Conservative Candidates.

By 1988 the old Republican split between conservative Midwesterners and moderate/ liberal easterners was a thing of the past. Each of the candidates for the GOP presidential nomination presented himself as the true conservative heir to the legacy of President Ronald Reagan, while emphasizing different aspects of that legacy. Congressman Jack F. Kemp of New York talked about lower taxes, while offering unqualified support for the "Star Wars" strategic defense system and aid to the Contras in Nicaragua. Gov. Pierre S. "Pete" du Pont IV of Delaware proposed a private savings option to Social Security and giving parents "education vouchers" that could be used at either public or private schools. Sen. Robert J. Dole of Kansas, the party leader in the Senate, stressed his service and experience, promising to balance the budget through spending cuts that would not hurt the...