Worst campaign you've been alive for (primary and general)

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

That would have to be Rudy Giuliani.  Front-runner to a DISTANT 6th place finish in Iowa, and then another distant 4th finish in a state that he should have had some appeal in, New Hampshire. 

He then proceeds to put all his marbles in Florida, home of many transplanted New Yorkers, and loses by 21 pts.  I can't remember any other time since 1987 that a SERIOUS Presidential campaign (we're not talking the Kuciniches of the world here) flopped that badly.

[Landslide Lyndon]

That would have to be Rudy Giuliani.  Front-runner to a DISTANT 6th place finish in Iowa, and then another distant 4th finish in a state that he should have had some appeal in, New Hampshire. 

He then proceeds to put all his marbles in Florida, home of many transplanted New Yorkers, and loses by 21 pts.  I can't remember any other time since 1987 that a SERIOUS Presidential campaign (we're not talking the Kuciniches of the world here) flopped that badly.

As I mentioned elsewhere, Phil Gramm in 1996 might give Rudy a run for his money.

Joe Lieberman in 2004 merits a dishonorable mention.

[Antonio the Sixth]

That would have to be Rudy Giuliani.  Front-runner to a DISTANT 6th place finish in Iowa, and then another distant 4th finish in a state that he should have had some appeal in, New Hampshire. 

He then proceeds to put all his marbles in Florida, home of many transplanted New Yorkers, and loses by 21 pts.  I can't remember any other time since 1987 that a SERIOUS Presidential campaign (we're not talking the Kuciniches of the world here) flopped that badly.

Agreed. He just does not know what "campaigning" means.

[Stranger in a strange land]

That would have to be Rudy Giuliani.  Front-runner to a DISTANT 6th place finish in Iowa, and then another distant 4th finish in a state that he should have had some appeal in, New Hampshire. 

He then proceeds to put all his marbles in Florida, home of many transplanted New Yorkers, and loses by 21 pts.  I can't remember any other time since 1987 that a SERIOUS Presidential campaign (we're not talking the Kuciniches of the world here) flopped that badly.

As I mentioned elsewhere, Phil Gramm in 1996 might give Rudy a run for his money. In fact Giuliani's campaign was so bad that it took him from America's Mayor to National Laughingstock in just a few months.

Joe Lieberman in 2004 merits a dishonorable mention.

Giuliani spent far more money and fell farther and faster than Lieberman or Gramm did.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Well that's no fun. Everyone can say Giuliani.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

     Well that's no fun. Everyone can say Giuliani.

I'm kinda young, I thought some older people might have seen worse. 

[Citizen James]

Most poorly run, or ugliest?

Most Poorly run - Dukakis, 1988 - although Mondale 1984 gets (dis)honorable mention.  I promise to make the IRS meaner and I will raise your taxes are horible campaign slogans.

Ugliest - Bush 2004

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Well that's no fun. Everyone can say Giuliani.

I'm kinda young, I thought some older people might have seen worse. 

     I talked to my mother about it & she also thinks it's the worst she's seen. Nobody on the forum is older, so they wouldn't know of anything worse.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Giuliani, definitely.

[Lunar]

Fred Thompson and Steve Forbes are low on the list too...

[WalterMitty]

primary: john connally 1980, phil gramm 1996, bill bradley 2000
general: bush 92, dole 96, kerry 04

[LastMcGovernite]

Hm...I was born in 1983, so only considering the campaigns I was aware of, and actively following...

I add my voice to the chorus of people saying 'Giuliani' for the worst primary.

For the worst general- a tough call, especially given his running-mate's recent death, but Dole.  Dole was and is a good man, but he just didn't exude any sense that he could actually win the election.  He was treading water, and he knew it.  But Kerry and Perot '96 were also lackluster efforts.

[bhouston79]

For the general election I would give out the following rankings from 1979 onward.

1.  Dukakis (1988):  Blowing a 20 point lead in the summer, and then losing by 8 points; enough said.

2.  Mondale (1984):  He probably wouldn't have won even if he had have ran a good race, but losing every state except for your home state gets you high on a list of the worst.

