Bill Clinton's nearly forgotten 1992 sex scandal

By Julian Zelizer

Updated 1539 GMT (2339 HKT) April 6, 2016

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During the 1992 campaign, an Arkansas state government worker named Gennifer Flowers told reporters she had a long-time affair with Democratic candidate Bill Clinton. Clinton aggressively denied Flowers' allegation and went on to defeat President George H.W. Bush in November. Click through the gallery for more campaign scandals throughout history:
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During the 1992 campaign, an Arkansas state government worker named Gennifer Flowers told reporters she had a long-time affair with Democratic candidate Bill Clinton. Clinton aggressively denied Flowers' allegation and went on to defeat President George H.W. Bush in November. Click through the gallery for more campaign scandals throughout history:
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Some presidential candidates didn't survive their scandals. In 1987, the Miami Herald reported that White House hopeful Gary Hart, a former Democratic Colorado senator, was having an affair with a young model. Hart challenged the media to prove the allegations. Soon after, the National Enquirer obtained photographs of a model named Donna Rice sitting on Hart's lap on a yacht named Monkey Business. Once the pictures were published, Hart dropped out of the race.
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Some presidential candidates didn't survive their scandals. In 1987, the Miami Herald reported that White House hopeful Gary Hart, a former Democratic Colorado senator, was having an affair with a young model. Hart challenged the media to prove the allegations. Soon after, the National Enquirer obtained photographs of a model named Donna Rice sitting on Hart's lap on a yacht named Monkey Business. Once the pictures were published, Hart dropped out of the race.
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Democratic presidential nominee Sen. George McGovern, right, chose Sen. Thomas Eagleton, left, as his running mate in 1972. But when it was revealed that Eagleton had been hospitalized for depression where he underwent electroshock therapy, the scandal was enough to force him off the ticket. He was replaced by a Kennedy in-law and former director of the Peace Corps, Sargent Shriver. McGovern lost in a landslide to Republican incumbent Richard Nixon. <br />
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Democratic presidential nominee Sen. George McGovern, right, chose Sen. Thomas Eagleton, left, as his running mate in 1972. But when it was revealed that Eagleton had been hospitalized for depression where he underwent electroshock therapy, the scandal was enough to force him off the ticket. He was replaced by a Kennedy in-law and former director of the Peace Corps, Sargent Shriver. McGovern lost in a landslide to Republican incumbent Richard Nixon.
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