Presidential Election 1980

As the 1970s were coming to a close, President Jimmy Carter had a trifecta of bad luck going for him going into the Election of 1980; an energy crisis, double digit inflation, and the hostages in Iran.  Things didn't help knowing that three days after the hostage situation President Carter would see a Democratic Party challenge in Massachusetts senator, Edward M. Kennedy.  Then, a week later Former California Governor Ronald Reagan entered the race for the Republican Nomination.

Reagan was not without his Primary challenge as men like Former Ambassador George HW Bush, Senator Robert Dole, Senator Howard Baker, Congressman John Anderson, Congressman Phil Crane, and Former Secretary of the Treasury John Connally all vied for the Republican Nomination. By late April 1980, all of the candidates for the GOP Nomination dropped out with the exception of Bush and Anderson was running as a third party candidate.

At the Republican National Convention there was drama as to whom Governor Reagan would pick to be his running -mate.  There was talk of putting Reagan's chief rival from the 1976 GOP Primary; Gerald Ford, but an interview Ford had with Walter Cronkite he clenched George HW Bush to be Reagan's running-mate.

As the Democratic Party had their campaign, President Carter spent his time being president and trying to work out a deal with Iran to release the hostages.  An attempt in April failed.  As for Senator Kennedy, the American people have moved on from Joe Kennedy, Sr.'s sons running for president.  With the Assassinations of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, and the Chappaquiddick accident that Senator Edward M. Kennedy had in 1969, it was time to move beyond the Kennedy brothers.  The campaign for Senator Kennedy ended at the Democratic National Convention.

The nominees were named, the fall campaign was underway.  As stated, President Carter was working on negotiations to free the hostages and missed a debate with Reagan and Congressman John Anderson.  He would debate Governor Reagan a month later in Cleveland.

In the fall, President Carter could not shake the energy crisis, the double digit inflation, and the hostages.  Reagan dominated the campaign and on Election Day, November 4, 1980, exactly one year to the day that hostages were taken in Iran, Ronald Reagan was elected the 40th President of the United States.  President Carter conceded gracefully.

For the rest of his term, Jimmy Carter worked tirelessly to get those hostages freed.  On Inauguration Day 1981 just as Ronald Reagan took his hand off of the Bible, Iran had given Jimmy Carter the greatest middle finger gesture, metaphorically speaking, of course when the hostages were freed after 444 days.  Like with Richard Nixon in the 1968 Presidential Election possibly committing treason by delaying the bombing halts in North and South Vietnam until after the election, there is talk 40 years later that during the fall campaign, Ronald Reagan interfered in the early release of the hostages to make President Carter appear weak and wait to release them once he was officially President of the United States.

Jimmy Carter returned home to Plains, GA and he and his wife have lived their ever since.  He has worked with Habitat for Humanity, started the Carter Center to promote both fair elections and human rights around the world, and well into his 90s has taught Sunday School at his church.  Jimmy Carter is the longest living president in history and he is a brain cancer survivor since late 2015.

The Election of Ronald Reagan would usher in a new conservative movement that has gone on for the better part of 40 years with his Vice President; George HW Bush, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump carrying on Reagan's conservative legacy.

See also:

• Presidential Election 1940
• Presidential Election 1944
• Presidential Election 1948
• Presidential Election 1952
• Presidential Election 1956
• Presidential Election 1960
• Presidential Election 1964
• Presidential Election 1968
• Presidential Election 1972
• Presidential Election 1976
• Presidential Election 1980
• Presidential Election 1984
• Presidential Election 1988
• Presidential Election 1992
• Presidential Election 1996
• Presidential Election 2000
• Presidential Election 2004
• Presidential Election 2008
• Presidential Election 2012
• Presidential Election 2016
• Presidential Election 2020