3.  Carter (1980):  The results speak for themselves.

4.  Gore  (2000):  With the economy soaring after 8 years of peace and prosperity under Clinton, there is no reason he should have even allowed the election to be close enough for the GOP to steal it.

5.  McCain (2008):  The GOP probably couldn't have fielded a better candidate and he was running in a very difficult environment for the GOP thanks to Bush II, but McCain helped out at times with silly decisions like suspending his campaign.

6. Dole (1996):  His campaign wasn't very inspiring, and neither were the results.  But I don't think that he could have done much better under the circumstances.

7. Bush (1992):  Campaign tactics weren't going to save the Bush I administration in this campaign.

8. Kerry (2004):  I think Kerry's 2004 campaign has been highly underrated.  He was trying to unseat a wartime President, which has never been done, and despite the historical odds against doing such a thing he came very close to pulling it off.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

One of the worst major campaigns I can remember is Clinton in '96. He won, but it should have been a 45-state sweep, considering what a disaster the Republican Congress was. Worse, Clinton ruined the Democrats for another decade.

If he had kept his mouth shut about school uniforms, it would be a different story.

[Daniel Z]

Primary: Giuliani

General: Gore (narrowly)

[12th Doctor]

One of the worst major campaigns I can remember is Clinton in '96. He won, but it should have been a 45-state sweep, considering what a disaster the Republican Congress was. Worse, Clinton ruined the Democrats for another decade.

If he had kept his mouth shut about school uniforms, it would be a different story.

Wow... it's like every incarnation just becomes a bigger self-parody.

[??????????]

McCain for rolling over like a dead dog to Obama.

[Antonio the Sixth]

McCain for rolling over like a dead dog to Obama.

Anybody else would have been literally destroyed by Obama. Particulary an ultraconservative as you seem liking him.

[JSojourner]

McGovern.  Hands down.

On the gubernatorial level, Jill Long-Thompson (a friend of mine, actually) ran a piss poor campaign.  She simply has no "self promotion" in her and you need to have a little to win.  She shoulda been a no brainer choice but she hardly said boo about herself or her (horrible) opponent.  She might be a classic example of someone who is too nice for politics!

[Kaine for Senate '18]

I've only really seen two campaigns, so I've got to go with Giuliani in 2008.  He spent most of 2007 as the frontrunner, and he didn't do squat.  Absolutely pathetic.

[hcallega]

I would say that Gephardt's 2004 run was, sadly, one of the worst. He was fighting with Dean for Iowa (what a fight that would have been had it worked out that way), but blew it.

Quick Question, does anyone here know what a Dukakis victory map would look like?

[Antonio the Sixth]

I would say that Gephardt's 2004 run was, sadly, one of the worst. He was fighting with Dean for Iowa (what a fight that would have been had it worked out that way), but blew it.

Quick Question, does anyone here know what a Dukakis victory map would look like?

Something like a Gore/Kerry map + close states.

[Hash]

I would say that Gephardt's 2004 run was, sadly, one of the worst. He was fighting with Dean for Iowa (what a fight that would have been had it worked out that way), but blew it.

Quick Question, does anyone here know what a Dukakis victory map would look like?

Based purely on a national universal swing to give a narrow Dukakis victory, with 280 EV.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I would say that Gephardt's 2004 run was, sadly, one of the worst. He was fighting with Dean for Iowa (what a fight that would have been had it worked out that way), but blew it.

Quick Question, does anyone here know what a Dukakis victory map would look like?

Based purely on a national universal swing to give a narrow Dukakis victory, with 280 EV.

Actually not very different of Gore/Kerry maps. That proves Clinton maps were original compared with traditional post-1980 democratic maps.

[??????????]

McCain for rolling over like a dead dog to Obama.

Anybody else would have been literally destroyed by Obama. Particulary an ultraconservative as you seem liking him.

That's merely opinion for historians to discuss. If we had a real conservative candidate who would have called Obama out on certain issues which came up, things may have changed. McCain was killed by his kindness.

And I'm not an "ultra conservative". I know your using that as a pejorative, I know the games you left wingers play.