THE CANDIDATE
Biography | Resume

Charismatic Patrick J. Buchanan preaches a brand of uncompromising conservatism that has made him a lightning rod inside and outside of the news media.

Newspaper Man
1962-66: Buchanan worked as an editorial writer for the now defunct St. Louis Globe-Democrat newspaper.
1975-present: Has worked as a syndicated columnist.

The White House
Buchanan has been part of three Republican administrations:
1969-74: Special assistant and speechwriter for President Richard Nixon
1974: A consultant to President Gerald Ford
1985-87: White House director of communications under President Ronald Reagan

The Airwaves
Away from the campaign trail, Buchanan has been a regular fixture on the TV talk-show circuit going back more than 20 years.

His list of television credits include:
1978-83: Co-host, "Buchanan-Braden Show"
1982-85, 1988-91, 1997-Feb. 99: Commentator, "The McLaughlin Group"
1982-85, 1987-91, 1993-95, 1997-Feb. 1999: Co-host, CNN's "Crossfire"
1988-91: Moderator, CNN's "Capital Gang"
1993-95: Host, "Pat Buchanan and Company"

Political Aspirations
Buchanan would love to return to the White House, not as someone else's administration official but as president of the United States.

First run, 1992 election: Rattled incumbent candidate President George Bush by earning nearly 40 percent of the Republican vote in the New Hampshire primary. At the Republican National Convention that year, he became famous for declaring, "There is a religious war going on in our country for the soul of America. It is a cultural war, as critical to the kind of nation we will one day be as was the Cold War itself."
Second run, 1996 election: Bested a crowded Republican field in the New Hampshire primary; went on to claim state caucus victories in Alaska and Louisiana.
Third run, 2000 election: After first seeking the Republican presidential nomination, Buchanan switched his political allegiance to the Reform Party in October 1999.