Give Peace A Chance: The Presidency of Eugene McCarthy
- Thread starter The Lethargic Lett
- Start date
Election Night: 1976!
Join us tommorow at 8:00PM EST for your election coverage!
Join us tommorow at 8:00PM EST for your election coverage!
Same. Cool that you may be able to post the first part of this if it's in several parts on my birthday. I'll google Rhodes, see what I can find out about him.
Chapter Thirty-One - Part Two - Wabash Cannonball
“Live from CBS Headquarters in New York, we bring you the 1976 election coverage, with Walter Cronkite”
“Good evening. Today is Tuesday November 2nd, 1976, and the night has finally arrived for this year’s Presidential election. Democratic nominee Senator Henry ‘Scoop’ Jackson of Washington is facing off against Republican nominee Governor James A. Rhodes of Ohio. For the first time since 1964, George Wallace has not run a third party campaign, and the mantle of the American Independent Party has gone to former Governor Lester Maddox of Georgia. The People’s Party ticket of Margeret Wright has also seen a boost in the polls after a supposed endorsement by President McCarthy that has been neither confirmed nor denied.
After fifteen years of a Democrat in the White House, with John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and outgoing President Eugene McCarthy, polls have indicated a Republican landslide, but Jackson claims that the makings of an upset victory is at hand, similar to that of Harry Truman in the Election of 1948. Rhodes, for his part, has focused on a jobs-oriented campaign with emphasis on domestic issues, such as inflation and inner city violence.
In total, about a million votes have been reported, Jim Rhodes leads Henry Jackson with about fifty-eight percent of the popular vote. We can also project that Rhodes will take Kentucky with its nine electoral votes. Results also coming from Indiana, as Rhodes has won there too. Both of those states neighbour Rhodes’ home state of Ohio, and he campaigned extensively throughout the Midwest, and the entire country, during the campaign.
It seems that there are higher turnouts this election for the Presidential race, and there are also many interesting Senate races to watch. The first prominent race to be concluded is in Indiana, where Democratic Senator Vance Hartke has lost to Republican Richard Lugar. Hartke worked closely with President McCarthy, and, it appears, it suffering for it. Hartke’s fellow Democratic Senator for Indiana, Birch Bayh, himself lost re-election in the 1974 midterm elections. Another interesting race will be in Ohio between the Democratic incumbent Howard Metzenbaum and Republican challenger Robert Taft Jr. The seat had been previously been held by then-Senator Jim Rhodes, but he resigned in 1974 to run once more for Governor. The Democratic Governor at the time, John J. Gilligan, appointed Metzenbaum to fill the vacancy. We also have our eyes on the race in Pennsylvania, between the Republican, John Heinz, and Democrat Bill Green, in one of the most expensive campaigns in the country. There is also the race in California, between Senator George Brown Jr, the protege of President McCarthy who is looking for re-election, and elder statesman Richard Nixon, who is looking to make yet another comeback into politics. I guess it’s true what they say that you can’t keep a good politician down.
In the first southern state coming in, Rhodes will take the state of Georgia, despite the efforts of Jackson’s running mate, Jimmy Carter. It seems that Lester Maddox is having only a negligible effect on the results coming out of the South; Georgia has been Wallace country for the last eight years. This is an interesting look at politics of the South, with Georgia having not voted for Democrat since 1960, in what was once the Solid South for the Democrats.
Results are also unclear if there will be many drastic changes in the makeup of the House, or if the Republican trend will continue from 1974. Mo Udall, who gave a tough primary challenge to Senator Jackson, remains Speaker of the House. However, House Majority Leader Carl Albert will be retiring, to be replaced by Dan Rostenkowski, a tough political operator from Chicago who has the support of the Kennedy clan. The Kennedys have been a noticeable absence in Presidential politics. Ted Kennedy has remained in the Senate, without any outward signs of interest in higher office, while Bobby Kennedy hasn’t run for public office since the attempt on his life in 1968, which left him partially paralyzed.
House Minority Leader Gerald Ford will also be retiring. A well-known reconciliator in the House, Ford was reportedly just as surprised as anyone when Ronald Reagan informed him that he would be his first choice of running mate if nominated. Although Reagan was, in fact, not nominated, Ford is an almost universally admired figure in the Republican Party.
It’s been observed that the last few elections have been either squeakers or landslides: Kennedy’s squeaker in 1960, followed by a Johnson landslide in ‘64, then McCarthy’s two squeakers in ‘68 and ‘72. It remains to be seen how this election will shape up. On that note, Rhodes has also won in the Deep South in the state of Alabama.
