- Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 1980
-
Democratic Presidential Primaries, 1980 1976 ← 1980 → 1984 Nominee Jimmy Carter (inc.) Ted Kennedy Jerry Brown Party Democratic Democratic Democratic Home state Georgia Massachusetts California States carried 37 12 1 Popular vote 10,043,016 7,381,693 575,296 Percentage 51.13% 37.58% 2.93%
President before election
Democratic presidential candidate-elect
The 1980 Democratic presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 1980 U.S. presidential election. Incumbent President Jimmy Carter was again selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 1980 Democratic National Convention held from August 11 to August 14, 1980 in New York City.
Contents
Primary race
In the spring and summer of 1979 inflation was on the rise and various parts of the country were experiencing energy shortages.[1] The gas lines last seen just after the Arab/Israeli war of 1973 were back and President Carter was widely blamed.
President Carter's approval ratings were very low -- 28% according to Gallup,[2] with some other polls giving even lower numbers. In July Carter returned from Camp David to reshuffle his cabinet and give a televised address to the nation widely dubbed the "malaise" speech, though the word malaise was never used. While the speech caused a brief upswing in the president's approval rating, the decision to dismiss several cabinet members was widely seen as a rash act of desperation, causing his approval rating to plummet back into the twenties. Some Democrats felt it worth the risk to mount a challenge to Carter in the primaries. Although Hugh Carey and William Proxmire decided not to run, Senator Edward M. Kennedy finally made his long-expected run at the Presidency.
Ted Kennedy had been asked to take his brother Robert’s place at the 1968 Democratic National Convention and had refused. He ran for Senate Majority Whip in 1969, but many had thought that he was going to use that as a platform for 1972.[3] But then came the notorious Chappaquiddick incident that killed Kennedy's car passenger Mary Jo Kopechne. Kennedy refused to run for president in 1972 and 1976. Many of his supporters suspected that Chappaquiddick had destroyed any ability he had to win on a national level. However, in the summer of 1979, Kennedy consulted with his extended family, and that fall, he let it leak out that because of Carter’s failings, 1980 might indeed be the year. Gallup had him beating the president by over two to one.
Kennedy’s official announcement was scheduled for early November. A television interview with Roger Mudd of CBS a few days before the announcement went badly, however. Kennedy gave an "incoherent and repetitive"[4] answer to the question of why he was running, and the polls, which showed him leading the President by 58-25 in August now had him ahead 49-39.[5] Meanwhile, 52 American hostages were taken by a group of Islamist students and militants in Tehran, Iran, and Carter’s approval ratings jumped in the 60-percent range in some polls, due to a "rally ‘round the flag" effect[6] and an appreciation of Carter's calm handling of the crisis. Kennedy was suddenly left far behind. Carter beat Kennedy decisively in Iowa and New Hampshire. Carter decisively defeated Kennedy everywhere except Massachusetts, until impatience began to build with the President’s strategy on Iran. When the primaries in New York and Connecticut came around, it was Kennedy who won.
Carter was still able to maintain a substantial lead even after Kennedy swept the last batch of primaries in June. Despite this, Kennedy refused to drop out, and the 1980 Democratic National Convention was one of the nastiest on record. On the penultimate day, Kennedy conceded the nomination and called for a more liberal party platform in what many saw as the best speech of his career. On the platform on the final day, Kennedy for the most part ignored Carter.
Candidates gallery
-
Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts
States carried by candidates
Statewide contest by winners:[7]
Carter
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia (his home state)
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Ohio
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Kennedy
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts (his home state)
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Dakota
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
Brown
Popular vote
Primaries total popular vote[8]
- Jimmy Carter (inc.) - 10,043,016 (51.13%)
- Ted Kennedy - 7,381,693 (37.58%)
- Unpledged - 1,288,423 (6.56%)
- Jerry Brown - 575,296 (2.93%)
- Lyndon LaRouche - 177,784 (0.91%)
- Cliff Finch - 48,032 (0.25%)
Convention
Main article: 1980 Democratic National ConventionPresidential tally[9]
- Jimmy Carter (inc.) - 2,123 (64.04%)
- Ted Kennedy - 1,151 (34.72%)
- William Proxmire - 10 (0.30%)
- Koryne Kaneski Horbal - 5 (0.15%)
- Scott M. Matheson - 5 (0.15%)
- Ron Dellums - 3 (0.09%)
- Robert Byrd - 2 (0.06%)
- John Culver - 2 (0.06%)
- Kent Hance - 2 (0.06%)
- Jennings Randolph - 2 (0.06%)
- Warren Spannaus - 2 (0.06%)
- Alice Tripp - 2 (0.06%)
- Jerry Brown - 1 (0.03%)
- Dale Bumpers - 1 (0.03%)
- Hugh L. Carey - 1 (0.03%)
- Walter Mondale - 1 (0.03%)
- Edmund Muskie - 1 (0.03%)
- Thomas J. Steed - 1 (0.03%)
In the vice presidential roll call, Mondale was re-nominated with 2,428.7 votes to 723.3 not voting and 179 scattering.
