Politico reported on Wednesday that Callista Gingrich, the wife of Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, is taking a more active role in her husband's flagging campaign. She introduced him last week at the Conservative Political Action Conference and this week began speaking in his behalf to Republican voters.
Presidential candidates' wives and husbands have taken varying roles in their spouses campaign in the past, some active, others less so. Let's take a closer look at some interesting political spouses of the past:
Eleanor Roosevelt -- A woman far ahead of her time, Roosevelt attended her first Democratic Party convention in 1912 before women could vote in the United States. Not content to sit passively on the sidelines while her husband ran for president, during his 1932 campaign Eleanor worked closely with Franklin's advisors to make sure that he stayed on message. She also organized women voter activities, and even traveled around New York in support of his campaign. During Roosevelt's 1940 campaign, Eleanor even addressed the Democratic National Convention. After she entered the White House, Eleanor Roosevelt held her own press conferences for female journalists, the first time that any First Lady had done such a thing.
Teresa Heinz -- During the election of 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry was desperately trying to connect with average voters and show that he was looking out for their best interests. His wife Teresa, however, made doing that more of a challenge. Heinz, who inherited vast amounts of wealth when her first husband died, was pressured to release her own financial data during the campaign. In addition Heinz' outspoken nature sometimes got her into trouble. During an interview with USA Today, for example, she remarked that she didn't think that Laura Bush had ever "had a real job," an untrue comment that she was forced to quickly apologize for. A Newsweek story after the election quoted campaign insiders calling Heinz a "major distraction" who was "too critical" of Kerry, "depressing his spirits."
Bill Clinton -- In the unique position of already having served two terms as president Bill Clinton found himself campaigning for his wife during the 2008 Democratic nomination process. According to the New York Times, Clinton told a South Carolina audience that campaigning for Hillary was "a lot harder for me than campaigning for myself ever was." In fact some racially charged comments that Clinton made to the media following his wife's loss to Barack Obama in the South Carolina primary got him into hot water and may have, in fact, hurt her campaign's chances for the nomination.
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