We’ll be back with more coverage after this.
We’re back. We can now project that Governor Rhodes has won South Carolina by a comfortable margin. At this point, Senator Jackson has yet to win a state, and, judging by Rhodes’ progress in the South, The American Independent Party may not win any states this election.
It remains too close to call in many states, but Jackson can now be declared the winner in West Virginia. In the state of Virginia next door, Harry Byrd Jr, the American Independent Party Vice Presidential nominee in 1972, has won re-election to the Senate as an independent. Coming right on the heels of those results is the tally from Florida. In Florida, Rhodes has won that state, as well as in Tennessee.
We also have the first state where it seems the People’s Party may make a difference. New Jersey has polled very closely between Jackson and Rhodes, who both had broad appeal in general issue polling in the state. However, with early key precincts in we can confirm Governor Rhodes has won the state. Our exit polls show that the overwhelming second choice of People’s Party voters was the Democrats. Although the Rhodes total was more than the Democrats and the People’s Party combined, it certainly didn’t help Jackson’s chances. Some have called the People’s Party ticket of Margaret Wright and Benjamin Spock a ‘spoiler’ ticket for Jackson and the Democrats, but it remains to be seen if it will throw the most liberal states to Rhodes in a case of vote splitting, or if Rhodes will have such a mandate that it won’t matter. The last time New Jersey voted for a Republican was 1956.
Not unexpected, but we can call Kansas for Rhodes and the Republicans. We can also call Massachusetts for Jackson. Despite that fact that the People’s Party garnered nearly five percent of the vote, Jackson was able to win by the skin of his teeth against Rhodes. Likewise, Jackson has won in the District of Columbia.
As far as turnout goes, it seems that there has been a mild increase from the last Presidential election nationwide. In the popular vote, Rhodes retains his lead. On the state level, Rhodes unsurprisingly is leading in his home state of Ohio, while Jackson is leading in Illinois. Having lost New Jersey and with Ohio presumedly going to Rhodes, Jackson has a narrow margin of error going forward.
That being said, Rhodes has won in the state of North Carolina. This isn’t looking good for Jackson in the South, who had moderated his stance on civil rights somewhat, and has received the endorsement of many prominent Southerners, such as Senate Majority Whip Robert Byrd and former Vice President John Connally. Despite the fact that his support was essential for a Jackson nomination at the Democratic Convention this year, George Wallace has not endorsed a candidate. Not even Lester Maddox, that of the American Independent Party. In Michigan, results are coming in, and Jackson is in the lead, while in Pennsylvania, Rhodes holds a lead.
We’ll be taking a quick break, and then we'll be back with more election night coverage.
“Good evening. Today is Tuesday November 2nd, 1976, and the night has finally arrived for this year’s Presidential election. Democratic nominee Senator Henry ‘Scoop’ Jackson of Washington is facing off against Republican nominee Governor James A. Rhodes of Ohio. For the first time since 1964, George Wallace has not run a third party campaign, and the mantle of the American Independent Party has gone to former Governor Lester Maddox of Georgia. The People’s Party ticket of Margeret Wright has also seen a boost in the polls after a supposed endorsement by President McCarthy that has been neither confirmed nor denied.
After fifteen years of a Democrat in the White House, with John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and outgoing President Eugene McCarthy, polls have indicated a Republican landslide, but Jackson claims that the makings of an upset victory is at hand, similar to that of Harry Truman in the Election of 1948. Rhodes, for his part, has focused on a jobs-oriented campaign with emphasis on domestic issues, such as inflation and inner city violence.
In total, about a million votes have been reported, Jim Rhodes leads Henry Jackson with about fifty-eight percent of the popular vote. We can also project that Rhodes will take Kentucky with its nine electoral votes. Results also coming from Indiana, as Rhodes has won there too. Both of those states neighbour Rhodes’ home state of Ohio, and he campaigned extensively throughout the Midwest, and the entire country, during the campaign.
It seems that there are higher turnouts this election for the Presidential race, and there are also many interesting Senate races to watch. The first prominent race to be concluded is in Indiana, where Democratic Senator Vance Hartke has lost to Republican Richard Lugar. Hartke worked closely with President McCarthy, and, it appears, it suffering for it. Hartke’s fellow Democratic Senator for Indiana, Birch Bayh, himself lost re-election in the 1974 midterm elections. Another interesting race will be in Ohio between the Democratic incumbent Howard Metzenbaum and Republican challenger Robert Taft Jr. The seat had been previously been held by then-Senator Jim Rhodes, but he resigned in 1974 to run once more for Governor. The Democratic Governor at the time, John J. Gilligan, appointed Metzenbaum to fill the vacancy. We also have our eyes on the race in Pennsylvania, between the Republican, John Heinz, and Democrat Bill Green, in one of the most expensive campaigns in the country. There is also the race in California, between Senator George Brown Jr, the protege of President McCarthy who is looking for re-election, and elder statesman Richard Nixon, who is looking to make yet another comeback into politics. I guess it’s true what they say that you can’t keep a good politician down.