Key results
Iowa
Iowa Caucus, 1980 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic Jimmy Carter (Incumbent) 59,100 59.16% Democratic Edward Kennedy 31,200 31.23% - Majority 27,900 27.93% New Hampshire primary
New Hampshire primary, 1980 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic Jimmy Carter (Incumbent) 52,692 47.08% Democratic Edward Kennedy 41,745 37.30% - Majority 10,947 9.78% Massachusetts primary
Massachusetts primary, 1980 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic Edward Kennedy 590,393 65.07% Democratic Jimmy Carter (Incumbent) 260,401 28.70% - Majority 329,992 36.37% See also
References
- ^ "Inflation-proofing". ConsumerReports.org. 2010-02-11. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/money/retirement-planning/inflation-proofing-6-07/overview/0607_inflation_proofing_ov.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- ^ "Poll: Bush approval mark at all-time low". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/14/bush.poll. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
- ^ US News and World Report Jan. 1969.
- ^ Allis, Sam (2009-02-18). "Chapter 4: Sailing Into the Wind: Losing a quest for the top, finding a new freedom". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/02/18/chapter_4_sailing_into_the_wind/. Retrieved 2009-03-10.
- ^ Time Magazine, 11/12/79
- ^ http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-0027(199012)34%3A4%3C588%3AFPAPPC%3E2.0.CO%3B2-7
- ^ "Elections". Web.archive.org. 2009-10-26. Archived from the original on 2009-10-26. http://web.archive.org/web/20091026141027/http://geocities.com/Athens/Agora/8088/Dem1980.html. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- ^ "US President - D Primaries Race - Feb 26, 1980". Our Campaigns. http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=51811. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- ^ "US President - D Convention Race - Aug 11, 1980". Our Campaigns. http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=58484. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
United States presidential election, 1980 Republican Party
Convention • Primaries •
Primary resultsNominee: Ronald Reagan
Candidates: John B. Anderson · Howard Baker · George H. W. Bush · John Connally · Phil Crane · Bob Dole · Ben Fernandez · Harold Stassen
VP Nominee: George H. W. BushDemocratic Party
Convention • Primaries •
Primary resultsNominee: Jimmy Carter
Candidates: Jerry Brown · Ted Kennedy · Ron Dellums · William Proxmire
VP Nominee: Walter MondaleIndependent Candidate: John B. Anderson
VP candidate: Patrick LuceyOther independent and third party candidates Citizens Party Libertarian Party Prohibition Party Socialist Party USA Socialist Workers Party Workers World Party Independents and other candidates Other 1980 elections: House • Senate • Gubernatorial United States presidential primaries Election timelines National polling State polling Fundraising 2008Debates Democratic Party: 2008 · Republican Party: 2008Straw polls Major Events Caucuses
and primariesResults breakdown National
conventionsDemocratic Party: 1900 · 1904 · 1908 · 1912 · 1916 · 1920 · 1924 · 1928 · 1932 · 1936 · 1940 · 1944 · 1948 · 1952 · 1956 · 1960 · 1964 · 1968 · 1972 · 1976 · 1980 · 1984 · 1988 · 1992 · 1996 · 2000 · 2004 · 2008 · 2012
Republican Party: 1900 · 1904 · 1908 · 1912 · 1916 · 1920 · 1924 · 1928 · 1932 · 1936 · 1940 · 1944 · 1948 · 1952 · 1956 · 1960 · 1964 · 1968 · 1972 · 1976 · 1980 · 1984 · 1988 · 1992 · 1996 · 2000 · 2004 · 2008 · 2012Reforms Jimmy Carter October 1, 1924 Presidency Presidency of Jimmy Carter · Camp David Accords · Torrijos-Carter Treaties · National Energy Policy · Iran hostage crisis · Operation Eagle Claw · 1979 energy crisis · SALT · Department of Energy · Department of Education · Department of Health and Human Services · Executive Order 12148 · Executive Order 12170Elections Electoral history · 1966 gubernatorial election · 1970 gubernatorial election · 1976 presidential primaries · 1976 presidential election · 1980 presidential primaries · 1980 presidential electionPost-Presidency and other activities Family Rosalyn Carter (wife) · Jack Carter (son) · Amy Carter (daughter) · Lillian Gordy Carter (mother) · Jason Carter (grandson)Books (Complete list) · Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid · We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land · White House DiaryAwards and honors Ted Kennedy February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009 Electoral history Books My Senator and Me: A Dog's-Eye View of Washington, D.C. · True CompassFamily Joan Bennett Kennedy (first wife) · Victoria Reggie Kennedy (second wife) · Kara Kennedy Allen (daughter) · Ted Kennedy, Jr. (son) · Patrick Joseph Kennedy II (son) · Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Sr. (father) · Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald Kennedy (mother) · Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr. (brother) · John Fitzgerald Kennedy (brother) · Robert Francis Kennedy (brother)Related topics Awards and honors · Political positions · Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate · Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act · Chappaquiddick incident · Mary Jo KopechneCategories:- United States presidential primaries, 1980
- Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.