1.
1976 election result:
-President Gerald Ford (R): 278 electoral votes; ~41,200,000 votes
-Governor Jimmy Carter (D): 259 electoral votes; ~38,800,000 votes
It was believed, among pundits across the political spectrum, that had Ford not won in Florida and Michigan, then Carter would've become the country's next President.
Different historians pan it out to different reasons: the Playboy incident, the restored economy, or perhaps Ford's charisma handed him the win. It also proved that he was not a remnant of Watergate and the failed Nixon administration.
Carter's career, in terms of national politics, was almost certainly finished. While he lost in a relatively close vote, he basically threw one of the Democrats' biggest opportunities out the window, and the Party leadership would never forgive him. However, there were whispers that he'd try to take back the Georgia governorship.
1976 election result:
-President Gerald Ford (R): 278 electoral votes; ~41,200,000 votes
-Governor Jimmy Carter (D): 259 electoral votes; ~38,800,000 votes
It was believed, among pundits across the political spectrum, that had Ford not won in Florida and Michigan, then Carter would've become the country's next President.
Different historians pan it out to different reasons: the Playboy incident, the restored economy, or perhaps Ford's charisma handed him the win. It also proved that he was not a remnant of Watergate and the failed Nixon administration.
Carter's career, in terms of national politics, was almost certainly finished. While he lost in a relatively close vote, he basically threw one of the Democrats' biggest opportunities out the window, and the Party leadership would never forgive him. However, there were whispers that he'd try to take back the Georgia governorship.
