These election surprises altered the course of American history. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the twists, turns, and unexpected moments that occurred just ahead of major U.S. elections.
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00:00I moved on her actually. You know, she was down on Palm Beach. I moved on her and I failed. I'll admit it.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the twists,
00:09turns, and unexpected moments that occurred just ahead of major U.S. elections.
00:13While October surprises have technically occurred since the 1800s,
00:18we'll only be looking at such surprises that happened after the term itself was coined,
00:22that is, in October 1980.
00:24And this is why he needs to be recalled. And this is why I'm going to run for governor.
00:33Number 10, the 2022 midterm elections.
00:36This is still alive because she's the mother of my child.
00:41So you're going to see me on check or somebody giving a check. So that I'm saying it's a lot.
00:45Herschel Walker, who was the Republican nominee for Senate in Georgia in 2022,
00:50first rose to prominence as an NFL running back.
00:53The political hopeful played for the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings,
00:56Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Giants across 12 seasons.
01:00Just a few days had elapsed in October before the race's surprise came to light.
01:04Walker, a married man who had taken a hardline anti-abortion stance,
01:08was reported to have pressured multiple women to have abortions.
01:11I have no idea what that can be for.
01:13Is that your signature on the check, though?
01:15Let me see. It could be. It doesn't matter whether it's my signature or not.
01:19Walker's son Christian, a conservative influencer,
01:22publicly criticized his father's parenting on social media,
01:25which damaged Walker's family values-focused image.
01:28The former NFL player lost the election to incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock.
01:32I would say I love my son Christian. I love my whole family. I'll always love them
01:37and stuff. That's what I say for my son Christian. And I don't have any violence.
01:40Number nine, George W. Bush versus Al Gore.
01:44Obviously, there's a report out tonight that 24 years ago,
01:48I was apprehended in Kennebunkport, Maine, for a DUI. That's an accurate story.
01:53I'm not proud of that.
01:54Sometimes, an October surprise doesn't happen in October at all.
01:58While, indeed, the term is usually reserved for newsworthy events that occur in the month of
02:03October, it can refer more broadly to such an event that happens immediately in the run-up
02:07to a presidential, midterm, or other election. For example, consider the quote-unquote November
02:13surprise that occurred mere days before the 2000 U.S. presidential election.
02:17I was pulled over. I admitted to the policemen that I had been drinking. I paid a fine.
02:23And I regret that it happened. But it did. I've learned my lesson.
02:28Thomas J. Connolly, a Maine defense attorney and perennial political candidate,
02:32leaked that then-Governor Bush had been arrested in Maine for drunk driving in 1976.
02:37Bush confirmed the allegation almost immediately, but nevertheless went on to win the election.
02:42As I mentioned, to many of you know, that I quit drinking alcohol in 1986,
02:49and it was the right decision for me to make then.
02:52Number 8. George W. Bush vs. John Kerry
02:55I can make America safer than President Bush has made us. And I believe President Bush and I both
03:03love our country equally, but we just have a different set of convictions about how you make
03:08America safe.
03:10If either the Bush or Kerry campaigns thought they were out of the woods by the end of October,
03:14we sincerely hope they weren't holding their respective breaths. After weeks free of scandal,
03:19the 2004 October surprise finally dropped. A New York Times exposé revealed the disappearance
03:25of explosives from an Iraqi warehouse.
03:27September the 11th changed how America must look at the world.
03:32And since that day, our nation has been on a multi-pronged strategy to keep our country safer.
03:40While the Kerry campaign was quick to accuse President Bush's administration of bungling
03:45the weapons safekeeping, Bush's administration countered by claiming that the Times' reporting
03:49was incorrect. The surprises weren't finished yet. On October 29th, two days after the Times
03:55article was published, Osama bin Laden released a video claiming responsibility for the September
04:0011th, 2001 attacks.
04:06The U.S. government has committed acts that are extremely unjust, hideous and criminal
04:11through its support of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
04:14Number seven, 2018 midterm elections.
