Ron Paul 1988 presidential campaign
The Ron Paul presidential campaign of 1988 began in early 1987 when former Congressman Ron Paul of Texas announced his candidacy for the 1988 presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party. He joined the third party after leaving the Republican Party over the Reagan administration's handling of the federal budget. He ran on a platform that included non-interventionism in foreign conflicts, decriminalization of illegal drugs on a federal level, a return to the gold standard, the abolition of the Federal Reserve and a reduction in all government spending.
Ron Paul for President 1988
Ron Paul
U.S. Representative from Texas
(1976–1977)
(1979–1985)
(1997-2013)
Andre Marrou
(running mate)
Paul defeated Native American activist Russell Means at the Libertarian Party's National Convention in Seattle to win the party's presidential nomination. Former Alaska State representative Andre Marrou was selected as his running mate. After over a year of campaigning as the Libertarian Party nominee, Paul received very little media coverage and was excluded from presidential debates. On Election Day, he was on the ballot in 46 states and the District of Columbia, and finished in third place with approximately 0.5% of the vote, behind Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis and the winner Vice President George H. W. Bush.
Background[edit]
Paul was elected to Texas's 22nd congressional district as a Republican during a special election early in 1976, and he supported Ronald Reagan's presidential bid that year.[1] Paul lost his bid for re-election in late 1976, but was elected back to the seat in 1978. During his time in office, Paul followed the political and economic principles of laissez-faire advocate Ludwig von Mises, and gained a reputation as Dr. No, voting against legislation he felt was unconstitutional.[2] He also advanced legislation establishing term limits for Congressmen, and opposed any implementation of a military draft.[3]
After serving four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, Paul vied for the 1984 Republican Party Senatorial nomination in Texas and gained a reputation as an adept fundraiser. He was defeated in the primary and returned to his practice of obstetrics and gynecology[4]
In January 1987, Paul officially left the Republican Party [5] to run for the Libertarian Party nomination after becoming disillusioned by the spending policies of the Reagan administration[6] and presumptive Republican presidential nominee George H.W. Bush.[3] On leaving the party, Paul remarked: "Ronald Reagan has given us a deficit ten times greater than what we had with the Democrats. It didn't take more than a month after 1981, to realize there would be no changes."[6] The Libertarian Party had courted Paul for the previous six years.[7]
Results[edit]
Paul finished in third place on Election Day, far behind Dukakis and the victorious George H.W. Bush. He received 431,750 votes, which made up 0.5% of the overall vote. He received 203,639 more votes than the Bergland/Lewis ticket four years prior. The largest percentage won by Paul came in Alaska, where he received 2.7%. In Washington, he missed his goal of 5% with a 0.9% showing. In Utah, Paul received 1.2%.[42]