u/RWBIII_22

Ron Paul's stature as the nation's leading Libertarian is likely enough to ensure the vast majority of fiscal conservatives vote for him in November. He needs a running mate who'll expand his base.

Republican/Reform Party presidential nominee Ron Paul is a little bit closer to choosing a vice presidential nominee. He's down to his top four nominees after eliminate Senator Dirk Kempthorne and Governor Dick Randolph from contention. Paul believes his presence on the ticket alone is enough to win over fiscal conservatives, so there's no need to choose an ideologically similar running mate. Instead, he'll focus on expanding his base. His final four options are a reflection of that goal.

Jon Huntsman remains the odds-on favorite for the nomination, but all four of the remaining options are realistic.

Paul is still considering Jon Huntsman, a billionaire industrial magnate and philanthropist and sitting Governor of Utah who appeals to all sectors of his base, Manuel Lujan Jr., the experienced, pragmatic Governor of New Mexico who, if selected, would be the first Hispanic major party VP nominee, Sam Nunn, a conservative Democrat with great foreign policy credentials who could help Paul reach across the aisle to the Gravel Democrats he's trying hard to win over, and Christine Todd Whitman, his senate colleague from New Jersey, an anti-tax moderate with liberal positions on social issues who would be the first female VP nominee for the Republican Party. All are strong choices, and all would expand Paul's base in some way. Huntsman remains the consensus "safe choice", but all four of them have a good shot to be the Republican/Reform Party vice presidential nominee in November. Shortly, we should know who Ron Paul chooses.

VOTE HERE

Paul Wellstone and his wife celebrate their victory in the 1992 Green Party presidential primaries.

In the 1992 Green Party presidential primaries, Paul Wellstone, a little-known political organizer and presidential advisor from the Twin Cities toppled a political goliath in California Governor Tom Hayden to win the presidential nomination. He is now in the process of selecting a running mate. His primary concern: name recognition. Wellstone is up against three candidates, President Dick Van Dyke, Former President Mike Gravel, and Senator Ron Paul, who all have established names and broad-based movements. Wellstone, on the other hand, is still relatively unknown. The right vice presidential selection could change that instantly. Wellstone also wants a vice president with governing experience, as he knows his best path to win the White House is by campaigning as an experienced, steady-handed politician who serves the people first, a stark contrast from the relative inexperience and anti-"big government" ethos of his competitors.

Out of the available vice presidential choices, one woman stands out above the rest as the best possible option:

Former Governor of Massachusetts Barbara Ackermann

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Barbara Ackermann was the Governor of Massachusetts from 1979 to 1985 and the Secretary of Health and Human Services under Mike Gravel from 1985 to 1989. She has considerable executive experience both on the state and federal level, strong progressive stances on both social and economic issues, and high national visibility from her relentless work combatting the AIDS crisis at HHS. Since the end of her tenure as Secretary of Health and Human Services, she's been a leading activist for federal protections for same-sex couples, raising her progressive credibility even more. If selected, she'd also continue the Green Party's streak of having at least one woman on every presidential ticket, a streak that their 1988 presidential nominee, Angela Davis, is fighting hard to preserve. However, Ackermann is on the older side, as she'll be nearly 68 by the time she is inaugurated. She's also less labor-oriented and more socially progressive than the average Green Party politician, which could push Walt Brown's bloc of rural Greens towards Ron Paul.

He's also considering a few other choices, such as:

California EPA Director Larry Agran

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Larry Agran is a close ally of Wellstone's primary opponent Tom Hayden, and would be a good choice if Wellstone wants to preserve party unity at all costs. He's also a brilliant policy mind and a media darling who'd be excellent support for Wellstone on the campaign trail. Under his leadership, California enacted the strongest environmental protection laws in the country. Thus, he's the preferred choice for Vice President of the party's environmentalist wing. The only problem: Agran has even less national recognition than Wellstone. A Wellstone/Agran ticket would be strong, but the pair would have their work cut out for them getting their message across to people outside of Green Party circles.