In the first southern state coming in, Rhodes will take the state of Georgia, despite the efforts of Jackson’s running mate, Jimmy Carter. It seems that Lester Maddox is having only a negligible effect on the results coming out of the South; Georgia has been Wallace country for the last eight years. This is an interesting look at politics of the South, with Georgia having not voted for Democrat since 1960, in what was once the Solid South for the Democrats.
Results are also unclear if there will be many drastic changes in the makeup of the House, or if the Republican trend will continue from 1974. Mo Udall, who gave a tough primary challenge to Senator Jackson, remains Speaker of the House. However, House Majority Leader Carl Albert will be retiring, to be replaced by Dan Rostenkowski, a tough political operator from Chicago who has the support of the Kennedy clan. The Kennedys have been a noticeable absence in Presidential politics. Ted Kennedy has remained in the Senate, without any outward signs of interest in higher office, while Bobby Kennedy hasn’t run for public office since the attempt on his life in 1968, which left him partially paralyzed.
House Minority Leader Gerald Ford will also be retiring. A well-known reconciliator in the House, Ford was reportedly just as surprised as anyone when Ronald Reagan informed him that he would be his first choice of running mate if nominated. Although Reagan was, in fact, not nominated, Ford is an almost universally admired figure in the Republican Party.
It’s been observed that the last few elections have been either squeakers or landslides: Kennedy’s squeaker in 1960, followed by a Johnson landslide in ‘64, then McCarthy’s two squeakers in ‘68 and ‘72. It remains to be seen how this election will shape up. On that note, Rhodes has also won in the Deep South in the state of Alabama.
We’ll be back with more coverage after this.
We’re back. We can now project that Governor Rhodes has won South Carolina by a comfortable margin. At this point, Senator Jackson has yet to win a state, and, judging by Rhodes’ progress in the South, The American Independent Party may not win any states this election.
It remains too close to call in many states, but Jackson can now be declared the winner in West Virginia. In the state of Virginia next door, Harry Byrd Jr, the American Independent Party Vice Presidential nominee in 1972, has won re-election to the Senate as an independent. Coming right on the heels of those results is the tally from Florida. In Florida, Rhodes has won that state, as well as in Tennessee.
We also have the first state where it seems the People’s Party may make a difference. New Jersey has polled very closely between Jackson and Rhodes, who both had broad appeal in general issue polling in the state. However, with early key precincts in we can confirm Governor Rhodes has won the state. Our exit polls show that the overwhelming second choice of People’s Party voters was the Democrats. Although the Rhodes total was more than the Democrats and the People’s Party combined, it certainly didn’t help Jackson’s chances. Some have called the People’s Party ticket of Margaret Wright and Benjamin Spock a ‘spoiler’ ticket for Jackson and the Democrats, but it remains to be seen if it will throw the most liberal states to Rhodes in a case of vote splitting, or if Rhodes will have such a mandate that it won’t matter. The last time New Jersey voted for a Republican was 1956.
Not unexpected, but we can call Kansas for Rhodes and the Republicans. We can also call Massachusetts for Jackson. Despite that fact that the People’s Party garnered nearly five percent of the vote, Jackson was able to win by the skin of his teeth against Rhodes. Likewise, Jackson has won in the District of Columbia.
As far as turnout goes, it seems that there has been a mild increase from the last Presidential election nationwide. In the popular vote, Rhodes retains his lead. On the state level, Rhodes unsurprisingly is leading in his home state of Ohio, while Jackson is leading in Illinois. Having lost New Jersey and with Ohio presumedly going to Rhodes, Jackson has a narrow margin of error going forward.
That being said, Rhodes has won in the state of North Carolina. This isn’t looking good for Jackson in the South, who had moderated his stance on civil rights somewhat, and has received the endorsement of many prominent Southerners, such as Senate Majority Whip Robert Byrd and former Vice President John Connally. Despite the fact that his support was essential for a Jackson nomination at the Democratic Convention this year, George Wallace has not endorsed a candidate. Not even Lester Maddox, that of the American Independent Party. In Michigan, results are coming in, and Jackson is in the lead, while in Pennsylvania, Rhodes holds a lead.