04:17The drama unfolding south of the border tonight, President Trump watching very closely,
04:22and he has already made it very clear he will make this a major issue
04:26just two weeks now until the crucial midterms.
04:29While the Trump administration was no stranger to scandals and intense public scrutiny,
04:33events leading up to the 2018 midterms were denounced even by some in right-wing media.
04:38This October surprise stemmed from caravans of Central American migrants
04:42aiming to seek asylum and refuge in the United States by crossing the Mexico-U.S. border.
04:47President Trump himself tweeted disinformation about the caravan,
04:50which was then echoed by a number of prominent Fox News hosts, with one major exception.
04:55That would be Shep Smith,
04:57who suggested that Trump's intention was to generate public fear and outcry to his party's benefit.
05:02Take your camera, go into the middle and search.
05:05You're going to find MS-13, you're going to find Middle Eastern,
05:09you're going to find everything, and guess what?
05:11We're not allowing them in our country.
05:13Number six, the 2006 midterm elections.
05:16My fellow citizens, at this hour, American and coalition forces
05:21are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq,
05:26to free its people, and to defend the world from grave danger.
05:29The War on Terror, initiated by George W. Bush's administration
05:33in response to the tragic events of 9-11, was a deeply unpopular endeavor,
05:38spurring massive anti-war rallies worldwide, as well as among the United States allies.
05:43It's no surprise, then, that it played a large role in elections held under Bush's presidency.
05:48Two studies published in The Lancet, a highly reputable medical journal,
05:52focused on casualties in Iraq.
05:54Les Roberts, the lead investigator in both,
05:56admitted that the timing was purposeful but not partisan in nature.
06:00Around the same time, Republican Representative Mark Foley's inappropriate messages
06:04to underage congressional pages were leaked.
06:07This may have been common knowledge among certain Democrats and Republicans,
06:11further eroding public trust in both major parties.
06:14Democrats are now in charge in the House.
06:16They needed 15 seats to retake the majority.
06:19They won, at latest count, at least 28 seats.
06:22And they took the Senate, too, winning the six seats they needed to claim a bare majority.
06:27Number 5. George H.W. Bush vs. Bill Clinton
06:31Your trust is what gives a president his powers of leadership and his personal strength.
06:35And it's what I want to talk to you about this evening.
06:38For the past three months, I've been silent on the revelations about Iran.
06:43President Ronald Reagan's administration, despite widespread popularity,
06:47was haunted by the Iran-Contra scandal,
06:49in which the U.S. government illegally sold arms to Iran,
06:52despite the arms embargo against the country.
06:55While the scandal itself officially ended in 1986,
06:58the repercussions trickled down,
07:00eventually hurting the presidential campaign of George H.W. Bush,
07:04Reagan's vice president during the scandal.
07:06Why doesn't he just speak to us as he has in the past,
07:08when we've faced troubles or tragedies?
07:11Others of you, I guess, were thinking,
07:13what's he doing hiding out in the White House?
07:15Caspar Weinberger, Reagan's Secretary of State,
07:18was indicted for his participation,
07:20which included facilitating the transfer of weapons
07:23and lying to the counsel charged with investigating the affair.
07:26While this occurred in June,
07:28a steady information leak revealed that incumbent President Bush
07:31had played a more significant role in the deal than anyone had thought,
07:34costing him the election in November.
07:37Number four, the 2003 California gubernatorial election.
07:41Just enjoy every moment.
07:42This is the best job you'll ever have.
07:44Even the bad moments, enjoy it.
07:46I think that we can continue on with a great relationship here,
07:49and a working relationship.
07:50I will need the governor's help in the future.
07:52There's many things to learn here when you come into this office.
07:55Plagued by a series of scandals and general voter unhappiness,
07:59California Governor Gray Davis
08:01was the subject of a special recall election,
08:03a first for the state,
08:04and only the second gubernatorial recall election in American history.
08:08However, that wasn't even the most surprising part.