Former Secretary of State Ramsey Clark

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Ramsey Clark is likely the most nationally-recognized running mate Wellstone could get. He served as Attorney General from 1969 to 1975 under Robert F. Kennedy, then returned to executive branch service in the Gravel administration, serving as UN Ambassador before being elevated to Secretary of State. Clark is an extraordinary orator, has decades of foreign policy experience, and is one of the leading faces of the anti-war movement. He's also a strong personality, and frequently clashed with Wellstone during their time together in the Gravel Administration. Clark has supported Wellstone throughout the 1992 election, but there's concern the friction between the two men could return if they share the Green Party ticket. There's also worries that his national gravitas could overshadow Wellstone entirely. Clark would be a headline-grabbing VP selection, but commanding media attention doesn't always translate to electoral success. Just ask Tom Hayden.

Former Governor of West Virginia Ken Hechler

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Ken Hechler is a left-wing icon. During his tenure as Governor of West Virginia from 1975 to 1983, he turned the state into a policy lab for left-wing progressivism. He's got decades of executive experience, a long and storied history of pro-labor and progressive policy stances, and is beloved by the working-class, rural Americans. However, at 78 years old, he'd be by far the oldest vice president ever elected. He's also reluctant to accept the role due to his age and desire to stay in West Virginia. But, he's still energetic, as good a campaigner as ever, and a great choice if Wellstone wants to lean in to winning over the rural left.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio

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Dennis Kucinich, a Congressman who's represented parts of Cleveland in the House since 1973 is exactly the high-profile choice Wellstone needs. Kucinich has led the People's/Green Party in the House since the late 1970s, and is a nationally recognized progressive and pro-labor activist. He's also a strong campaigner, although he does little to expand the electoral map for Wellstone, as the two share nearly identical political positions and are from the same home region. Kucinich is also seen as a beltway politician by some parts of Wellstone's base due to his long tenure in Congress and reputation for reaching across the aisle. Choosing Kucinich would be good for the party, but not the best option for electoral success.

State Senator Tonie Nathan of Oregon

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From 1977 to 1983, Tonie Nathan was the leader of the Libertarian Party in Congress. Since the 1980s, she's moved considerably to the left and officially joined the Green Party in 1990. She currently leads the party in the Oregon State Senate, where they're part of a majority coalition with the Democrats. Nathan was a local television host before becoming a politician, so she's very media savvy. She's also a strong campaigner. Nathan holds progressive positions on social issues such as abortion, gay rights, and the environment, but she also holds neoliberal stances on economic issues, favoring free trade and deregulation. That could help Wellstone with independents, but the labor wing of the Green Party would likely revolt if Nathan is selected as his running mate. She'd be a strong asset to the Wellstone campaign, but choosing her is risky.

VOTE HERE

Ron Paul, the 1992 Republican and Reform Party nominee.

Ron Paul has done what pundits believed to be impossible at the beginning of primary season. He has somehow won both the Republican and Reform Party presidential nominations. Paul has united conservatives behind a platform that is anti-tax, anti-regulation, anti-war, and deeply pro-individual rights. He carries a diverse but fragile coalition ranging from hardcore Libertarians to anti-tax moderates into the general election. Now, he must choose a running mate that'll appeal to an ideologically divided base.

There is one clear early favorite for the nomination:

Governor of Utah Jon Huntsman Sr.

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Jon Huntsman, the Governor of Utah since 1989, might be the most universally acceptable choice on Ron Paul's shortlist. Huntsman is a billionaire philanthropist with strong religious values and more moderate stances on economic policy than Paul. He's also got strong foreign policy credentials after serving as a US Ambassador during the Kemp Administration. Huntsman appeals to pretty much every group Paul is trying to court in some way: moderates, conservatives, independents, libertarians, anti-establishment activists, the business community, and the religious right all see admirable traits in the Utah governor. However, Ron Paul's campaign has thrived on disruption. This choice feels far too safe a move considering the candidate we're dealing with.

Paul is also considering some more unconventional options, such as:

Senator Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho

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Dirk Kempthorne is a young, charismatic politician who's represented Idaho in the US Senate since 1985. Ideologically, Kempthorne is a close match with Paul, being a pro-business conservative with a Libertarian streak on regulatory policy. Kempthorne would also be a major asset to Paul on the campaign trail, given that he's young, media-savvy, and a talented speaker. However, Kempthorne does little to expand Paul's base, considering his ideological overlap with the Republican/Reform Party nominee. He's also less nationally recognized than some of the other candidates Paul's is considering to be his running mate.

Governor of New Mexico Manuel Lujan Jr.

