and gained him a U.S. Senate seat in his first political campaign.
In 2000 Race, Clinton Worked to Change Image()
September 10, 2007 Though a veteran of her husband's campaigns, Hillary Clinton's first race as a candidate was for the Senate seat she now holds. Her biggest task was to make voters who thought they knew her — and disliked her — change their minds.
Christian Volunteers Powered Hunter's First Bid()
October 9, 2007 Duncan Hunter's first run for Congress looked hopeless at first. He was a Republican running against an entrenched incumbent in a Democratic district. But Hunter had a secret weapon: an army of conservative Christians who worked tirelessly to help him win.
Biden's Road to Senate Took Tragic Turn()
October 8, 2007 Joe Biden was just 29 when, in 1972, he was elected as a senator from Delaware in an astounding upset. But his triumph turned to tragedy a few weeks later, when his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident.
Paul Has Long Drawn Support from Unlikely Places()
October 7, 2007 GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul has become an unlikely Internet celebrity. But it's not the first time Paul has run with an unusual source of grass-roots support: In 1976, he won a House race thanks, in part, to the moms whose babies he'd delivered.
How Brownback Learned to Be a Vocal Conservative()
October 15, 2007 Sam Brownback is perhaps the most conservative presidential candidate this year. But in 1994, he was attacked for being too liberal. That House race taught Brownback, now a vocal anti-abortion voice, to be upfront and clear about his positions.
Loss in '94 Taught Romney to Fight Back()
October 3, 2007 Mitt Romney took on Edward Kennedy in the 1994 Massachusetts Senate race — and lost. But the defeat taught him an invaluable lesson: how to answer critics. The skill comes in handy now that he has switched his stance on the hot-button issue of abortion.
Tancredo's First Race Was Classroom Dare()
October 3, 2007 Tom Tancredo was a junior high civics teacher whose students challenged him to campaign for the Colorado state legislature. His anti-government and anti-tax message caught on with Watergate-era voters — and still forms the basis for his presidential run.
Senate Race Marked Edwards as Rising Political Star()
October 1, 2007 During his first run for office in 1998, Democrat John Edwards used his telegenic personality and a populist message to win a North Carolina Senate race. For much of the past five years, his sights have been set on the White House.
Dodd's First Race Was Call to Service, Legacy()
October 8, 2007 A life in politics was the last thing Christopher Dodd wanted when he graduated from law school in the early '70s. But a Peace Corps stint, and the legacy of his father, a senator, prompted him to pursue what became a three-decade career in Congress.
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