The last 100 days of presidential campaigns

As the 2012 presidential race enters the home stretch, here are some key events that have influenced past campaigns in the final 100 days.

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Nixon-Kennedy debate

The first ever televised presidential debate is widely credited as a turning point in the 1960 election. Many television viewers thought Sen. John F. Kennedy (D-Mass.), seated left, well-tanned after a month of campaigning in California, won the Sept. 26 debate against Vice President Richard M. Nixon, seated far right, who appeared pale and gaunt after recently being hospitalized. However, many Americans who tuned in to the radio broadcast believed Nixon had triumphed.

/ CBS via AP

"Daisy" ad

Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.) lost the 1964 presidential election in a landslide to President Lyndon B. Johnson. On Sept. 7, the Johnson campaign aired "Daisy," one of the most controversial campaign ads in history, in which a young girl picks petals from a flower as a countdown precedes a nuclear explosion. The ad, which alluded to Goldwater's comments about the possibility of using nuclear weapons in Vietnam, aired only once but is viewed as a key moment in the race.

/ AP

Halt of North Vietnam bombings

After bowing out of the 1968 contest, President Lyndon B. Johnson on Oct. 31 — less than one week before Election Day — announced a halt to the U.S. bombing of North Vietnam. Despite the move, Nixon, once again the Republican nominee, eked out a victory over Vice President Hubert Humphrey.

/ The White House via AP

Eagleton withdrawal

On July 31, 1972, Sen. George McGovern (D-S.D.), left, announced the withdrawal of Sen. Thomas Eagleton (D-Mo.) as the vice presidential candidate following revelations that Eagleton had received psychiatric treatment, including electroshock therapy. In November, Nixon trounced McGovern, who carried only Massachusetts and D.C.

/ AP

Dole's "Democrat wars" gaffe

After failing to prepare ahead of the first-ever vice presidential debate in Oct. 25, 1976, Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.), right, committed what was viewed as a major gaffe when he attributed all of the U.S. wars of the 20th century to Democrats. "It is an appropriate topic, I guess," Dole said in response to a question about President Gerald Ford's pardoning of Nixon. "But it's not a very good issue. Anymore than the war in Vietnam would be, or World War II or World War I or the war in Korea. All Democrat wars." Sen. Walter Mondale (D-Minn.), left, responded by questioning whether Dole thought fighting Nazi Germany was a partisan issue.

/ AP

Anderson's exclusion

President Jimmy Carter sat out the first of three presidential debates sponsored by the League of Women Voters because of the inclusion of independent candidate John Anderson. After the second debate was canceled, former California governor Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate, agreed to exclude the Illinois congressman from the third debate. However, Anderson (pictured) was allowed to answer all of the questions asked of the two major-party candidates remotely from Washington's Constitution Hall, allowing cable companies to include him in the broadcast.

Barry Thumma / AP

"Who am I? Why am I here?"

Vice Adm. James Stockdale, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam and Medal of Honor recipient, was the subject of ridicule following his lackluster performance in the 1992 vice presidential debate as Ross Perot's running mate in his bid for the presidency as an independent. Stockdale’s opening remark, "Who am I? Why am I here?" became fodder for a Saturday Night Live sketch.

Greg Gibson / AP

Swift Boat ads

Sen. John H. Kerry (D-Mass.) in August 2004 asked the Federal Election Commission to force the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth to stop running television ads that questioned the Democratic presidential nominee's military service record. Kerry accused President George W. Bush's reelection campaign of illegally helping coordinate the attack ads. The ad campaign, which spawned the term "swift boating," was seen as very effective in damaging Kerry's candidacy.

/ Reuters

Palin selection

On Aug. 29, 2008, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) named the relatively unknown Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to join the ticket as the GOP vice presidential nominee. While Palin instantly became wildly popular with the Republican base, a series of gaffes in television interviews led many across the political spectrum to question her readiness for the office.

