# Worst presidential campaighn ever?/ **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 9, 2018, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837 "2018-05-09T01:40:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bionic\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/49beb7/32.png) [@bionic\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bionic_man)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/1 "2018-05-09T01:40:42Z")
What would you call the worst presidential campaign by either Democratic or Republican?? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/2 "2018-05-09T02:27:25Z")
Hillary Rodham Clinton, 2016 ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/3 "2018-05-09T02:36:23Z")
Oh, not even close. McCain screwed up 2008 worse than Clinton did in 2016. But I’d say Dukakis in 1988 was pretty bad. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/4 "2018-05-09T02:39:19Z")
Nm ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/5 "2018-05-09T02:40:02Z")
Define “worst.” Assuming we limit ourselves to modern times, I’d say least successful losing campaign was Mondale 1984. Worst successful campaign (in terms of stupidity, boorishness and flat out fabrication) is Trump 2016. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/6 "2018-05-09T02:43:40Z")
Giuliani was once the Republican front runner. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/7 "2018-05-09T02:46:48Z")
Just off the top of my head Thomas Dewey, 1948 (the Democrats had split into three warring factions. Dewey was so far ahead that he felt he could coast to certain victory.) George McGovern, 1972 John Kerry, 2004 (Damn it, John, when someone hits you, hit back!) John McCain, 2008 (Palin was only part of his problems) And Hillary. But to be fair, 16 Republicans ran against Trump for the nomination, and he picked them all off one-by-one, like bad ninjas attacking in a cheap martial arts movie. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/8 "2018-05-09T03:37:04Z")
Hillary Clinton. _No_ one else ever failed _so_ catastrophically. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/9 "2018-05-09T03:39:32Z")
McGovern and Mondale. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/10 "2018-05-09T03:51:21Z")
It’s hard to call someone the worst when they get three million more votes than the other guy. Unless you’re defining failure by actual vs. expected performance. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/11 "2018-05-09T03:53:09Z")
George Bush (sr) his re-election campaign lost to Clinton. When Edward Kennedy wasn’t able to get democratic nomination. ETA, I forgot the stolen election of Al Gore. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/12 "2018-05-09T05:26:08Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Oh, not even close. McCain screwed up 2008 worse than Clinton did in 2016. > [@kunilou](#): > > John McCain, 2008 (Palin was only part of his problems) McCain actually ran a reasonably good campaign. Picking Palin was the only major mistake he made. He was hampered by (A), being of the same party as an unpopular incumbent; and (B), being of the same party that was blamed in certain quarters for the gathering recession. Neither one of those were things that he could do anything about. There are very few politicians who could have done significantly better than he did. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/13 "2018-05-09T05:40:57Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > It’s hard to call someone the worst when they get three million more votes than the other guy. Unless you’re defining failure by actual vs. expected performance. The number of votes doesn’t determine the winner of the contest, any more than the number of baseballs hit by a batter determine the winner of a baseball game. It’s _where_ they go that matters, not how many of them there are total. I can’t believe I’m still having to explain this to so many people. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/14 "2018-05-09T05:41:48Z")
William Jennings Bryan? Three times, no win. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/15 "2018-05-09T05:43:08Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > The number of votes doesn’t determine the winner of the contest, any more than the number of baseballs hit by a batter determine the winner of a baseball game. It’s _where_ they go that matters, not how many of them there are total. I can’t believe I’m still having to explain this to so many people. Someone will still need to explain it to the sore losers for years to come, I suspect. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/16 "2018-05-09T05:59:44Z")
When we talk justice, they talk law. As if the two were the same, even as they work to make sure it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/17 "2018-05-09T06:02:07Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > McCain actually ran a reasonably good campaign. Picking Palin was the only major mistake he made. He was hampered by (A), being of the same party as an unpopular incumbent; and (B), being of the same party that was blamed in certain quarters for the gathering recession. Neither one of those were things that he could do anything about. There are very few politicians who could have done significantly better than he did. Two major mistakes, I’d say: picking Palin, and suspending his campaign in the face of the burgeoning financial crisis. But overall, I agree, he did about as well as anyone could have hoped, given the state of the electorate at the time. > [@E-DUB](#): > > It’s hard to call someone the worst when they get three million more votes than the other guy. Unless you’re defining failure by actual vs. expected performance. I’d argue that it takes a special kind of incompetence to be up three million votes at the end of a contest, and still lose. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/18 "2018-05-09T06:21:48Z")
Given the state of the electorate in 2016, I daresay Hillary Clinton did better in 2016 then McCain in 2008. i.e, the electorate had been primed to do something reckless. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/19 "2018-05-09T07:24:59Z")
I’d vote for Nixon’s sweaty performance in the first televised debate and his eventual loss in the 1960 election, though Hillary, McCain 2008, and Dukakis 1988 are up there. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837/20 "2018-05-09T10:30:00Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > McCain actually ran a reasonably good campaign. Picking Palin was the only major mistake he made. “Other than that, Mrs. Linconln…?” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-presidential-campaighn-ever/813837.md?page=2)