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The '08 Candidates' First Campaign Throughout this presidential campaign season, NPR takes a look at the candidates' first campaign. Their early runs for office – and what they learned in winning, or losing — may offer insight into how they are running now.
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The '08 Candidates' First Campaign

The presidential candidates' early runs for office may give insight into how they are running now.

'Outsider' Image Worked Before for Thompson

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.

'Outsider' Image Worked Before for Thompson

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In 2000 Race, Clinton Worked to Change Image

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.

In 2000 Race, Clinton Worked to Change Image

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Christian Volunteers Powered Hunter's First Bid

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.

Christian Volunteers Powered Hunter's First Bid

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Biden's Road to Senate Took Tragic Turn

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.

Biden's Road to Senate Took Tragic Turn

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Paul Has Long Drawn Support from Unlikely Places

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.

Paul Has Long Drawn Support from Unlikely Places

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How Brownback Learned to Be a Vocal Conservative

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.

How Brownback Learned to Be a Vocal Conservative

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Loss in '94 Taught Romney to Fight Back

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.

Loss in '94 Taught Romney to Fight Back

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Tancredo's First Race Was Classroom Dare

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.

Tancredo's First Race Was Classroom Dare

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Senate Race Marked Edwards as Rising Political Star

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.

Senate Race Marked Edwards as Rising Political Star

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Dodd's First Race Was Call to Service, Legacy

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.

Dodd's First Race Was Call to Service, Legacy

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Gravel Pioneered Poll-Driven Ads and Videos

Long-shot presidential candidate Mike Gravel's eye for cutting-edge media dates back to his first campaign for U.S. Senate in 1968. Gravel didn't bother with campaign buttons and bumper stickers; he made a movie.

Gravel Pioneered Poll-Driven Ads and Videos

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Kucinich Took On Powerful Interests in Mayoral Race

Dennis Kucinich's populist rhetoric and willingness to battle the city's political and business elites helped him win the race for mayor of Cleveland when he was only 31. But he struggled to hold on to popular support in the turbulent term that followed.

Kucinich Took On Powerful Interests in Mayoral Race

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For McCain, Once and Again the Underdog

When he first ran for the House in 1982, John McCain was the underdog. He won by knocking on lots of doors and speaking his mind to voters. It's an approach — and position — he still embraces as he mounts an uphill bid for the White House in 2008.

For McCain, Once and Again the Underdog

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Obama's Loss May Have Aided White House Bid

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama lost a 2000 U.S. House bid, but he made political friends and gained fundraising experience. And some say if he'd won he might still be a House member — not a candidate for president.

Obama's Loss May Have Aided White House Bid

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First Race Teaches Huckabee to Trust His Instincts

Mike Huckabee has ignored campaign advice that runs counter to his instincts ever since he lost a U.S. Senate bid in 1992. Consultants had advised the Baptist pastor to attack his opponent, Sen. Dale Bumpers, and the strategy backfired.

First Race Teaches Huckabee to Trust His Instincts

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1980 Race Set Tone for Richardson's Political Future

Bill Richardson arrived in New Mexico as an ambitious outsider in 1978. Two years later, he ran for Congress. He lost, but his hard work and knack for connecting with voters helped him win the next election and set the tone for his later political success.

1980 Race Set Tone for Richardson's Political Future

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Giuliani Struggled with Issues in First Campaign

In his first race for mayor in 1989, Rudolph Giuliani struggled to define his moderate position on several issues. Now, his tendency to change his mind is threatening to become an issue in his presidential bid.

Giuliani Struggled with Issues in First Campaign

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