Melina Mara / The Washington Post

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

James Gandolfini stars as Tony Soprano in the critically acclaimed HBO series 'The Sopranos.' The show received 16 Emmy nominations Thursday, July 22, 1999, including best dramatic series and best actor for Gandolfini. It is the first cable show ever recognized in the dramatic series category. (AP Photo/HO, HBO, Anthony Nesta) Original Filename: EMMY NOMINATIONS.jpg ORG XMIT: LA109

James Gandolfini dies at 51

James Gandolfini, whose portrayal of a brutal, emotionally delicate mob boss in HBO’s “The Sopranos” helped create one of TV’s greatest drama series and turned...

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 19: Vice President Joe Biden speaks before the Frederick Douglass statue now permanently placed in the US Capitol's Emancipation Hall in Washington, DC on June 19, 2013. The statue of the abolition leader was chosen by District residents to represent them in the Capitol because of his stance on self governance according to Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). The statue by artist Steven Weitzman, was blocked from it's placement in the Capitol for years, a victim of rules that stated that only the 50 states can display statues of their favored sons and daughters in the Capitol. The House and Senate passed a resolution last month allowing DC to be represented in Emancipation Hall which features statues of notable leaders nominated by each state. (Photo by Linda Davidson / The Washington Post)

Frederick Douglass statue unveiled in the Capitol

The carving of the famed abolitionist and District advocate finds its place inside the halls of Congress.

TV presenter and conservationist Anneka Tanaka-Svenska wears a hat designed by Louis Mariette during the first day of Royal Ascot, in Berkshire, west of London, on June 18, 2013. The five-day meeting is one of the highlights of the horse racing calendar. Horse racing has been held at the famous Berkshire course since 1711 and tradition is a hallmark of the meeting. Top hats and tails remain compulsory in parts of the course while a daily procession of horse-drawn carriages brings the Queen to the course. AFP PHOTO / ADRIAN DENNISADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images

Photos of the day

Royal Ascot, protests in Brazil, Lego exhibition, flooding in India, Cheetah-Cub robot and more.

Two-year old male rat named Dyatlik wears a costume during a rodent exhibition in Minsk, Belarus, Saturday, June 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Animal views

Rodent exhibition, swimming with elephants, Mexico’s feline mayoral candidate and more.

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 18: Madonna attends the Dolce & Gabbana and The Cinema Society screening of the Epix World premiere of 'Madonna: The MDNA Tour' at The Paris Theatre on June 18, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

Eye on entertainment

Madonna, Michael Buble, Barbara Streisand, Jackie Chan, Jerry Seinfeld, Estelle and other celebrities.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: Johnathon Carrington, valedictorian at Dunbar High School, laughs with family and friends after his school's graduation ceremony at Howard University on Friday, June 14, 2013, in Washington, DC. Carrington, who grew up in Tyler House public-housing apartments and is graduating from one of DC's low-performing high schoolsy, where academic expectations are high. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Johnathon’s journey

Johnathon Carrington graduated Friday as the valedictorian of his neighborhood school, Dunbar High, and is headed to Georgetown University. But Carrington, 17, is nervous, and so are...

In this June 8, 2013 photo, youth compete in the Sao Carlos slum local soccer tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The pitch is just dirt and the incandescent lights aren't so bright. But when the boys' feet strike the football in the Sao Carlos slum as night falls every Saturday, big league dreams glow, inflated by the hope of escaping the shantytown with sporting skills. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Brazil’s other soccer fields

With the Confederations Cup opening this week and the World Cup one year away, all eyes are on Brazil, where soccer is arguably played with more passion and art than anywhere else....

Inmates walk at a high-security male prison camp outside Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk May 14, 2013. High-security male prison camp number 17 is intended to house male inmates who are serving a sentence for the first time, and have been convicted for serious crimes. Prisoners at the facility work in wood and metal processing shops, manufacture furniture, sew clothes and do other kinds of work. They can also take part in educational, sport and cultural programs. Picture taken May 14, 2013. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin (RUSSIA - Tags: CRIME LAW SOCIETY) ATTENTION EDITORS: PICTURE 4 OF 29 FOR PACKAGE 'INSIDE SIBERIA'S PRISONS' SEARCH 'ILYA PRISON' FOR ALL IMAGES

Life in a Siberian prison

A look inside a high-security prison camp outside Krasnoyarsk, Russia

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