US EditionAP Was There: A profile of Jesse Jackson as he prepared his 1984 campaign for the presidency
The profile details Jackson's civil rights leadership, corporate deals, and his drive to increase Black political and economic power ahead of his 1984 Democratic presidential bid.
- On February 17, 2026, a file photo shows Jackson preparing for his 1984 presidential campaign, with he announced he would seek the Democratic nomination.
- The Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson says his drive comes from religion and describes his work as a prophetic ministry, rooted in early civil-rights activism with Martin Luther King Jr.
- Leading Operation PUSH, Jackson's PUSH-EXCEL, founded in 1976, received about $6 million and faces auditors' questions about $736,000 and about $1 million in spending.
- His campaigns expanded the Democratic electorate and helped build the Rainbow Coalition, with Georgia state senator Julian Bond noting Jackson made the party more aware of Black voters.
- Some national Black leaders called Jackson opportunistic, and provocative acts like embracing Yasser Arafat and boycotting Anheuser‑Busch drew backlash.
35 Articles
35 Articles
Omaha World-Herald
North Omaha leader Preston Love Jr. recalls running Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign
Preston Love Jr. first met Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday, in 1980. Love managed Jackson's U.S. presidential campaign in 1984.
How ‘Electability’ Became a Democratic Obsession
The news media covered Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaigns with a question that sounded analytical but functioned as a dismissal: What does Jesse want?The implication was obvious. A Black candidate couldn’t possibly win the presidency — everyone “knew” that — so the campaign had t
How Jesse Jackson reshaped US politics
The civil rights leader, who died at 84, became the first major Black candidate for US president in 1984 and 1988. His groundbreaking bids expanded the Democratic electorate, built the Rainbow Coalition and laid political groundwork for future candidates, including Barack Obama.
Associated Press News
AP Was There: A profile of Jesse Jackson as he prepared his 1984 campaign for the presidency
In 1983, The Associated Press profiled the Rev. Jesse Jackson when he was a 41-year-old civil rights activist preparing his historic 1984 campaign for the presidency.
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