John Travolta as Governor (later President of the United States) Jack Stanton.He shakes the hands of his campaign staff, the last of whom is Henry. Months later, President Jack Stanton is dancing at the Inaugural Ball with First Lady, Susan. Jack begs Henry to reconsider, saying they can make history. Henry intends to quit the campaign, as he has become deeply disillusioned with the political process. Picker admits to his past indiscretions, deciding to withdraw from the race and endorse Jack. Racked with guilt over Libby's death, Jack and Henry take the incriminating information to Picker, and apologize for seeking it out. Libby commits suicide when realizing she spent her life idealizing Jack and Susan only to learn how flawed they truly are. Libby says, if Jack does so, she will reveal he tampered with the paternity test results which showed that he had slept with Willie's daughter. Not expecting the information to ever be used, Libby and Henry share the findings with Jack and Susan, but are dismayed when they decide to leak them to the press. They also meet with Picker's cocaine supplier, whom Picker had a homosexual affair with.

They discover he had a cocaine addiction as governor, which led to the disintegration of his first marriage.

Jack and Susan send Henry and Libby on an opposition research mission into Picker's past. His wholesome, straight-talking image is an immediate threat to Stanton's campaign. He is replaced by his friend, former Florida governor Fred Picker. This medical setback causes his withdrawal from the race. Harris confronts Jack during a radio talk show in Florida but suffers two heart attacks during the encounter.

Realizing Jack is falling behind in the polls, his team adopt an offensive strategy, attacking his nearest rival, Senator Harris, for casting anti- Israel votes and favoring cuts in Social Security and Medicare. Although they convince Willie to remain silent, Henry is sickened. Henry and Howard tell Willie he must allow his daughter to undergo an amniocentesis to determine paternity. The campaign is then rocked by a fresh allegation when Jack's old friend, 'Fat Willie' McCollister approaches Henry to tell him that his 17-year-old daughter Loretta, who worked for the Stantons as a babysitter, is pregnant and that Jack is the father. Henry discovers the tapes have been doctored, so Libby tracks down the man responsible, forcing him at gunpoint to confess his guilt in a letter to the American public. One of these women, also Susan's hairdresser, Cashmere McLeod, produces secret taped conversations between the governor and her, showing they had an affair. Hiring the Stantons' old friend, tough but unbalanced Libby Holden, she investigates allegations, including Jack's notorious womanizing, that could be used by opponents to undermine him.

The team becomes worried that Jack's past indiscretions may be used against him by the press and his opponents. senator to help him get released, then persuaded the mayor of Chicago to have his police record expunged. He joins the governor's inner circle of political advisers: Jack's formidable wife, Susan Stanton unconventional political strategist, Richard Jemmons intelligent and attractive spokeswoman, Daisy Green and sly political operator, Howard Ferguson, as they journey to New Hampshire, the first state to hold a presidential primary.Īfter Jack completes an impressive debate performance against his rivals, Henry's ex-girlfriend shows up to question the governor about his arrest for an anti-war protest at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. Henry is impressed by Jack's genuine warmth and empathy. Henry Burton, a young political idealist and grandson of a civil rights leader, is recruited to join the campaign of Jack Stanton, a charismatic Southern governor trying to win the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States. Bates was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance, and May was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. It was critically acclaimed but a box office bomb, earning $52 million from a $65 million budget. The film starred John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Maura Tierney, Larry Hagman, and Adrian Lester. The screenplay by Elaine May was adapted from the novel Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics, a roman à clef about Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign in 1992, which was originally published anonymously, but in 1996 was revealed to have been written by journalist Joe Klein, who had been covering Clinton's campaign for Newsweek. Primary Colors is a 1998 American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols.

Roger clinton imdb