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Manuel Lujan is a businessman-turned politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 20 years before becoming Governor of New Mexico in 1991. Lujan is a respected, senior Republican who holds moderate views on social issues and believes in Kempist pro-business and pro-growth economic policies. Lujan is a beloved leader of the growing bloc of Hispanic Republicans, and if selected, he'd become the first Hispanic vice presidential nominee for a major party. On the flip side, Lujan will be 65 years old early next year and is not an energetic campaigner. He's also deeply tied to the Republican establishment, which could draw the ire of Paul's anti-establishment base.

Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia

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Sam Nunn is a conservative Democrat who's represented Georgia in the U.S. Senate since 1981. Ron Paul has never been afraid to reach across party lines, and adding Nunn, an expert on foreign policy and defense issues, adds a lot of credibility to his campaign. Nunn is easily the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, voting in line with Senator Paul's philosophy of low taxes and minimal government spending more often than not. He's slightly more liberal on social issues, strongly opposing gay rights but supporting abortion, gun control, and affirmative action. Nunn would be a good choice if Paul wants to reach across the aisle and court moderate and Southern Democrats, but he could alienate Paul's base, especially Republicans, who may stay home in November rather than vote for a candidate who frequently shows disloyalty to the party that just awarded him their presidential nomination.

Former Governor of Alaska Dick Randolph

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Dick Randolph and Ron Paul were two of the biggest national figures in the Libertarian Party at it's height in the late 1970s. Paul defected to the Republicans in 1983, the same year Randolph became Governor of Alaska. Randolph later joined the Reform Party in 1986. The two share a lot of history together, and as a result, Randolph has deep credibility within Paul's movement. He's also seen as a policy visionary for helping create the Alaska Permanent Fund, one of the first universal basic income programs in the country, paid for by oil and gas revenues. However, his achievements as Governor could be overshadowed by his activities after leaving office. Since 1991, Randolph has been a top lobbyist for the healthcare industry and has worked behind the scenes to build up support for ending Medicare For All by privatizing Medicare. Randolph's lobbyist background and support for a politically radioactive policy position are going to be easy targets for Ron Paul's opponents to attack him on if he chooses the former Governor of Alaska as his running mate.

Senator Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey

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Christine Todd Whitman has represented New Jersey in the US Senate since 1991. Her upset victory over Democrat Bill Bradley helped Republicans re-gain the Senate for the first time in nearly 40 years. She's an anti-tax fiscal conservative with moderate stances on social issues, aligning well with Paul's ideology while still being very appealing to moderate Republicans. Whitman would also become the first female vice presidential nominee for the Republican Party if selected. However, populists and Reform Party activists may be turned off by her selection, as she comes from a wealthy political dynasty and is considered "too establishment" by the more radical factions of Paul's base.

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We're down to the last two men standing in the Republican Primary, as one candidate, once seen as a front-runner, saw his campaign crash and burn over the course of late March through early April.

The collapse of the John McCain campaign would begin on March 17th, when the Arizona Senator placed third in primaries in Illinois and Michigan. Tom Ridge won in the Prairie State, but Paul's victory in Michigan was the real headline-grabber, proving he could expand his coalition outside of the rural South and Mountain West. McCain rebounded slightly, placing second in Connecticut, but he was far from competitive for first place amidst one of Tom Ridge's best primary performances.

Then, on April 7th, the wheels fell off. Four states voted in primaries: Kansas, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin. McCain placed third in three of four, placing second in New York. Tom Ridge won the majority of delegates in Minnesota and New York, while Kansas and Wisconsin fell in Paul's column. The following day, John McCain exited the race, offering no formal endorsement, although sources close to McCain overwhelmingly claim that he privately favors Ridge.

In fact, the Pennsylvania Governor has wide-ranging institutional support from the national party, with endorsements from a majority of Republican Governors, Senators, and Representatives RNC leadership figures, major corporate donors and interest groups. Paul, meanwhile has built an eclectic grassroots following of grassroots conservatives, libertarians, anti-tax moderates, populists, and anti-establishment figures of all parties and political leanings. His endorsement list reflects the eccentricity of his campaign. Among his most notable supporters are Former Vice President Paul Laxalt, Senate Majority Leader Ted Stevens, libertarian icon and Washington Senator Jack Metcalf, moderates Lowell Weicker and Christine Todd Whitman, and pragmatic anti-corruption crusader Larry Pressler.

