--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In 1988, as an unknown candidate, totally…" description: "\"In 1988, as an unknown candidate, totally unknown, I won Iowa, came in second in New Hampshire, won South Dakota. I was ahead in every Super Tuesday st..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/dick-gephardt-11719_als_in-1988-as-an-unknown-candidate-totally_203631.jpg" --- # In 1988, as an unknown candidate, totally unknown, I won… ![“In 1988, as an unknown candidate, totally unknown, I won Iowa, came in second in New Hampshire, won South Dakota. I was ahead in every Super Tuesday state the day after South Dakota. The only problem was I didn't have enough money. I had a million dollars left, and Al Gore had three and Michael…” quote by Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/dick-gephardt-11719_als_in-1988-as-an-unknown-candidate-totally_203631.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/dick-gephardt-11719_als_in-1988-as-an-unknown-candidate-totally_203631.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/dick-gephardt-11719_als_in-1988-as-an-unknown-candidate-totally_203631.jpg) > “In 1988, as an unknown candidate, totally unknown, I won Iowa, came in second in New Hampshire, won South Dakota. I was ahead in every Super Tuesday state the day after South Dakota. The only problem was I didn't have enough money. I had a million dollars left, and Al Gore had three and Michael Dukakis had three and it was lights out.” [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He highlights early electoral momentum but underscores the critical role of campaign financing in sustaining political campaigns. **In simple terms:** Early wins need money to continue. Key Takeaway Secure funding early. Themes politics election strategy campaign finance Mood determined realistic Type political strategic When to use this quote - primary races - general elections - grassroots organizing Key Concepts Fundraising media strategy voter outreach Questions to Reflect On - How can candidates build financial resilience? - What alternative funding models exist? A Different Perspective Money constraints can halt even strong campaigns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dakota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dakota/) [Dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollars/) [Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gore/) [Iowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iowa/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Million dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-dollars/) [New hampshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-hampshire/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [South dakota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/south-dakota/) ## Related quotes > [When you're bringing in a fairly unknown candidate challenging a sitting president, the population needs a lot more information than reduced coverage provides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/when-you-re-bringing-in-a-fairly-unknown-candidate-challenging-a/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [It wouldn't do me much good to back somebody that won in Iowa if they can't carry on the campaign elsewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-grassley/it-wouldn-t-do-me-much-good-to-back-somebody-that-won-in-iowa-if-they/) [Chuck Grassley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-grassley/) > [I think that standing onstage on January 19th, and my father had just defied all expectations and won Iowa, was by far the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-kerry/i-think-that-standing-onstage-on-january-19th-and-my-father-had-just/) [Vanessa Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-kerry/) > [I won Iowa not because the demographics dictated that I would win Iowa. It was because I spent 87 days going to every small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-won-iowa-not-because-the-demographics-dictated-that-i-would-win/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I have been an underdog my whole life, both in life and in politics. We're going to do well. We're going to pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-have-been-an-underdog-my-whole-life-both-in-life-and-in-politics-we/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [And that was always our plan. Do well in the first three states, and then compete and have a very strong night on Super…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/and-that-was-always-our-plan-do-well-in-the-first-three-states-and/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [Super Tuesday is the day on which most states hold their primaries. Its darker partner is Dirty Tricks Thursday: the Thursday before an election…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/super-tuesday-is-the-day-on-which-most-states-hold-their-primaries/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [We are the only campaign that has beaten Donald Trump. And we're the only candidate that can beat Donald Trump. If you look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-are-the-only-campaign-that-has-beaten-donald-trump-and-we-re-the/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [ There is no doubt that if Donald \[Trump\] steamrolls through Super Tuesday, wins everywhere with big margins, that he may well be unstoppable. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/there-is-no-doubt-that-if-donald-trump-steamrolls-through-super/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [Last night was Super Tuesday - a 10-state GOP Primary orgy. A big, sweaty pile of lever-yankin Republican voters. And like most orgies, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/last-night-was-super-tuesday-a-10-state-gop-primary-orgy-a-big-sweaty/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [We went across the South on Super Tuesday without a single catcall or boo, without a single ugly sign. Not until we got to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/we-went-across-the-south-on-super-tuesday-without-a-single-catcall-or/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [I think Super Tuesday is the most important day of this entire primary election. It is the most delegates awarded in a single night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-think-super-tuesday-is-the-most-important-day-of-this-entire/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [I love Texans. And Texas is clearly the crown jewel of Super Tuesday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-love-texans-and-texas-is-clearly-the-crown-jewel-of-super-tuesday/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [I always thought of myself as a good old South Dakota boy who grew up here on the prairie,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-good-old-south-dakota-boy-who-grew-up/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I don't think the folks in the low-tax states really want to go into a fairness discussion. Residents of Connecticut and New York would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/i-don-t-think-the-folks-in-the-low-tax-states-really-want-to-go-into/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) ## More by Dick Gephardt > [One of the big mistakes Republicans made with the Contract with America is that they tried to do too much too fast, and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gephardt/one-of-the-big-mistakes-republicans-made-with-the-contract-with/) [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) > [If you want to run for president, you better be an athlete. It's 24/7. It never ends. You give up your personal life completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gephardt/if-you-want-to-run-for-president-you-better-be-an-athlete-it-s-24-7/) [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) > [I was raised in a working class family of Baptist faith, and I went to college on a church scholarship where early teachings were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gephardt/i-was-raised-in-a-working-class-family-of-baptist-faith-and-i-went-to/) [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) > [I don't think you can be a good listener unless you're a good listener. I think it's something that you really have to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gephardt/i-don-t-think-you-can-be-a-good-listener-unless-you-re-a-good/) [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) > [I grew up in a household that was a labor household. My dad was a Teamster and a milk truck driver. My mother was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gephardt/i-grew-up-in-a-household-that-was-a-labor-household-my-dad-was-a/) [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) > [You don't lock into a ten-year family budget. You take it a year at a time - maybe even six months at a time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gephardt/you-don-t-lock-into-a-ten-year-family-budget-you-take-it-a-year-at-a/) [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) > [America is a great country. We are so wealthy. But our one remaining challenge is to fulfill the potential of all our people. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gephardt/america-is-a-great-country-we-are-so-wealthy-but-our-one-remaining/) [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) > [I think a lot of people think I was born in a blue suit, on the David Brinkley show. And that isn't me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gephardt/i-think-a-lot-of-people-think-i-was-born-in-a-blue-suit-on-the-david/) [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) > [I think it's time we had a president who carried the same life experiences into the White House as most ordinary Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gephardt/i-think-it-s-time-we-had-a-president-who-carried-the-same-life/) [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) > [Our democracy if self-cleansing. If you don't like it, be a candidate, or support a candidate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gephardt/our-democracy-if-self-cleansing-if-you-don-t-like-it-be-a-candidate/) [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) > [Diplomacy matters. Burden-sharing matters. Follow-through matters. And yes, sustaining the peace is harder, more complex and often costlier than winning the war itself. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gephardt/diplomacy-matters-burden-sharing-matters-follow-through-matters-and/) [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) > [Politics is a substitute for violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gephardt/politics-is-a-substitute-for-violence/) [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) > [I've always had good energy; I've always had good health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gephardt/i-ve-always-had-good-energy-i-ve-always-had-good-health/) [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) > [I have been a long and strong supporter of civil rights in my whole career. I led the fight to get the voting rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gephardt/i-have-been-a-long-and-strong-supporter-of-civil-rights-in-my-whole/) [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) > [Democracy is interactive... It's a constant job of information, education, explanation, listening, and interactive communication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gephardt/democracy-is-interactive-it-s-a-constant-job-of-information-education/) [Dick Gephardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) [Explore all 58 Dick Gephardt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gephardt/) ## More Als quotes > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [You can't ignore reality. You won't wake up one morning and find that the Arabs of Umm al-Faham have become part of Palestine and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ami-ayalon/you-can-t-ignore-reality-you-won-t-wake-up-one-morning-and-find-that/) [Ami Ayalon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ami-ayalon/) > [Without a vision there is no possibility of creating something larger than what al-ready exists. An entrepreneur has to be able to bring something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/without-a-vision-there-is-no-possibility-of-creating-something-larger/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > ['Constitutional' is just a real pip of a word. Positively rolls off the tongue. In fact, it's downright fun to say. 'Con-stit-too-shun-al.' It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/constitutional-is-just-a-real-pip-of-a-word-positively-rolls-off-the/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [Everybody who I ever cared about has told me that they like my music: Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Al Green, The Spinners, Smokey Robinson.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-hall/everybody-who-i-ever-cared-about-has-told-me-that-they-like-my-music/) [Daryl Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-hall/) > [Paraphrased: The way of al-Junayd includes among other things abstaining constantly from resisting God Most High in whatever happens to one, whether good or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-ata-allah/paraphrased-the-way-of-al-junayd-includes-among-other-things/) [Ibn Ata Allah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-ata-allah/) > [For Al Gore and Paul Ehrlich and Co., whatever the problem, the solution is always the same. Whether it's global cooling, global warming, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/for-al-gore-and-paul-ehrlich-and-co-whatever-the-problem-the-solution/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Barack Obama became president, and he abandoned Iraq. He left, and when he left Al Qaida was done for. ISIS was created because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/barack-obama-became-president-and-he-abandoned-iraq-he-left-and-when/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [USC is the National Champion like Al Gore is the President of the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-emmert/usc-is-the-national-champion-like-al-gore-is-the-president-of-the/) [Mark Emmert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-emmert/) > [Critics have stepped up their attacks on the President for authorizing the National Security Agency to listen to international communications of known al Qaeda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mcclellan/critics-have-stepped-up-their-attacks-on-the-president-for/) [Scott McClellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mcclellan/) > [ The heart becomes sick, as the body becomes sick, and its remedy is al-Tawbah (repentance) and protection \[from transgression\]. It becomes rusty as a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/the-heart-becomes-sick-as-the-body-becomes-sick-and-its-remedy-is-al/) [Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/) > [Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-cook/bin-laden-was-though-a-product-of-a-monumental-miscalculation-by/) [Robin Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-cook/) > [ This war \[in Syria\] is going to support Al-Qaeda and the same people that killed Americans in the 11th of September. The second thing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/this-war-in-syria-is-going-to-support-al-qaeda-and-the-same-people/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [Courageous? Courageous would have been admitting weakness and leaving Dauntless, no matter what shame accompanied it. Pride is what killed Al, and it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/courageous-courageous-would-have-been-admitting-weakness-and-leaving/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [And I, the former mystic, was thinking: Yes, man is stronger, greater than God. When Adam and Eve deceived You, You chased them from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/and-i-the-former-mystic-was-thinking-yes-man-is-stronger-greater-than/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) Browse all 894 Als quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In 1988, as an unknown candidate, totally unknown, I won Iowa, came in second in New Hampshire, won South Dakota. I was ahead in every Super Tuesday state the day after South Dakota. The only problem was I didn't have enough money. 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