We’ll be taking a quick break, and then we'll be back with more election night coverage.
Cool. Looks like the former governor of my home state could be the next US President so far.
Chapter Thirty-One - Part Three - Wabash Cannonball
“They’re not having Christmas in Youngstown this year because the radical environmentalists and McCarthy’s ECA has shut down the steel mill and the factory jobs!”
"We’re back with more election coverage.
Rhodes continues to hold in the popular vote over Jackson, and has a narrow lead in Virginia, the home state of his running mate, Governor Mills Godwin. Virginia has been described as one of the two main battleground states of the South, along with Texas.
In Gubernatorial races, Pete du Pont has been elected as Governor of Delaware, having previously served as a Congressman. Speaking of Delaware, it was considered a toss-up state, but its three electoral votes have gone for Rhodes. We also have the results from the maverick state of Louisiana. A long-time Democratic state in past elections, Louisiana has voted Republican and third party for a while now, and will vote Republican once more. Louisiana is going to Rhodes in this election. We can also unsurprisingly call North Dakota for Rhodes.
In the Tennessee Senate race, it’s too close to call, with incumbent Republican Senator Bill Brock facing a fierce challenge from the Democratic challenger. Supporters of Ronald Reagan claim that Brock’s eleventh hour re-entry into the Republican nominating process cost Reagan the nomination, and threw it to Rhodes. In Ohio, it’s a close race between the incumbent Democrat Howard Metzenbaum, who was appointed to fill Rhodes’ Senate seat when Rhodes resigned to run Governor, and the Republican challenger, Robert Taft Jr, and narrowly lost the Republican primary for the Senate seat that Rhodes relinquished. In the Senate race for Wisconsin, the incumbent Democrat, Bronson La Follette, is facing off against local Republican Stanley York. La Follette, of the famous La Follette political family of Wisconsin, was appointed to fill the seat of Senator William Proxmire, who joined the McCarthy cabinet in McCarthy’s second term as Secretary of Commerce.
We now have many states coming in from both the West, and New England, and it’s a Rhodes sweep. In New England, Rhodes has taken Vermont and New Hampshire as well as Connecticut. This is certainly worrying for the Jackson camp, as Connecticut has voted Democrat in every election since 1956, and it, along with New Jersey, are indicators of a Rhodes victory. In more expected results, Rhodes has won in Nebraska and South Dakota. Many other Western states remain too close to call. However, we can’t count Jackson out yet. Jackson has avenues of victory. If Jackson can win every Midwestern state, excepting Ohio, as well as one of the Southern battleground states and the west coast, Jackson can still win, if narrowly. If Jackson wins both battleground states in the South, Virginia and Texas, then he can survive some loses in the Midwest.
We’ll be back soon with more election coverage.
We’re back. In the South, Rhodes has taken Arkansas and Alabama. In the Midwest, Rhodes has taken Missouri. We have a serious turn of events with incoming results. Jackson has won the states of Minnesota and Maryland, as well as the high value state of New York. Jackson’s powerbase in the east has been New York, but even then it was a close race. The People’s Party was not on the ballot in the state of New York, but projections indicate that if they had been, the state would have gone to Rhodes. By winning New York, Jackson is down but not out, and could feasibly make a comeback in the Midwest. The burden lies with Jackson to carry the swing states.
We can now project Utah for Governor Rhodes, as the first results come in from further west. In the Senate results, we can confirm that Senator Brock of Tennessee, a Republican candidate for President earlier in this election cycle, will not be re-elected, having lost to Sasser, the Democratic challenger.
About a third of the total vote has by now been counted. Jackson has closed in somewhat, as votes are counted in the urban centres and big cities, but Rhodes retains the majority of the vote. Looking at the camps of the two candidates: Rhodes is ensconced in the Governor’s Mansion in Columbus, Ohio. Contrary to usual election night form, Rhodes has already made several public appearances to the assembled crowd, before returning to the back rooms to watch the results come in, giving his own running commentary of sorts. In Everett, Washington, the Jackson camp is planted in the Historic Everett Theatre. Things are tense, but optimistic in Everett; although Rhodes has been leading in the polls all night, and, indeed, all season, Jackson and his running mate, Jimmy Carter, have run an eternally optimistic campaign in terms of their election chances. Jackson is only the third candidate of a major party for President from the West Coast, and is the first from Washington state.
