Situated in a state rooted in political tradition, Dartmouth has often been the host for political luminaries hoping to win their party's nomination by first winning the New Hampshire primary.
New Hampshire has been so critical to candidates' success that prior to Bill Clinton's 1992 victory, no candidate had won the presidency without triumphing in the "First in the Nation" primary.
Past candidates have delivered many a campaign promise at the College, and this election year has been no exception.
For the 2000 election so far, political activity peaked last October when national media besieged Hanover to cover two partisan presidential town meetings featuring all the candidates with the exception of Governor George W. Bush. Yet even with 18 media satellite trucks lining the Green, the town meetings in Moore Theater were not unprecedented events in the College's political history.
Democratic candidates assembled in Spaulding auditorium to voice opposition to President Reagan in January of 1984, marking the first presidential debate at the College.
Moderated by Ted Koppel and Phil Donahue, the debate was designed as an open discussion and lacked structure, resulting in an anarchical fray as candidates interrupted one another -- a sharp contrast to October's timed proceedings.
The verbal sparring culminated when former Vice President Walter Mondale interrupted Donahue to criticize Senator John Glenn's figures. The senator then responded by calling Mondale's answers "the same gobbledygook of nothing we've been hearing all through this campaign."
Reagan made his first appearance at the College in 1976, when students grilled him about his beliefs in foreign aid and support for the South African government. The Thompson Arena crowd was also peppered with anti-Reagan placards.
In the same race, Jimmy Carter discussed the national energy crisis and gave President Gerald Ford's decision-making a poor evaluation in 105 Dartmouth Hall.
America's role in Vietnam and the draft were hot political issues in 1968 when Eugene McCarthy visited the College and addressed members of the all-male student body.
Although his thoughts were on Dartmouth, Richard Nixon got only as close as Lebanon during the 1968 race. In the introduction to a speech on foreign policy he remarked, "I was told that usually Dartmouth students didn't get over here [to Lebanon] except for the state liquor store ... I can assure you it's a lot more fun to get stoned in Lebanon than Caracas."
Senator John F. Kennedy also spoke on foreign policy in his 1960 campaign stop in Hanover. A publicity director said Kennedy was "looking forward to being at Dartmouth and meeting students and townspeople -- even though he is a Harvard man."
More recently, in 1992, Democrats Paul Tsongas '62 and Clinton made visits to the Upper Valley, with hundreds assembling in Alumni Hall to hear Clinton promise to become the "Education President," cut middle-class taxes, fight unyielding trade laws and introduce a comprehensive healthcare plan.
While Tsongas ultimately did not succeed in winning the nomination, he did win the state primary, capturing 49 percent of Hanover's vote, compared to Clinton's 22. In 1996 Clinton ran virtually unopposed in seeking the Democratic nomination, a sharp contrast to this year's horse-race between former Senator Bill Bradley and Vice President Al Gore.
Six candidates, including Vice President George Bush and Senator Robert Dole, debated on taxes, Social Security and foreign policy in the Republican debate of 1988. The event also featured six students asking questions to one of the candidates, which sparked comments from the rest of the field. Sharp criticisms between Bush and Dole were one of the most notable aspects of the evening.
Students derided Republican candidate Pat Buchanan upon his 1992 visit by chanting anti-Buchanan slogans and handing out fliers to those entering Spaulding auditorium. Protesters sang a re-worded version of "This Old Man," which in one verse threatened Buchanan's life and in another charged, "Pat Buchanan he played three, he'll teach us to be Nazi."
