1988 United States presidential election (The Hart of the Nation)

The 1988 United States presidential election was the 51st quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 8, 1988. The Democratic nominee, former Senator, Gary Hart defeated the Republican nominee, incumbent Vice President George Bush. This was the first election in which the victor was a Democrat from the West.

President Ronald Reagan was ineligible to seek a third term. Instead, Bush entered the Republican primaries as the front-runner, defeating U.S. Senator Bob Dole and televangelist Pat Robertson. He selected U.S. Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana as his running mate. Hart won the Democratic primaries against Jesse Jackson, Joe Biden, and Michael Dukakis. He selected former Governor Chuck Robb of Virginia as his running mate. This was the first election since 1968 to include no incumbent president on the ballot.