Going to more election results, in the state of Illinois, Rhodes is in the lead, but less than a quarter of the total precincts are reporting in, and these results come from the more conservative southern counties. Chicago has yet to report in. We can also confirm that the state of Montana is going for Governor Rhodes. Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield represents Montana, and is retiring this year. In the Senate election tonight, the Democrat, John Melcher, has defeated Republican challenger Stanley Burger. The electoral vote as is has Governor Rhodes with one-hundred and eighty-one, while Senator Jackson has ninety-two. For Jackson to win, he’ll have to nearly sweep the Midwest, and win a few more states beyond that on the West Coast and elsewhere. A difficult task but not insurmountable. If Rhodes wins any three of the big Midwestern states, then that would put him over the two-hundred and seventy electoral votes required to win. If Rhodes wins California and any other two of the biggest states, he’ll be over the two-hundred and seventy electoral votes. That being said, California hasn’t voted Republican since 1960, and even then, it was the home state of the Republican candidate, Richard Nixon.
Speaking of Richard Nixon, the ever-present statesman of Republican politics is once more looking to enter elected office, but this time, as a Senator. Challenging the Democratic incumbent, and President McCarthy’s protege, George Brown Jr, the California Senate election has been described by many as a referendum on the McCarthy Presidency. We’ll see if you can teach an old dog new tricks, as the saying goes.
There is also discussion on what will happen in the state of Texas. Texas has gone both ways in past elections, and is something of a swing state. In the last Presidential election, Texas notably voted for George Wallace and the American Independent Party. Exit polls indicated from that election that the reason most Wallace voters voted for him as “both mainstream candidates were too liberal” followed closely by “to call out the Washington establishment.” In this election, both candidates are noticeably more conservative than the 1972 candidates of their parties. As results come in, we’ll have to see if Jackson can reclaim at least part of the South for the Democrats, or if that part of the country will move further into the Republican column.
More results coming, unsurprisingly for a mountain state, Wyoming is going for Rhodes. Governor Rhodes continues to inch towards victory. On top of that, we can call Arizona and Mississippi going for Rhodes. The most important news of the segment thus far is that we can confirm that the state of Virginia will be going for Rhodes. Virginia has been one of the battleground states of the South this election along with Texas, and this continues to limit Jackson’s options if he wants to win the election. A small consolation for Jackson is that we can call Rhode Island for Jackson. One of the most Democratic states in the country, this is no surprise. However, in the home state of Vice President Edmund Muskie, Maine, Governor Rhodes has won the over Senator Jackson. For a long time in American history, New England was to the Republicans what the Solid South was to the Democrats, in this result, along with the results in 1968 and 1972, seem to indicate New England slowly drifting back to more consistently vote Republican for President.
I've been asked to take a quick break."
- Governor James A. Rhodes on the campaign trail in the Steel Belt.
"We’re back with more election coverage.
Rhodes continues to hold in the popular vote over Jackson, and has a narrow lead in Virginia, the home state of his running mate, Governor Mills Godwin. Virginia has been described as one of the two main battleground states of the South, along with Texas.
In Gubernatorial races, Pete du Pont has been elected as Governor of Delaware, having previously served as a Congressman. Speaking of Delaware, it was considered a toss-up state, but its three electoral votes have gone for Rhodes. We also have the results from the maverick state of Louisiana. A long-time Democratic state in past elections, Louisiana has voted Republican and third party for a while now, and will vote Republican once more. Louisiana is going to Rhodes in this election. We can also unsurprisingly call North Dakota for Rhodes.
In the Tennessee Senate race, it’s too close to call, with incumbent Republican Senator Bill Brock facing a fierce challenge from the Democratic challenger. Supporters of Ronald Reagan claim that Brock’s eleventh hour re-entry into the Republican nominating process cost Reagan the nomination, and threw it to Rhodes. In Ohio, it’s a close race between the incumbent Democrat Howard Metzenbaum, who was appointed to fill Rhodes’ Senate seat when Rhodes resigned to run Governor, and the Republican challenger, Robert Taft Jr, and narrowly lost the Republican primary for the Senate seat that Rhodes relinquished. In the Senate race for Wisconsin, the incumbent Democrat, Bronson La Follette, is facing off against local Republican Stanley York. La Follette, of the famous La Follette political family of Wisconsin, was appointed to fill the seat of Senator William Proxmire, who joined the McCarthy cabinet in McCarthy’s second term as Secretary of Commerce.
