Ron Paul 1988 presidential campaign

Ron Paul for President 1988
Campaign	U.S. presidential election, 1988
Candidate	Ron Paul U.S. Representative from Texas (1976–1977) (1979–1985) (1997-2013)
Affiliation	Libertarian Party
Key people	Andre Marrou (running mate)

This article is part of a series about Ron Paul
Political positions Electoral history Campaign for Liberty F.R.E.E Early life and career U.S. Representative from Texas Early congressional career (1976–1985) Later congressional career (1997–2013) Presidential campaigns 1988 presidential campaign 2008 presidential campaign 2012 presidential campaign Published works A Foreign Policy of Freedom The Revolution: A Manifesto End the Fed Liberty Defined List of legislation sponsored by Ron Paul Young Americans for Liberty Draft Ron Paul movement Ron Paul newsletters
v t e

The Ron Paul presidential campaign of 1988 began in early 1987 when former Congressman Ron Paul of Texas announced his candidacy for the 1988 presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party. He joined the third party after leaving the Republican Party over the Reagan administration's handling of the federal budget. He ran on a platform that included non-interventionism in foreign conflicts, decriminalization of illegal drugs on a federal level, a return to the gold standard, the abolition of the Federal Reserve and a reduction in all government spending.

Paul defeated Native American activist Russell Means at the Libertarian Party's National Convention in Seattle to win the party's presidential nomination. Former Alaska State representative Andre Marrou was selected as his running mate. After over a year of campaigning as the Libertarian Party nominee, Paul received very little media coverage and was excluded from presidential debates. On Election Day, he was on the ballot in 46 states and the District of Columbia, and finished in third place with approximately 0.5% of the vote, behind Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis and the winner Vice President George H. W. Bush.