Quiz: How Much Do You Know About America’s Sleaziest Presidential Races?

A new book looks at nasty races where Donald Trump would have felt right at home.

Courtesy of Quirk Books

Think the 2016 election is shaping up to be an ugly fight? In historical terms, it might not be so bad.

In his new book, Anything for a Vote, Joseph Cummins looks back at more than two centuries of campaign sleaze and scandal, from twisted words and unfounded rumors to blackmail and burglary. While this grimy lens can be a hilarious way to look at the history of presidential politics, it’s often a sobering one as well—colored by policies of discrimination and assaults on voting rights that are still relevant today. It’s enough to make Donald Trump’s Twitter-bullying look pretty tame.

How much do you know about the dirty tricks and cheap shots of presidential campaigns past? Take this quiz of trivia from Cummins' book:

 

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And the essential ingredient that makes all this possible? Readers like you.

It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to devote the time and resources to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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