We now have many states coming in from both the West, and New England, and it’s a Rhodes sweep. In New England, Rhodes has taken Vermont and New Hampshire as well as Connecticut. This is certainly worrying for the Jackson camp, as Connecticut has voted Democrat in every election since 1956, and it, along with New Jersey, are indicators of a Rhodes victory. In more expected results, Rhodes has won in Nebraska and South Dakota. Many other Western states remain too close to call. However, we can’t count Jackson out yet. Jackson has avenues of victory. If Jackson can win every Midwestern state, excepting Ohio, as well as one of the Southern battleground states and the west coast, Jackson can still win, if narrowly. If Jackson wins both battleground states in the South, Virginia and Texas, then he can survive some loses in the Midwest.
We’ll be back soon with more election coverage.
We’re back. In the South, Rhodes has taken Arkansas and Alabama. In the Midwest, Rhodes has taken Missouri. We have a serious turn of events with incoming results. Jackson has won the states of Minnesota and Maryland, as well as the high value state of New York. Jackson’s powerbase in the east has been New York, but even then it was a close race. The People’s Party was not on the ballot in the state of New York, but projections indicate that if they had been, the state would have gone to Rhodes. By winning New York, Jackson is down but not out, and could feasibly make a comeback in the Midwest. The burden lies with Jackson to carry the swing states.
We can now project Utah for Governor Rhodes, as the first results come in from further west. In the Senate results, we can confirm that Senator Brock of Tennessee, a Republican candidate for President earlier in this election cycle, will not be re-elected, having lost to Sasser, the Democratic challenger.
About a third of the total vote has by now been counted. Jackson has closed in somewhat, as votes are counted in the urban centres and big cities, but Rhodes retains the majority of the vote. Looking at the camps of the two candidates: Rhodes is ensconced in the Governor’s Mansion in Columbus, Ohio. Contrary to usual election night form, Rhodes has already made several public appearances to the assembled crowd, before returning to the back rooms to watch the results come in, giving his own running commentary of sorts. In Everett, Washington, the Jackson camp is planted in the Historic Everett Theatre. Things are tense, but optimistic in Everett; although Rhodes has been leading in the polls all night, and, indeed, all season, Jackson and his running mate, Jimmy Carter, have run an eternally optimistic campaign in terms of their election chances. Jackson is only the third candidate of a major party for President from the West Coast, and is the first from Washington state.
Going to more election results, in the state of Illinois, Rhodes is in the lead, but less than a quarter of the total precincts are reporting in, and these results come from the more conservative southern counties. Chicago has yet to report in. We can also confirm that the state of Montana is going for Governor Rhodes. Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield represents Montana, and is retiring this year. In the Senate election tonight, the Democrat, John Melcher, has defeated Republican challenger Stanley Burger. The electoral vote as is has Governor Rhodes with one-hundred and eighty-one, while Senator Jackson has ninety-two. For Jackson to win, he’ll have to nearly sweep the Midwest, and win a few more states beyond that on the West Coast and elsewhere. A difficult task but not insurmountable. If Rhodes wins any three of the big Midwestern states, then that would put him over the two-hundred and seventy electoral votes required to win. If Rhodes wins California and any other two of the biggest states, he’ll be over the two-hundred and seventy electoral votes. That being said, California hasn’t voted Republican since 1960, and even then, it was the home state of the Republican candidate, Richard Nixon.
Speaking of Richard Nixon, the ever-present statesman of Republican politics is once more looking to enter elected office, but this time, as a Senator. Challenging the Democratic incumbent, and President McCarthy’s protege, George Brown Jr, the California Senate election has been described by many as a referendum on the McCarthy Presidency. We’ll see if you can teach an old dog new tricks, as the saying goes.
There is also discussion on what will happen in the state of Texas. Texas has gone both ways in past elections, and is something of a swing state. In the last Presidential election, Texas notably voted for George Wallace and the American Independent Party. Exit polls indicated from that election that the reason most Wallace voters voted for him as “both mainstream candidates were too liberal” followed closely by “to call out the Washington establishment.” In this election, both candidates are noticeably more conservative than the 1972 candidates of their parties. As results come in, we’ll have to see if Jackson can reclaim at least part of the South for the Democrats, or if that part of the country will move further into the Republican column.
