Having failed to secure the Democratic nomination, TJ and company try to launch a third-party campaign; the crew hires college co-eds for telemarketing, which provides mixed results; Joanna has coffee with Kitty Dukakis.
Tanner heads to his aunt's house in suburban Michigan to marry Joanna, but his announcement that he's getting married causes varied reactions from his relatives; Molly confides in TJ when she begins to wonder if she's about being fired by NBC; Deke crashes the wedding via helicopter; Tanner makes a number of surprise choices for his cabinet.
Tanner has to decide what to do about his secret girlfriend Joanna Buckley, an employee of main competitor Michael Dukakis. Meanwhile, the Tanner campaign heads to a rough Detroit neighborhood, where a shocking discovery changes the course of the campaign.
Tanner mulls the issue of drug policy in a debate with Jesse Jackson, moderated by Linda Ellerbee. Trying to escape from a number of persistent reporters asking about his relationship with Joanna, Tanner later ends up in a dangerous situation that dramatically affects the campaign.
After being released from jail, Tanner meets with fellow candidate Bruce Babbitt, who just dropped out of the race but has plenty to say on Jack's campaign; Stringer makes a startling discovery when he is tempted to join the Dukakis campaign; Deke produces a controversial new campaign ad.
After Tanner offends Reverend Crier, resulting in more attention towards the campaign, he and his daughter must learn to cope with the constant protective presence of secret service agents; Taggerty uncovers some unusual family dynamics when interviewing Tanner's father; Alex persuades Jack to participate in an anti-Apartheid rally.
In an attempt to garner the black vote, Jack heads to Nashville to seek the advice of an old friend, now a black-rights activist. Meanwhile, one of Tanner's staff recovers from an attack at the campaign event, a busload of campaigners get stuck on the highway, and TJ mulls a one-night stand.
In 1988, renegade filmmaker Robert Altman and Pulitzer Prize–winning Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau created a presidential candidate, ran him alongside the other hopefuls during the primary season, and presented their media campaign as a cross between a soap opera and TV news. The result was the groundbreaking Tanner ’88, a piercing satire of media-age American politics.