This is a battle for the ideology of post-Cold War conservatism. Ridge stands for pragmatism, institutionalism, internationalism, and incrementalist change, while Paul is a populist, anti-tax, anti-war, anti-big government ideologue who is deeply suspicious of federal power and not afraid to say it. The final half of the 1992 Republican Primary will decide whether it will continue to be dominated by the pro-business, pro-labor, pro-big government, socially conservative Keystone Republican wing, or whether a unique coalition of Kempists, Libertarians, and Populists can seize control and usher in a new age for the Republican Party.

State of the Race

Candidate	Delegate Count	Contests Won
Ron Paul	350	Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin
Tom Ridge	340	Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island
John McCain (withdrawn)	293	Colorado, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, South Dakota
Jay Rockefeller (withdrawn)	73
Oliver North (withdrawn)	17
Christine Todd Whitman (withdrawn)	6
Tom Kean (withdrawn)	5
Jim Edgar (withdrawn)	1

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Ron Paul had a big night on Super Tuesday, putting him at the front of the Republican primary field once again.

Super Tuesday was a big day in the 1992 Republican Primary. Eight States: Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Texas, held their primary elections, and the day had one big winner and a couple of very disappointing losers. And, at the end of the night, a new candidate sits atop the Republican presidential field.

John McCain, meanwhile, had a rough showing, only winning in Florida and far underperforming expectations in many states.

That man is Texas Senator Ron Paul, who won five of eight Super Tuesday contests. He narrowly defeated Tom Ridge in Tennessee and scored huge victories in Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas. He won in the Lone Star State with just under 50% of the vote, carrying nearly every county in rural West Texas. It was the strongest single-candidate performance in a Republican primary so far this year, and in a state with a massive delegate haul. Tom Ridge had a respectable outing, winning both Massachusetts and Rhode Island and placing second in a number of states, most notably Florida, Louisiana, and Tennessee. John McCain struggled, only winning Florida - a far departure from his lofty expectations. As a result, he lost his spot atop the delegate leaderboard to Paul, who is now the race's front-runner after a dominant win in his home state.

Jay Rockefeller still can't break into the top tier of candidates. He's suspending his campaign after a rough Super Tuesday and endorsing Tom Ridge.

Jay Rockefeller came close to a victory in Rhode Island, but that would be the highlight of his Super Tuesday. He finished in last place in most of the Southern states, places where his brand of liberal Republicanism is a tough sell. He'll endorse Tom Ridge, despite Ridge's far more conservative positions on social policy. This race is down to three men, and all three have a legitimate shot at the nomination. Illinois and Michigan are the next two primaries up, and they should be interesting with no true moderate left in the race. These two contests will decide whether the Republican Party wants a candidate who is economically liberal and socially conservative (Ridge), a candidate who is socially liberal and economically conservative (Paul), or a candidate who sits in the middle of the two extremes (McCain). Paul has the edge, and he'll be on the ballot regardless after shoring up the Reform Party nomination, but overall, this is still anyone's race.

VOTE HERE

State of the Race

Candidate	Delegate Count	Contests Won
Ron Paul	211	Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas
John McCain	198	Colorado, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, South Dakota
Tom Ridge	169	Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island
Jay Rockefeller (withdrawn)	73
Oliver North (withdrawn)	17
Christine Todd Whitman (withdrawn)	6
Tom Kean (withdrawn)	5
Jim Edgar (withdrawn)	1

The Reform Party is very close to choosing their presidential nominee. Ron Paul is almost certainly their primary's big winner, but how he got there is a story of one man's humiliating downfall and another man's rise to become the "savior of Reform".

In the March 3rd Primaries, Ron Paul would get two more wins in Colorado and Georgia, while Donald Trump would get a win of his own in Maryland. Phil Crane performed well out of the gate, placing second in all three contests, although nowhere close to first place in any of them. But, four days later, his fortunes finally changed. In a surprising outcome, Phil Crane won the South Carolina primary by just a few percentage points over Ron Paul. It appears his campaign may not be a lost cause after all.

His victory lap would last just a few hours before things came crashing down.