More results coming, unsurprisingly for a mountain state, Wyoming is going for Rhodes. Governor Rhodes continues to inch towards victory. On top of that, we can call Arizona and Mississippi going for Rhodes. The most important news of the segment thus far is that we can confirm that the state of Virginia will be going for Rhodes. Virginia has been one of the battleground states of the South this election along with Texas, and this continues to limit Jackson’s options if he wants to win the election. A small consolation for Jackson is that we can call Rhode Island for Jackson. One of the most Democratic states in the country, this is no surprise. However, in the home state of Vice President Edmund Muskie, Maine, Governor Rhodes has won the over Senator Jackson. For a long time in American history, New England was to the Republicans what the Solid South was to the Democrats, in this result, along with the results in 1968 and 1972, seem to indicate New England slowly drifting back to more consistently vote Republican for President.
I've been asked to take a quick break."
Chapter Thirty-One - Part Four - Wabash Cannonball
“Others may seek to make America great again. I seek to make America good again. For in the last analysis, our claim to greatness will be found in our goodness.”
"We’re back with more election night coverage.
We now have forty-four percent of the total vote of the precincts in. When the earliest results were coming in at the start of the night, Rhodes had nearly sixty-four percent of the vote. It has since dropped several percentages with the larger, more urban, Democratic states reporting in. Rhodes still has the lead with fifty-eight percent of the vote. This is a high margin, but it’s a shrinking margin, and below sixty-percent, which is typically the threshold of historic landslides in both the Electoral College and popular vote, such as Johnson in 1964, or Roosevelt in 1936.
In the state of Iowa, Rhodes is in the lead, but it’s too close to call. It’s the same situation in the state of Texas, which remains close with Rhodes in the need. In the more northern Midwestern states, such as Wisconsin and Michigan, Jackson is in the lead, while Rhodes holds a lead in Illinois, but again, Chicago has yet to report in. Although the polls have yet to close, in the state of California there has been a record turnout.
Senate results are coming in from the west. In Nevada, Howard Cannon, a moderate Democrat has won reelection handily. It should also be comforting to Senator Jackson that he still has the support of the state of Washington, having won re-election to the Senate. If Jackson wins, his Senate seat will become vacant, but if Rhodes wins tonight, then Jackson will be returning to the Senate.
More results coming in: Rhodes has won in the state of Colorado, but, perhaps more importantly, Rhodes has won the state of Michigan, pulling up from behind. Michigan voted for the Republicans in the last election, but that was when Governor George Romney of Michigan was the candidate. If we exclude 1972, this is another one of those states, such as Rhode Island and New Jersey, that hasn’t voted for a Republican since Eisenhower’s 1956 landslide. Speaking of Governor Romney, we’ll be having another Governor Romney after this election, but this time from Utah. Vernon B. Romney, the Republican, has defeated the Democrat, Scott Matheson in the race. In the state of Washington, the Democrats have gone beyond re-electing Henry Jackson to the Senate, by electing a female Governor, Dixy Lee Ray, who narrowly defeated the Republican candidate, John Spellman. As an interesting aside, Washington had a satirical third party bid by the OWL Party this year, whose campaign slogan was “we don’t give a hoot!” The OWL candidate, Red Kelly, was a hockey player who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings. Kelly previously served in the Canadian House of Commons, similar to our House of Representatives, and would have served in politics in two countries if he had somehow been elected. In the state of Vermont, retiring Democratic Governor Thomas Salmon will be succeeded by the Republican Richard Snelling, defeating the Democrat, Stella Hackel, one of the few women to run for elected office this year. Coming in a distant but respectable third was Bernie Sanders, of the Liberty Union Party. Sanders was one of those candidates, like the People’s Party ticket, that was supposedly endorsed by President McCarthy, and this was the best that the Liberty Union Party has ever performed.
Some results coming in from the west. In the states of Oklahoma and Idaho, Rhodes has won by a comfortable margin. No surprises there. At this point, it’s mostly the big states left in the running. Although losing states like New Jersey and Michigan seem to be indicative of a Rhodes victory, it is still theoretically possible for Jackson to win if he takes the rest of the Midwestern states, as well as Texas and the West Coast. At this time, Rhodes is very close to winning the electoral college, with two-hundred and fifty three electoral votes to Jackson’s ninety-two. All it would take would be Governor Rhodes’ home state of Ohio to call for him and he would win the election. Iowa remains competitive with nearly three quarters of the precincts in, but Rhodes is in the lead there. As results are coming in from California, Jackson has a mild lead in the Presidential race, but Mr. Richard Nixon is leading Senator George Brown Jr. in the Senate race there.
One moment please.
