View attachment 796207
The
1980 United States presidential election was the 49th quadrennial
presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 4, 1980 in which
Democratic nominee
Ted Kennedy defeated
Republican nominee
Ronald Reagan. It was also the third election in which the winning candidate won without carrying most states. Due to the rise of
progressivism following Kennedy's victory, some historians consider the election to be a
political realignment that began with his older brother President
John F. Kennedy and his
presidential campaign in 1960, and the 1980 election marked the start of the
Kennedy Era
President
Jimmy Carter's unpopularity and poor relations with Democratic leaders encouraged an Intra-party challenge from then-Senator Kennedy, the former of which would narrowly go on to defeat Kennedy in the majority of the
Democratic primaries and would keep
Walter Mondale as vice-president. Kennedy's campaign for that planks in favor of a $12 billion recession program, wage-price controls, gasoline rationing be added, giving tax benefits to inner city businesses and poor school districts, cutting defense spending to combat the economic situation, and tax cuts for the middle and lower class as well as investing in new technologies. He also proposed that the United States should phase out the usage of nuclear power and replace it with hydro and solar power that the US and Soviet Union should pursue a
nuclear freeze. The
Republican primaries were contested between Reagan, who had previously served as the Governor of California, former Congressman
George H. W. Bush of Texas, Congressman
John B. Anderson of Illinois, and several other candidates. All of Reagan's opponents had dropped out by the end of the primaries, and the
1980 Republican National Convention nominated a ticket consisting of Reagan and Bush. Anderson entered the race as an
independent candidate, and convinced former Wisconsin Governor
Patrick Lucey, a Democrat, to serve as his running mate. Reagan campaigned for increased defense spending, implementation of
supply-side economic policies, and a balanced budget. His campaign was aided by Democratic dissatisfaction with Carter, the
Iran hostage crisis, and a worsening economy at home marked by
high unemployment and inflation. Kennedy would be behind Reagan in the polls but would gain the advantage after the October debates and with the success of
Operation Eagle Claw.
Kennedy would win taking 292
electoral votes and 47.7% of the popular vote. In the simultaneous Congressional elections, Democratic control of the Senate was split between them and Republicans.
Based on a game I played on
The New Campaign Trail