08:11That would be the candidacy of one Arnold Schwarzenegger,
08:14who had long teased his political ambitions.
08:17And this is why I'm going to run for governor of the state of California.
08:21Two stories served as October surprises in this case.
08:24One accused the actor of multiple allegations of misconduct,
08:27and another reported that he had once praised Adolf Hitler
08:30while promoting the documentary Pumping Iron.
08:33Schwarzenegger would go on to win the election
08:35and serve eight years as governor,
08:36ultimately retiring from politics to return to Hollywood.
08:40How are you, Sheriff?
08:42Old.
08:43Number three, Donald Trump versus Joe Biden.
08:45For years, President Trump has battled to keep the truth
08:48about his finances out of the hands of Congress
08:50and away from the American public.
08:52A sweeping new report from the New York Times shows why.
08:56A recurring issue that nagged at President Trump's re-election campaign
08:59were frequent calls from both sides of the aisle
09:01to release his tax returns.
09:03Eventually, this resulted in 2020's October surprise,
09:07which was the New York Times reporting that Trump paid only $750
09:11in taxes between 2016 and 2017.
09:15Some weeks later, Forbes reported that the 45th president
09:18was over $1 billion in debt.
09:20So how did the president do it?
09:22By declaring, according to Times analysis,
09:25hundreds of millions of dollars in losses,
09:27losses that Trump then used to avoid paying the IRS.
09:31In addition, Trump, along with First Lady Melania Trump,
09:34was revealed to have tested positive for COVID-19,
09:37possibly the result of a super spreader event.
09:40In this case, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett's induction ceremony.
09:44Trump ultimately lost the election to former Vice President Biden.
09:48Number two, Donald Trump versus Hillary Clinton.
09:51I moved on her, actually.
09:52You know, she was down on Palm Beach.
09:53I moved on her and I failed.
09:55I'll admit it.
09:56October 7th, 2016 was an extremely fateful,
09:59extremely consequential day for both major U.S. political parties.
10:03On that day, the infamous Access Hollywood outtake clip was leaked,
10:06which unearthed audio of then-nominee Trump
10:08using highly offensive language to describe his advances on women.
10:12Political figures on all sides condemned the recording's contents,
10:16with some even suggesting that Trump should step down as the Republican nominee.
10:20I better use some Tic Tacs just in case they start kissing her.
10:24You know, I'm automatically attracted to beautiful women.
10:26I just start kissing them.
10:27It's like a magnet.
10:28You just kiss.
10:29I don't even wait.
10:30And when you're a star, they let you do it.
10:32You can do anything.
10:33The Democrats were hardly free and clear.
10:35John Podesta, who chaired Clinton's election campaign,
10:38was the victim of a data breach,
10:40which saw the contents of his email account leaked.
10:42The leaks were damaging to the Clinton campaign
10:44and may have ultimately contributed to her loss to Trump.
10:48They did release a statement today saying the following,
10:50The State Department has made clear that Hillary Clinton's actions
10:53were made in the best interest of American foreign policy
10:56and that she never made decisions because of donations to the Clinton Foundation.
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11:16Number 1.
11:17Ronald Reagan vs. Jimmy Carter
11:19Remember when we outlined that we'd only be looking at October surprises
11:23that occurred after the term had been coined?
11:25Yeah, this is the mother of all October surprises.
11:28The 1980 U.S. presidential election occurred in the shadow of the Iran hostage crisis.
11:33Both Iran's government and incumbent President Jimmy Carter,
11:36who was running for re-election,
11:38announced that the hostages would not be freed until after the election.
11:41The Reagan campaign feared that Carter would leverage the situation
11:45as a means of garnering votes.
11:46Allegations persist to this day that they colluded with Iran to delay the hostages' release.
11:51The allegations have never been proven,
11:53and two separate congressional investigations revealed no evidence of such a plot.
11:58Which October surprise shocked you the most?
12:00Let us know in the comments.
12:02I blame the Terminator, but you guys are the true Terminators.
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