Even in an unprecedented time where nothing seems real, there is one thing that is going according to plan: The Democratic and Republican National Conventions. It’s the final statement that each political party needs to make before confirming their nominees for their respective parties. While at this point it’s all predictable who will get it, it serves as one of the greatest pieces of campaigning, centralizing what the party stands for and, most importantly, answering the question “Why should you vote for me?” It’s a pastime as old as this country, and one that hopes to centralize the narrative going forward.
But for those who follow politics, they will know that conventions aren’t the endpoint. There’s still an election day to deal with. Every party is fighting for that final win, and it’s among the most daunting thing that anyone can do. With debates and campaign speeches filling up the next few months, one has to wonder what all of this means. Why should there be so much effort put into finalizing a position as coveted as The American President?
Well, there are dozens of reasons why. While some years are more memorable than others, every presidential campaign helps to shape the potential for the country for the next four years. These figures become central to how American history is perceived, and documentaries help to capture the best and worst moments. Ever since John F. Kennedy, most candidates have taken to preserving every moment, serving as proof of their efforts. After all, a certain amount of their success comes from cult of personality, so why not present that to as big of a crowd as possible.
That is why I’ve decided to look directly at political campaign documentaries over the decades. These aren’t all directly related to presidential paraphernalia. Some of them are failed campaigns on a local level. Even then, the story of the underdog is an encouraging one and something that will provide hope for future generations wanting to run for office. The following are a few of my favorites, that I watch whenever I feel excited about looking at campaigning as an art form, where the long hours and handshaking feel like they’ll never end. You won’t know until the end if they worked out, but they still manage to give you some hope that maybe next time will go differently. Sometimes it just takes a big risk.
1. The War Room (1993)
Subject: Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ross Perot
There were few who mastered the fly on the wall style of documentaries quite like D.A. Pennebaker. He didn’t need to use talking heads or any generic structure to present the campaign of former Arkansas governor Bill Clinton. All he needed was to place a camera in a corner and allow the figures to come to life. This is especially true of his campaign staff, eagerly planning every step. Rarely has a documentary been this candid about the work that goes into making a successful run for president, finding the figures at candid moments cracking jokes and making fun of Vice President pick Al Gore’s speech style in the parking lot.
More than anything, this is a delightful look into politics that feels crucial in the mythology of Clinton. At the time he was seen as one of the most accessible figures in politics, able to speak across the aisle with wit that appealed him to young voters. He was reflective of a new and hopeful future, finding moments in-between debates that find figures at a crossroads. In an election that featured a threatening third party candidate in Ross Perot, the story never ceased to produce interesting results, and getting the reaction of Clinton’s staff created an entertaining look into a process often seen as stuffy.
It remains the essential campaign documentary for a variety of reasons. For starters, it remains the most transparent view of an American President to date, finding him casually on the phone in a trucker hat. It’s also a view of the process that creates a deeper sympathy for anyone wanting to believe in the hope of their candidate. Clinton was an underdog, coming off 12 years of Reaganomics. How could he possibly beat the big guys? As much as this is a history lesson, it’s an endearing look at hard work and how important it is to try and follow your dreams. Sometimes it works out, and you won’t know until you get there.
2. Weiner (2016)
Subject: Anthony Weiner
By this point, everyone knows the folly of Anthony Weiner: a promising young politician who got caught up in a variety of marital scandals. It’s a story that’s so farcical that he doesn’t get caught once but twice. The joke of the time was that “Weiner flashes his wiener,” and for the majority of this documentary’s running time, he does everything to try and not be that guy. Even when it was released during The 2016 Presidential Election, it became immediately dated when he got riled in even more scandal. The man couldn’t catch a break and thus quickly turned this cautionary tale into one of the funnier tragedies in modern politics.
Where The War Room was about democracy at its best, Weiner may reflect the campaigning at its worst. For as endearing as he comes across, he’s never able to avoid questions about his controversies. His ideas may be great and could better the country, but people wonder why they should support him. The question isn’t so much if he’ll win but if he’ll crack. As the story progresses, it gets crazier and more twisted. It’s a documentary indicative of a modern way of thinking, where there is no privacy and life has to be completely transparent. Weiner is a flawed, flawed man and this is watching as much for entertainment value as the lessons to learn from his flippant mistakes.
