President Specter
Arlen Specter[]
Arlen Specter was the 39th President of the United States, serving from 1985 to 1989 with Vice President Tom Kean of New Jersey.
Campaigning as a moderate after big losses for Republicans in previous elections, Specter/Kean defeated the Democratic ticket of Mike Dukakis/Jerry Brown with 328 electoral votes to 210, a surprise due to President Kennedy's high popularity.
As President, Specter endorsed expanding health care whilst also lowering financial regulations. He cut taxes for the middle class in his first term, but was criticized for also giving a large cut to the wealthy. During his term, the stock market crashed due to what many economists saw as a surge of deregulation during a growing, but not booming, economy. Furthermore, his administration continued the policy of containing the threat of the Soviet Union, which had been growing, and people felt there was a need for more action. His approval fell to 31% by 1988, and the Specter/Kean ticket was defeated by the Mario Cuomo/Bill Clinton ticket by a margin of 432 to 106.
Upon leaving office, he became an advocate for moderate Republicans, and his approval has grown since he has left office.
He died in 2012 of cancer. He is buried near his Presidential Library in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.