1992 Democratic National Convention
The 1992 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party nominated Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas for President and Senator Al Gore of Tennessee for Vice President; Clinton announced Gore as his running-mate on July 9, 1992. The convention was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York from July 13 to July 16, 1992. The Clinton-Gore ticket then faced and defeated their Republican opponents, President George H. W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle in the 1992 presidential election.
The convention's keynote speaker was former Texas Representative Barbara Jordan, who had also keynoted the party's 1976 convention. Other notable speakers included Democratic National Committee Chair Ron Brown, Elizabeth Glaser, and governors Mario Cuomo (NY) and Zell Miller (GA), who said: "Not all of us can be born rich, handsome, and lucky, and that's why we have a Democratic Party." He also said "Our Commander in Chief talks like Dirty Harry but acts like Barney Fife."
The convention, organized by chairman Ron Brown, was seen as a great success. Unlike some earlier Democratic conventions, it had been well planned and run with few gaffes or errors, as even Republicans conceded. The ending of the convention played the theme song of Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign, Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop".
Clinton received a significant poll bounce from the convention, due to both the perceived success of the convention, as well as Ross Perot announcing he was withdrawing from the campaign just as the convention was ending (Perot got back into the race in October).
The convention bounce gave the Clinton/Gore ticket a lead that only shrank significantly when Ross Perot re-entered the race. Clinton and Gore went on to defeat President Bush, Vice-President Quayle along with independent candidate Ross Perot and his running mate, James Stockdale, in the general election.
Read more about 1992 Democratic National Convention: Casey Controversy, Jerry Brown
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