ABSTRACT

Though candidates' wives played a highly visible role throughout modern elections, the last decade of the twentieth century marked a change in these women's role, both as partners in leadership as well as living markers of their husband's erotic lives. The sexuality of the contenders to succeed Ronald Reagan as president took a prominent role early in the race. Bill Clinton's rise from obscurity as Arkansas' governor stands as a pivotal moment in American politics. A baby boomer with an outspoken feminist wife and a lack of military service, and a penchant for fast food and the saxophone, his candidacy for the Democratic nomination and the presidency challenged traditional political propriety. In the wake of the tumult created by Clinton's impeachment, his vice president Al Gore set his sights on the presidency. The Gore campaign knew that his masculinity would be under scrutiny, compared either favorably or not to Bill Clinton.