Five October surprises that shook recent US elections

The Georgia Senate race was shaken earlier this week when a report emerged alleging that GOP candidate Herschel Walker, a staunch abortion opponent, paid a woman to terminate her pregnancy in 2009.

Though Walker denies the report, the punches keep coming — from his son Christian Walker calling him out for allegedly lying about the incident, to the follow-up report that the woman was the mother of one of Walker’s children.

While it remains to be seen what impact the revelations have on Walker’s chances in the Senate, the scandal joins a long list of so-called October surprises that have historically upended elections in their final weeks.

Here are five of the biggest October surprises of the last few decades.

Trump tests positive for COVID-19 (2020)

Former President Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 2, 2020, injecting uncertainty into an already contentious and unprecedented race.

Only months into the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines remained several months away, and the now-standard Paxlovid treatment would not become available for almost two years. At 74 years old, Trump was also in a high-risk category for the virus.

Despite initial claims that the former president was doing well, Trump was transported to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center later on Oct. 2, after his blood oxygen levels fell. Aides reportedly worried that Trump would need to be placed on a ventilator and would not be able to walk to the helicopter.

Trump spent three nights in the hospital being treated with monoclonal antibodies and remdesivir, before returning to the White House on Oct. 5, 2020. The former president made a dramatic showing upon his return, stripping off his mask for a photo opportunity.

Access Hollywood bombshell roils Clinton-Trump race (2016)

Then the Republican nominee for president, Trump faced severe backlash during the 2016 election when The Washington Post published the “Access Hollywood” tape on Oct. 7, 2016.

In the 2005 tape, Trump was caught on a hot microphone making lewd comments about women, including the now infamous line, “Grab them by the p—-.”

“I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait,” Trump can be heard saying on the tape. “And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything … Grab them by the p—-.”

Trump later apologized “if anyone was offended” by the conversation and dismissed the comments as “locker-room banter.”

Comey letter reopens Clinton email investigation (2016)

Despite the bombshell “Access Hollywood” tape in October 2016, Trump’s troubles would be subsumed by another surprise by the end of the month.

Only 11 days before the election, FBI Director James Comey sent a letter to Congress, saying that he was reopening his investigation into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of an unsecure email server.

Comey had initially decided in July 2016 not to prosecute Clinton over the private email server that she had used as secretary of State under former President Obama. However, on Oct. 28, 2016, Comey told Congress that the FBI had learned of the existence of emails that appeared to be relevant to the investigation.

In the end, the new emails did not change the FBI’s conclusion in the Clinton email investigation. However, many have speculated, including Clinton herself, that the Comey letter cost her the election.

Romney hit with leaked “47 percent” video (2012)

During his 2012 campaign against Obama, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) was caught on tape dismissing “47 percent” of voters in a leaked video just weeks before the election.

While this surprise technically occurred in mid-September, Romney’s comments were largely considered to be the “October surprise” of the year. Speaking at a private fundraiser, Romney accused nearly half of the country of being “dependent upon government” in the video released by Mother Jones on Sept. 17, 2012.

“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what,” Romney said. “All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them.”

The comments gave the Obama campaign ammunition for its efforts to paint Romney as out of touch with the general population.

“That hurt,” Romney said, while reflecting on the leaked video in 2013. “There’s no question that hurt and did real damage to my campaign.”

Bush’s 1976 DUI arrest is resurfaced (2000)

Former President George W. Bush had acknowledged his difficulties with alcohol and his decision to get sober from the outset of his 2000 campaign.

However, just five days before the election, it was revealed that Bush had been arrested for drunk driving in Maine in 1976. Thirty years old at the time, Bush pleaded guilty, paid a $150 fine and briefly lost driving privileges in the state.

Another non-October “October surprise,” the media ran with the story on Nov. 2, 2000. Democratic candidate Al Gore deemed it inappropriate to comment on the matter, and Bush went on to win the election — though his win was contentious.

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