At his victory party in Charleston, Phil Crane, heavily intoxicated, berated a female reporter who was interviewing him after his victory. Rumors of his alcoholism made the rounds on TV news shows the next day, with Donald Trump appearing on several different programs to disparage him in front of a national audience. Later that night, Phil Crane would hold a press conference where he would admit to his struggles with alcoholism over the past decade. His admission did not play well with the Reform Party's executive board, giving Donald Trump just enough votes to finally end the power struggle and oust Crane as chairman. Trump would be named interim chairman while a national search was conducted to find a permanent replacement, ending his presidential campaign to accept the role. With Trump at the helm, the national party is spending millions to help Ron Paul win the nomination. Yet, somehow, Phil Crane's quixotic presidential run soldiers on. Crane has lost everything: his power, his party, and his dignity, in one fell swoop. He can't let it destroy his presidential bid too. Crane has little to no chance of beating Ron Paul, but he's committed to riding his campaign out until the party convention, where, unless he pulls of a miracle, he'll bid farewell to an illustrious political career spanning three decades.

State of the Race

Candidate	Delegate Count	Contests Won
Ron Paul	101	Colorado, Iowa, Georgia, New Hampshire, South Dakota
Donald Trump (withdrawn)	73	Maryland
Phil Crane	49	South Carolina
Pat Buchanan (withdrawn)	20
Bob Dornan (withdrawn)	3
Pat Robertson (write-in)	3

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John McCain is surging in the polls and winning in the primaries. Republicans across all factions of the party love him, and he's now on pace to be the runaway nominee.

New Hampshire has come and gone, but there's still a handful of primaries to go before Super Tuesday. A new front-runner emerges in the Republican Race and a hotly-contested primary in South Carolina has major implications on one top candidate. Meanwhile, two disappointing presidential campaigns come to a close. Here's how it all went down:

With Jay Rockefeller emerging as the race's top moderate, Christine Todd Whitman has no path to the nomination. She drops out and endorses Rockefeller on March 5th.

March 3rd would bring three primaries, one in Colorado, one in Georgia, and one in Maryland. John McCain would strengthen his front-runner status by winning two of three, claiming the most delegates in Colorado and Georgia. Tom Ridge would win in Maryland. Ron Paul, second in Colorado and Georgia, kept up with the two front-runners, while Jay Rockefeller has finally emerged as a legitimate candidate with a close second place finish in Maryland. Oliver North finished 4th, 5th, and 5th, respectively out of the major Republican candidates. Even with Pat Buchanan now in charge, his campaign is still losing momentum fast. Christine Todd Whitman fared even worse, finishing sixth in all three contests and gaining a grand total of two delegates, both from Maryland. With no path to the nomination, Whitman ender her campaign on March 5th, entrenching Jay Rockefeller as the last true moderate in the race.

Oliver North is the next to end his campaign, withdrawing after a fifth-place finish in a state he won four years ago in a landslide. He endorsed John McCain, although McCain isn't exactly thrilled to be receiving his support.

Then, four days later in South Carolina, McCain would add another victory to his growing list of first-place primary finishes. He's starting to pull away from the rest of the field, although Tom Ridge remains viable after a second place finish in the Palmetto State. Jay Rockefeller finished third, and with all of his moderate competitors vanquished, his campaign is finally building momentum again. Ron Paul would finish a distant fourth, and with major developments in the Reform Party - more on that later - all but guaranteeing him their nomination, it's safe to wonder whether he'd benefit from remaining in the Republican primary race. Oliver North's campaign is over, as another fifth-place finish has effectively ended his presidential bid. He chose to endorse the race's front-runner, Senator John McCain. North also offered to campaign alongside McCain in the South ahead of Super Tuesday, but McCain refused, not wanting to be connotated with North or his far-right base. Eight states hold elections on Super Tuesday, and, this early in the race, 441 delegates is enough to completely flip this primary on it's head. Stay tuned, we've got lots more race ahead of us.

VOTE HERE

State of the Race

Candidate	Delegate Count	Contests Won
John McCain	77	Colorado, Georgia, South Carolina, South Dakota
Tom Ridge	60	Maryland, New Hampshire
Ron Paul	53	Iowa
Jay Rockefeller	30
Oliver North (withdrawn)	17
Christine Todd Whitman (withdrawn)	6
Tom Kean (withdrawn)	5
Jim Edgar (withdrawn)	1

The Green Party presidential race has a new front-runner. Paul Wellstone, after coming into this race a relative unknown, upset Tom Hayden, the sitting Governor of California, in the Iowa Caucus. Hayden was far more nationally recognized and had far more campaign resources than Wellstone. His win in Iowa must have been a fluke, as Wellstone, from Minnesota, already had deep organization roots there. Right....

