Paul Laxalt defeated Robert Kennedy and became President of the United States. He was firmly on the conservative wing of the party. He had bare majorities in the House and Senate, though he would lose them in the 1986 midterms. Laxalt’s presidency saw an increase in American power projection. At first, this was focused on Africa and Latin America, where Communists and other far-leftists were gaining support. Countries like Brazil had good relations with the Soviet Union, even if its government was not Communist. Nicaragua was a Soviet ally in all but name. Communist rebels in El Salvador, Venezuela, and Chile were a major concern for the United States as well. Even the Philippines, ruled by Laxalt’s friend Ferdinand Marcos, was suffering from a Communist insurgency. The United States, either overtly or covertly, would help fight these rebels.
The Laxalt Administration’s most important moment was the March 1987 coup and the subsequent Soviet Civil War. America aided East German rebels. The rebels were able to overthrow their Communist government, paving the way to German reunification. In 1988, he had US troops invade Nicaragua. His goal was to overthrow Daniel Ortega, who he called a destabilizing influence in the region. He hoped that Ortega’s removal from power would send a message to the rest of Latin America to side with the US, not the Soviet Union. Anastasio Somoza Debayle was put back in power as President of Nicaragua. Some critics alleged that the war was meant to boost Laxalt’s poll numbers going into the election. Nevertheless, it was supported by nearly all Republicans and most Democrats.
In 1988, Paul Laxalt would run for reelection, touting his foreign policy successes. The candidates in the Democratic primaries were Senators Gary Hart of Colorado and Dick Gephart of Missouri, and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson of South Carolina. Gary Hart won and selected Senator and former Astronaut John Glenn as his running mate. Victory seemed unlikely, but still possible, when Hart won the nomination. Things would get worse. And extramarital affair was revealed on the part of Hart right before the election. This combined with Laxalt’s popularity doomed the Democrats’ hopes to win the White House, though they barely maintained control of the House. The Laxalt/Kemp ticket won in a landslide, winning the popular vote 55-44% and the electoral vote 522-16. Hart only carried Massachusetts and DC.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, there were still enough conservative Democrats in office to cooperate with Laxalt. Thus, America saw several tax cuts throughout the Laxalt Administration. The American economy would also be more deregulated. His economic policies, though popular at the time, had their critics. While Laxalt and Republicans argued that the increased wealth, though disproportionately enjoyed by the rich, was bound to “trickle down” to everyone. The 80s and 90s were, for the most part, conservative decades, and few men personified the conservatism of that era like Paul Laxalt. The Democratic Party and liberals and progressives in general, seemed lost in the wilderness during his presidency. Laxalt continued to have foreign policy successes, with Poland joining NATO in 1990.
Vice President Jack Kemp defeated Senator Bob Dole of Kansas and Senator Pete Wilson of California to win the Republican nomination. He chose Bob Dole as his running mate. In the Democratic primaries, Dick Gephart defeated Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and Jesse Jackson. Dukakis would be his running mate. Many conservatives saw the Kemp/Dole ticket as too moderate. Former Representative Ron Paul of Texas ran a campaign decrying the big-spending of the Laxalt administration. Polls showed a very close race. The debates were largely inconclusive, and America went to the polls not knowing who would win. Jack Kemp would win in a very close election. He won the popular vote 49-48% and the popular vote 292-246.