“When we were way behind — honestly, (Eastwood) was suggested,” said James Baker, then a top campaign aide and later secretary of State. “Well, he was a mayor. He was a Republican mayor.”

Eastwood served one term as mayor of Carmel, Calif., from 1986 to 1988…

Among the running mates he considered: Sen. Dan Quayle, R-Ind.; Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan.; Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyo.; Rep. Jack Kemp, R-N.Y. — and Eastwood, who that summer starred again as Inspector “Dirty Harry” Callahan in The Dead Pool.

“Anyway, it was shot down pretty quick,” Baker said. “But we were looking at an 18-point deficit.”