Not exactly.

Wellstone followed up his Iowa Caucus victory by winning the New Hampshire Primary, beating Hayden by a close margin. The next day, Wellstone widened his margin of victory in another win in South Dakota. He's gone three for three, winning every primary so far despite low name recognition and serious financial limitations. It's time to face the facts: progressives across the country resonate with his message. Walt Brown, the third-place finisher in both New Hampshire and South Dakota, called Wellstone to congratulate him as soon as his victory was announced. By the end of the phone call, Wellstone had convinced Brown to drop out of the race and support his presidential bid.

Tom Hayden is now in serious trouble. He appeared to be the race's runaway front-runner, but he's been usurped by the charismatic organizer from the Twin Cities. With the Green Party presidential primary coming down to a two-man race, Hayden has hit the campaign trail hard, alongside his wife, Hollywood actress Jane Fonda, and many of his most prominent supporters. If he's going to win this race, he needs to use his publicity to his advantage, as that's the one area he'll beat his opponent in every time. Meanwhile, Paul Wellstone is now in firm control of this race. He's branded Tom Hayden as an "establishment progressive" and, after winning three races in a row, his voter base is expanding and small-donor money is pouring in to his campaign. The question is, has he done enough to beat the political juggernaut he's up against?

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The Republican and Reform Parties remain intertwined as the 1992 primary season progresses. One candidate is proving to be a strong contender for both nominations, dominating in one and emerging as a clear top-tier candidate in the other, one struggling Republican pivots, throwing the entire Reform Party primary on it's head, a new challenger enters the presidential race in a desperate attempt to stay relevant, and two top Republicans get their first primary wins in a crazy two-day stretch of politics:

Tom Ridge gets his first win in New Hampshire.

In New Hampshire, Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge would get his first primary win, narrowly defeating the race's two other front-runners, Senators John McCain of Arizona and Ron Paul of Texas. The McCain-Paul-Ridge trio has emerged as the clear first tier of candidates in this race. Odds are, the 1992 Republican nomination will go to one of them. Oliver North is still in this race too, but his placing in New Hampshire, a distant fourth place, is worrying. The field of moderates is still incredibly divided. Neither Tom Kean, nor Jay Rockefeller, nor Christine Todd Whitman eclipsed 5% of the vote in the Granite State.

One day later, John McCain gets his first win in South Dakota.

The following day, South Dakota would hold their primary. John McCain would win, getting his first victory of the 1992 primary season. Once again, a clear top three of McCain, Paul, and Ridge emerged on top of the field. Oliver North finished fourth for the second straight primary. Amidst unconvincing early primary showings and slipping national poll numbers, Oliver North fired his campaign manager and looks to be making a strategy pivot, whether that be towards moderation or even further right is unclear. Once again, the three moderates languished at the bottom of the delegate table, with only Jay Rockefeller earning a delegate in the Mount Rushmore state. Following the South Dakota Primary, Tom Kean would suspend his campaign to help his protege, Christine Todd Whitman, consolidate the moderate vote and emerge as a top tier candidate.

Oliver North's new campaign manager is none other than Reform Party presidential candidate Pat Buchanan.

The Reform Party primaries in both New Hampshire and South Dakota would award a majority of their delegates to Senator Ron Paul. Paul is quickly emerging as the race's favored candidate, as he exists as a "Third Way" candidate between the Buchanan-Crane wing of the party populated by conservative hardliners and Donald Trump, who's running a campaign that's far more moderate than the party's electoral base is willing to embrace.

Desperate to maintain his hold on power within the Party, Phil Crane stages a last-minute run for President.

Then, suddenly, the Reform Party presidential race was thrown into chaos when Pat Buchanan unexpectedly ended his campaign to accept the role as Oliver North's new campaign chair. With no other options left, party chairman Phil Crane was forced to enter the presidential race himself to prevent Trump or Paul from winning the nomination, as both have campaigned this year on removing Crane from his chairmanship. Crane runs on many of the same positions as Buchanan and is firmly aligned with the party's right wing, but he enters this race late, and with only lukewarm support from Buchanan, who advised his voters to support Crane in the Reform Party primary but unsurprisingly chose to endorse Oliver North. Ron Paul is now the clear front-runner for the Reform Party nomination and a favorite to win the Republican nomination too. If he wins both, he could be unstoppable in a general election. Meanwhile, Phil Crane is rapidly losing support as the Reform Party chairman. His run for the presidency is a desperate last-ditch attempt to keep his hold on power in the Reform Party.

