Laredo & Presidential Campaigns

In 1991, Bill and Hillary Clinton came to Laredo to meet the local folks; they stayed several hours and charged nothing for their presence. Bill Clinton had just started his campaign, and was little known outside of the south. At a morning breakfast, with about 40 Laredoans in attendance, he gave a 20 minute campaign speech, then turned the mike over to his wife, Hillary, who proceeded to give a slightly better 20 minute discourse. Back then you really did get "2 for 1".

Before that, in 1987, a Senator from Tennessee, Al Gore, came to the La Posada on a cold winter morning for breakfast with about 20 Laredoans. He was making his first unsuccessful campaign for President. About a month later, Al Gore held a campaign rally in Cotulla, with better attendance at the school house where Lyndon Johnson had taught.

In the 90's we also saw in Laredo, Jesse Jackson, among some other more forgotten Presidential Candidates.

This past year, prominent national politicians came to Laredo to raise money, and not to meet the folks who did not, or could not, pay to hear them speak. Times change, but they are about to change again! Now the Texas Primary on March 4, 2008 has suddenly become important--especially to the Clinton and Obama campaigns. These Demoncrats are virtually tied for convention delegates, and they now need to win votes in Texas. I have heard they will spend a lot of time in South Texas (maybe Laredo too) as that's were most of the Democrats are. So, we may again be able to have some free contact with our next President if he or she is a Democrat. Who knows, maybe Mike Huckabee, Republican, might come too.

Look up at the sky for those campaign planes.