The term "stature gap" first appeared (in print, anyway) during the run-up to the 1988 U.S. presidential election. Here's the first citation I could find:
"The good news for the Democrats is that their stature gap won't be permanent. Sometime between now and the party's convention in Atlanta in July of 1988, a candidate of moreorless presidential size is certain to materialize."
—Paul Taylor, The Washington Post, May 24, 1987
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Boy was that guy ever wrong! (The forgettable Michael Dukakis was the eventual Democratic nominee.) Speaking of wrong predictions (hindsight can be so much fun), here's another one:
"Clinton strikes party pros as having the most potential. But his boyish appearance — at 45, he looks a little bit like a young Mickey Rooney on steroids — and lack of diplomatic credentials have Republicans chuckling about a '92 'stature gap' with George Bush."
—Lee Walczak, Business Week, September 9, 1991
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