VOTE HERE for the Republican Primary

VOTE HERE for the Reform Party Primary

State of the Race

Republican Party

Candidate	Delegate Count	Contests Won
John McCain	21	South Dakota
Tom Ridge	20	New Hampshire
Ron Paul	19	Iowa
Oliver North	8
Jay Rockefeller	5
Tom Kean (withdrawn)	5
Christine Todd Whitman	3
Jim Edgar (withdrawn)	1

Reform Party

Candidate	Delegate Count	Contests Won
Ron Paul	33	Iowa, New Hampshire, South Dakota
Donald Trump	25
Pat Buchanan (withdrawn)	20
Bob Dornan (withdrawn)	3
Phil Crane	1

Paul Wellstone organized his way to victory in Iowa, stunning the Tom Hayden campaign.

At the Iowa Caucus, Governor of California and Green Party presidential front-runner was upset by political strategist Paul Wellstone. Wellstone, of neighboring Minnesota, ran a well-organized campaign in Iowa, while Hayden focused mainly on urban areas and college towns. Representative Walt Brown performed very well too, winning many counties in the rural Western part of the state after campaigning with former Secretary of Agriculture Berkley Bedell and Congressman Leonard Boswell, two Western Iowan populist heroes.

Bernie Sanders has decided to run for the Senate instead of the Presidency. Will he end the 12-year-long drought of left-wing representation in America's highest legislative body?

Bernie Sanders would finish a distant fourth. Following the Iowa Caucus, Sanders announced he'd drop out and instead challenge Richard Mallary, a three-term U.S. Senator and the only Republican still serving in statewide office in Vermont. Sanders has instantly become Mallary's top challenger, giving him good odds to become the first Green Party member elected to the U.S. Senate. After Sanders announced his run for Senate, Sanders's Lieutenant Governor, Mary Alice Herbert, announced she'd run for Governor. If Herbert wins, she'd become the first Green Party Governor to directly succeed another Green Party member. Meanwhile, the party's presidential field is down to Hayden and Wellstone, with Brown a pesky socially conservative spoiler candidate. Can the heavily favored Governor pull through and win the nomination, or will Wellstone's superior organizing abilities help him pull of the upset. We may get some answers in the next contest up, New Hampshire.

VOTE HERE

State of the Race

Candidate	Delegate Count	Races Won
Paul Wellstone	13	Iowa
Tom Hayden	11
Walt Brown	8
Bernie Sanders (withdrawn)	5

Republican candidates for president Ron Paul and John McCain spar in the final primary debate before the Iowa Caucus. Paul would end up winning both the Republican and Reform Party primaries in Iowa. McCain would finish third in the Republican Primary.

The Iowa Caucus would see an insurgent outsider candidate unexpectedly win the most delegates in two major party primaries. This surprising outcome has immediately flipped both party's primary fields on their head.

In one of the most surprising primary election results in recent memory, Senator Ron Paul of Texas would win the Iowa Caucus for both the Republican Party and the Reform Party. The Libertarian political outsider visited all 99 counties in Iowa in the leadup to the Caucus, building up a strong base of grassroots support in the state that carried him to victory on February 10th. On the Republican side, Paul upset both Tom Ridge and John McCain, the two leading candidates in most state polls. On the Reform side, Paul defeated Donald Trump by less than 1,000 votes. Although the overwhelming majority of polls failed to predict the outcome of the Iowa Caucus, one poll, by Des Moines Register pollster Ann Selzer, correctly predicted that Paul would be victorious in both the Republican and Reform Party Caucuses.

Jim Edgar invested a considerable amount of money into the Iowa Caucus, only to come away with less than 5% of the vote and zero delegates. He dropped out of the race shortly after.

