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Archived coverage of Phil Gramm's campaign for 1996 Republican Party presidential nomination

Among many memorable Texans' runs for the White House, Republican Sen. Phil Gramm's run in 1996 still manages to stand out as unique.

TEXAS, USA — Texas politicians have had many memorable runs for the White House throughout the years.

Some of those include Democratic Sen. Lloyd Bentsen’s 1976 run, and bids by Republican Rep. Ron Paul in 2008. Then there was John Connally, who was Texas’ Democratic governor from 1963 until 1969, but sought the White House as a Republican in 1980. And while Dallas businessman Ross Perot never held elected office, he still mounted major presidential campaigns in 1992 and 1996.

Republican Sen. Phil Gramm's unsuccessful run in 1996 stands out even among those notable bids. 

The Georgia-born politician was elected as a Republican to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate in 1984. And, by 1994, Gramm had raised $8 million for his hopeful presidential run. 

While Gramm showed promise early on in straw polls -- even giving eventual nominee Bob Dole some competition -- the U.S. Senator finished fifth in Iowa's caucuses. 

He would soon after withdraw before the New Hampshire primary.

Here is a closer look at WFAA's coverage of Gramm's short presidential run from 1996:

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