States ambassador to the United Nations. During
the Nixon and Ford administrations (1969-1977),
Bush also served as a special envoy to China, chair-
man of the Republican National Committee (RNC),
and director of central intelligence. In these ap-
pointed positions, Bush became well known among
Republicans in Washington, D.C., for his prudent
judgment, cautious management, loyalty to the
moderate establishment of the Republican Party,
and willingness to accept difficult assignments. He
chaired the RNC after the Watergate scandal and
Nixon’s forced resignation from the presidency sub-
stantially weakened the party, and he headed the
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) after its reputa-
tion and status were damaged by congressional in-
vestigations.
Presidential Ambition and the Vice Presidency In
1979, Bush announced his candidacy for the Repub-
lican presidential nomination of 1980. Bush cam-
paigned as a moderate, pro-choice Republican and
hoped that his centrism and extensive experience in
several administrative positions would attract enough
electoral support in the primaries and caucuses.
Bush, however, competed against several other
Republican candidates who were better known
and more skillful campaigners, especially former
California governor Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).
During the campaign, Bush criticized Reagan’s
“trickle-down” economic theory, calling it “voodoo
economics.” He performed poorly as a candidate
and withdrew from the presidential race in May,
1980.
During the Republican National Convention of
1980, Bush accepted Reagan’s offer to run for vice
president. After Reagan won the 1980 presidential
election, Bush loyally served Reagan as vice presi-
dent and adapted to the more conservative Republi-
can Party under Reagan’s leadership, especially by
adopting Reagan’s conservative positions on such
social issues as abortion, gun control, and school
prayer. Bush chaired a White House task force on de-
regulation, one of Reagan’s top economic priorities.
Bush’s influence with Reagan was further increased
by his friendship and earlier political relationship
with James Baker, who served as White House chief
of staff and secretary of the treasury under Reagan.
As Bush began to prepare for his 1988 presiden-
tial campaign, his close association with Reagan be-
came less of a political asset. In the 1986 midterm
elections, the Democrats increased their majority in
the House of Representatives and won control of
the Senate. Reagan’s popularity and credibility de-
clined, as the Democratic-controlled Senate inves-
tigated the Iran-Contra affair, in which Bush was
implicated, and rejected Reagan’s nomination of
Robert H. Bork, an outspoken conservative, to the
Supreme Court in 1987. Furthermore, the stock
market crash of 1987 and rapidly increasing budget
deficits during the 1980’s weakened support for Rea-
gan’s economic policies. Press coverage of Bush’s
presidential campaign often emphasized the need
for him to define himself in his own terms, rather
than simply as Reagan’s vice president.The 1988 Presidential Election Nonetheless, Bush’s
1988 presidential campaign generally emphasized
continuity with Reagan’s presidency. Bush com-
peted against several Republicans for their party’s
presidential nomination, most notably Senator Bob
Dole of Kansas, who defeated Bush in the Iowa cau-
cuses. Bush was supported, however, by New Hamp-
shire governor John H. Sununu of New Hampshire,
and his decisive, unexpected victory in the New
Hampshire primary stimulated momentum behindThe Eighties in America Bush, George H. W. 153
George H. W. Bush.(Library of Congress)