No Republican other than Paul, Ridge, or McCain got more than 10% of the vote in Iowa, with Jay Rockefeller, Oliver North, and Thomas Kean all polling in the high single digits. Christine Todd Whitman got around 5% of the vote, while Jim Edgar and James Baker were unable to secure any delegates. Pat Buchanan would finish third in the Reform Party Caucus, a strong performance, but nowhere close to Ron Paul or Donald Trump. Support for Bob Dornan was negligible, and Dornan dropped out of the race after the Iowa Caucus to run for Senate in California.

Congressman James Baker, seen here campaigning with Texas Senator George H.W. Bush, also dropped out of the race after failing to secure any delegates in Iowa.

Soon after Dornan's exit, Jim Edgar dropped out of the race too. Moderate Republicans in Iowa split their votes between a divided field, hurting all four of their poll numbers, with no moderate faring worse than Edgar. He had invested a considerable amount of money into the Iowa Caucus, hoping his name recognition as a neighboring-state Governor would help him do well. He ended up getting less than 5% of the vote. He's thrown his support behind Tom Kean, who himself only got 7.5% of the vote in Iowa. Conservative Congressman James Baker will exit the race too, putting his support behind Oliver North, who had been steadily losing supporters to the more electable John McCain. Hopefully, with Baker's help, North can right the ship and start climbing in the polls again.

The New Hampshire Primary is expected to be a heated contest for both the Republicans and Reform. On the Republican side, it's anyone's race between Paul, Ridge, McCain, North, and Kean, with Ridge having a slight edge, while on the Reform side, it's a three-way statistical tie between Buchanan, Paul, and Trump, according to polls. Can Ron Paul win his second straight contest and become the unquestioned front-runner in two party primaries, or will another candidate capture their first win in the Granite State. We're only one race into primary season, and things are already getting exciting.

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VOTE HERE for the Reform Party Primary

State of the Race

Republican Party

Candidate	Delegate Count	Contests Won
Ron Paul	9	Iowa
Tom Ridge	8
John McCain	8
Jay Rockefeller	4
Oliver North	4
Tom Kean	3
Christine Todd Whitman	1

Reform Party

Candidate	Delegate Count	Contests Won
Ron Paul	13	Iowa
Donald Trump	12
Pat Buchanan	10
Bob Dornan (withdrawn)	2

Donald Trump appears on CNN to promote his presidential campaign ahead of the Iowa Caucus.

The Iowa Caucus is just days away, and polling indicates that one faction of the deeply divided Reform Party is set to benefit greatly from it.

Alan Keyes has betrayed the Reform Party establishment. He's the first major reform party figure to hop on the Trump Train.

Pre-Iowa Caucus, things don't appear to be going great for Pat Buchanan and the Phil Crane wing of the party. Polling in Iowa shows that the majority of Reform Party members in Iowa prefer Donald Trump to Pat Buchanan. In the days leading up to the caucus, two lesser candidates chose to end their campaigns. First was economist and college professor Phil Gramm, who ended his campaign to support Buchanan. Second was radio host Alan Keyes, who, despite publicly supporting retaining Phil Crane as party chairman during his presidential campaign, now supports Donald Trump. Losing Keyes to the Trump wing of the party is another major blow to the party's establishment. There's real and growing momentum for Trump's vision of a big tent Reform Party. All he needs is a win in Iowa to prove it.

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Larry Agran would be the first Green Party candidate to end his presidential campaign. He would endorse fellow Californian Tom Hayden.

Headed in to the Iowa Caucus, the Green Party presidential field has consolidated as four top contenders for their presidential nomination emerge.

Julian Bond would end his campaign just a few days later, endorsing Hayden as well.

Governor of California Tom Hayden is still the overwhelming favorite to win the nomination. Opposition to Hayden is consolidating around three figures: Bernie Sanders, the staunchly pro-labor Governor of Vermont, Paul Wellstone, a political strategist and presidential advisor who was an influential figure in the Gravel administration, and Walt Brown, a Congressman and party elder who appeals to the Green Party's small but vocal contingent of social conservatives. The consolidation of the anti-Hayden vote by Brown, Sanders, and Wellstone left Larry Agran and Julian Bond with minimal support. Within days of each other, both Agran and Bond would suspend their campaigns and endorse Tom Hayden. The argument that Hayden is the most electable candidate in this field continues to grow stronger with the endorsements of two of his former primary rivals. Still, many experts expect an upset victory for Wellstone in Iowa due to his familiarity with state politics. We're down to four candidates, but out of those four, it's still anyone's race.

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