Would he have been a great politician if his life wasn’t ruined? It’s hard to really say, though watching a man’s ambition slowly die is a depressing undertone to this whole project. It’s a unique moment in campaigning and one that he’ll never outrun. He’ll always be the man who flashed his wiener, his own last name a joke, lasting through eternity and giving your unborn children reason to snicker. What’s worse is how great this documentary is at capturing a moment that is very indicative of the modern age and a turning point in how we see our leaders.
3. Street Fight (2005)
Subject: Cory Booker
If I’m being personal, there was a point during this current election where I got my hopes up with Cory Booker. He is a well-spoken politician who feels like he has fought every step of the way for his small success in congress. It helps that every speech he gives is captivating, making you buy into his earnestness and hopefulness in the future. Obviously, he didn’t win the Democratic nomination and his platform was a bit too broad and unfocused. Even then, I feel excited to see what his career ultimately becomes, as I think he’s doing an excellent job.
That is largely because of Street Fight, itself an Oscar-nominated documentary from earlier in his campaign. Back then he was campaigning for something more local, living in the housing complex among his proposed constituents. Watching him use every resource on a shoestring budget is admirable, making you believe the young girl who says “he smells like the future.” It’s a mythmaking tool that makes you want to see where his career goes, and thankfully he is more than an obscure footnote. He’s trying to make the world a better place at all expense, and it started, quite resonantly, here in the streets and among the people whom he’s never forgotten the further along, he’s gotten in his career.
4. Primary (1960)
Subject: John F. Kennedy
While it may be far from the flashiest documentary on the list, it’s one of the first that set the bar for every campaign doc to follow. Playing more like newsreel footage, it conveys John F. Kennedy as he goes about his campaign, shaking hands and meeting with a youth who are so enamored with him. You look into the eyes of these young voters and you immediately understand what works about him as a figure. As one of the most acclaimed young presidents in history, he blazed a trail that sought to incorporate media and create an aura about him that previous generations lacked.
It comes through when he gives these big speeches. Listening to him eloquently present a view of the future that seems great, you believe him. Given his place in American history, it has only gone on to age very well, starting a whole series of documentaries that highlight key points in his administration. What it lacks in compelling twists and turns, it does plenty to reflect a more televised and transparent view of the presidency, allowing cameras where they hadn’t been before. After Kennedy, The White House became a more welcoming place, and it all started here with a youthful upstart who believed in his potential.
5. Knock Down the House (2019)
Subject: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Vilela, Cori Bush, Paula Jean Swearengin
It’s true that the big selling point of this recent Netflix documentary is the rise of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. From the minute she takes the screen, her job working at a bar is given a rich underdog story about working hard and doing everything to make the world a better place. So long as she tried and remained confident, she would make a difference. Nobody expected her to take down the incumbent, but she did. The footage alone is a heartwarming part that is only improved upon by her short-term success, her rise in the congressional landscape that symbolizes a shift in demographic to something more diverse and hopeful.
This isn’t to discredit the other women candidates that are chronicled throughout the process of the story. Everyone comes from different backgrounds each fighting for different causes. Not all of them will succeed, and yet their effort speaks to a desire to make this country a better place, reflecting the potential of democracy to be represented by the masses. It’s an encouraging story and one that has the potential to grow in stature and influence a new generation to speak up and have their voices heard. The sentiment is one of the most encouraging on this list, serving as a mission statement for the viewer that will hopefully be acted upon.
Honorary Mention
Boys State (2020)
Subject: A group of teenage boys running a mock election
It didn’t take long for AppleTV+ to create a genuine and essential film, deserving of further discussion by everyone that sees it. While this isn’t an official election and doesn’t have any breakout stars on the political scene, it does have the spirit of American campaigning at its heart, reflecting from scratch the way that politics are formed. It starts with the group selected for the annual Boys State summit deciding what their beliefs are. Even for their naïve and open-mindedness, they’re rooted in a sensibility reflective of more adult politics, quickly taking sides and preparing to scheme on each other to further their own campaign.
It’s a story that provides just as much hope as it does concern, reflecting how American ideology is steeping into the way that everybody young and old thinks. It’s about the crumbling under the pressure of being accepted or doubling on ideas that are downright horrible. Are they just doing this because they’re teenagers, bored with talk of economics? They’d rather secede and ban cars. By the end, it’s an endearing look at how politics inform this country, where even in an inconsequential scenario it feels like the biggest thing in the world. No story, no matter how much bigger it could be, will ever feel as significant and relevant to the moment as this, if just because it proves how widespread this way of thinking ultimately is.
What are your favorite political campaign documentaries?
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