History Of October Surprises
The October Surprise has become a strongly entrenched and anticipated slice of American presidential campaign politics, although with varied impact, according to historians Craig Shirley and Doug Wead.
The phrase apparently first entered our lexicon during the Jimmy Carter-Ronald Reagan campaign cycle in October 1980, which was dominated by the Iran Hostage Crisis that gripped the country’s psyche. The fear for Republicans was that Carter would gain freedom for the hostages in the 11th hour, improving his chances for a second term. It was former CIA director and then Reagan campaign manager William Casey, who coined the phrase October Surprise and the Republicans began using the expression prominently in the media to play into the cynicism that had grown in previous years about Carter playing politics.
Shirley and Wead join Newsmax anchor Greg Kelly for more October Surprise history, including President George W. Bush’s DUI incident and President Trump’s Access Hollywood tape.
