George Herbert Walker Bush, 12 Jun 1924 - 30 Nov 2018
Exhibition Label
When President Ronald Reagan neared the end of his second term, the Republican Party looked to select his potential successor. Although George H. W. Bush had served as Reagan’s “model vice president,” some perceived him as a “wimp” who lacked a strong identity, despite his past high-profile positions. Bush, however, transformed himself on the campaign trail. As the photographer Arthur Grace noted, Bush, who had been awkward and cumbersome, now “stood a little straighter, moved with a bit more grace.”
This photograph, from April 16, 1987, was taken while Bush was stumping in Keene, a small city in New Hampshire. He and his wife, Barbara, regularly visited the state prior to the 1988 primaries. They held rallies, mingled with locals in coffee shops, and stopped by schools in an effort to sway votes in Bush’s favor. The strategy worked. Bush went on to win the Republican nomination, defeating Senator Bob Dole.
A fines del segundo término del presidente Ronald Reagan, el Partido Republicano quiso seleccionar a su posible sucesor. Aunque George H. W. Bush había sido el “vicepresidente modelo” de Reagan, algunos lo percibían como “debilucho”, sin identidad definida, a pesar de los notables puestos que había ocupado. No obstante, Bush se transformó durante la campaña primarista. En efecto, el fotógrafo Arthur Grace observó que Bush, antes torpe e incómodo, ahora “tenía un porte más erguido, se movía con más gracia”.
Esta foto del 16 de abril de 1987 capta a Bush haciendo campaña en Keene, un pueblo de Nuevo Hampshire. Bush y su esposa, Barbara, visitaron dicho estado a menudo antes de las primarias de 1988 para recabar votos a su favor. Hacían mítines, compartían con la gente en las cafeterías y visitaban escuelas. La estrategia funcionó. Bush ganó la nomi- nación republicana, derrotando al senador Bob Dole.
Place
United States\New Hampshire\Cheshire\Keene
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Debra Breslow-Grace
