Gary Hart

Gary Hart (b. 1936) (born Gary Warren Hartpence) was the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984, when Walter Mondale beat him by gaining endorsements from the key labor unions, and again in 1988 when he self-destructed. Previously he served as a Democratic U.S. Senator from Colorado (1975–1987).

Gary Hart became a casualty of his own misbehavior in 1987, when he was the presumptive front-runner for the upcoming Democratic presidential nomination. Rumoprs abounded, although Hart had sworn to his staff that he had given up womanizing. The Miami Herald, staked out his townhouse and reported that it witnessed an attractive women enter his townhouse one evening without leaving. This caused as much criticism of the Miami Herald as of Gary Hart. His career collapsed when photos of Hart with Donna Rice on a yacht was published by the National Enquirer. Even Hart's wife refused to support him.

Michael Dukakis, eventually won the nomination but lost in the general election to George H.W. Bush.