The Dark Horse

"The Dark Horse" was the two-part episode premiere of the HBO series Tanner '88. It originally aired on February 15, 1988, and these episodes were the first of the series to air. In this episode, we are introduced to Democratic presidential candidate Jack Tanner as his campaign approaches the New Hampshire primary. The episode begins with director Deke Connors showing Tanner's campaign tape to the campaign staff. Tanner's campaign director, T.J. Cavanaugh, premieres the tape at a focus group. Things at the focus group don't go well, and the voters seem to feel that Tanner is trying to take advantage of their sympathy. Also at the focus group, a young woman named Andrea Spinelli asks if she can stay after because she feels very depressed. Meanwhile, Jack and his daughter Alex go to meet with a New Hampshire farmer named Bob and his wife. Jack and Alex also meet up with Hayes Taggerty, a reporter for the Boston Globe who will be traveling with them and covering Jack's campaign. ... full article at wikipedia