In 1984 Jerry Sanford, a political novice, entered the race for State Attorney, the most powerful elective office in Dade County, Florida, against incumbent Janet Reno, for all the wrong reasons. He idealistically wanted to show the citizens that a politician could improve their lives and be respected and admired, rather than reviled. What he did not anticipate, however, was that his fiercest opponent would be the most powerful opinion-manipulator in south Florida: The Miami Herald.