We have the results of the third most populous state state in the nation, and we can confirm that Jim Rhodes has taken the state of Pennsylvania. This puts Rhodes over the top; he has handily won the election, and is now President-Elect. James Allen Rhodes, age sixty-seven of Ohio, will be the next President of the United States of America, and Mills Edwin Godwin Jr, age sixty-two of Virginia, will be the next Vice President. President-Elect Rhodes is the second oldest President-Elect in American history, behind only President William Henry Harrison in the year 1840.
We’ll cover the results as they continue to come in, but the Republican ticket has won the Presidential election. It remains to be seen how the elections will play out in the Senate, and in the House of Representatives, to determine how much help in Congress President-Elect Rhodes will have in his coming term…”
- Senator Henry ‘Scoop’ Jackson on the campaign trail
"We’re back with more election night coverage.
We now have forty-four percent of the total vote of the precincts in. When the earliest results were coming in at the start of the night, Rhodes had nearly sixty-four percent of the vote. It has since dropped several percentages with the larger, more urban, Democratic states reporting in. Rhodes still has the lead with fifty-eight percent of the vote. This is a high margin, but it’s a shrinking margin, and below sixty-percent, which is typically the threshold of historic landslides in both the Electoral College and popular vote, such as Johnson in 1964, or Roosevelt in 1936.
In the state of Iowa, Rhodes is in the lead, but it’s too close to call. It’s the same situation in the state of Texas, which remains close with Rhodes in the need. In the more northern Midwestern states, such as Wisconsin and Michigan, Jackson is in the lead, while Rhodes holds a lead in Illinois, but again, Chicago has yet to report in. Although the polls have yet to close, in the state of California there has been a record turnout.
Senate results are coming in from the west. In Nevada, Howard Cannon, a moderate Democrat has won reelection handily. It should also be comforting to Senator Jackson that he still has the support of the state of Washington, having won re-election to the Senate. If Jackson wins, his Senate seat will become vacant, but if Rhodes wins tonight, then Jackson will be returning to the Senate.
More results coming in: Rhodes has won in the state of Colorado, but, perhaps more importantly, Rhodes has won the state of Michigan, pulling up from behind. Michigan voted for the Republicans in the last election, but that was when Governor George Romney of Michigan was the candidate. If we exclude 1972, this is another one of those states, such as Rhode Island and New Jersey, that hasn’t voted for a Republican since Eisenhower’s 1956 landslide. Speaking of Governor Romney, we’ll be having another Governor Romney after this election, but this time from Utah. Vernon B. Romney, the Republican, has defeated the Democrat, Scott Matheson in the race. In the state of Washington, the Democrats have gone beyond re-electing Henry Jackson to the Senate, by electing a female Governor, Dixy Lee Ray, who narrowly defeated the Republican candidate, John Spellman. As an interesting aside, Washington had a satirical third party bid by the OWL Party this year, whose campaign slogan was “we don’t give a hoot!” The OWL candidate, Red Kelly, was a hockey player who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings. Kelly previously served in the Canadian House of Commons, similar to our House of Representatives, and would have served in politics in two countries if he had somehow been elected. In the state of Vermont, retiring Democratic Governor Thomas Salmon will be succeeded by the Republican Richard Snelling, defeating the Democrat, Stella Hackel, one of the few women to run for elected office this year. Coming in a distant but respectable third was Bernie Sanders, of the Liberty Union Party. Sanders was one of those candidates, like the People’s Party ticket, that was supposedly endorsed by President McCarthy, and this was the best that the Liberty Union Party has ever performed.
Some results coming in from the west. In the states of Oklahoma and Idaho, Rhodes has won by a comfortable margin. No surprises there. At this point, it’s mostly the big states left in the running. Although losing states like New Jersey and Michigan seem to be indicative of a Rhodes victory, it is still theoretically possible for Jackson to win if he takes the rest of the Midwestern states, as well as Texas and the West Coast. At this time, Rhodes is very close to winning the electoral college, with two-hundred and fifty three electoral votes to Jackson’s ninety-two. All it would take would be Governor Rhodes’ home state of Ohio to call for him and he would win the election. Iowa remains competitive with nearly three quarters of the precincts in, but Rhodes is in the lead there. As results are coming in from California, Jackson has a mild lead in the Presidential race, but Mr. Richard Nixon is leading Senator George Brown Jr. in the Senate race there.
One moment please.
We have the results of the third most populous state state in the nation, and we can confirm that Jim Rhodes has taken the state of Pennsylvania. This puts Rhodes over the top; he has handily won the election, and is now President-Elect. James Allen Rhodes, age sixty-seven of Ohio, will be the next President of the United States of America, and Mills Edwin Godwin Jr, age sixty-two of Virginia, will be the next Vice President. President-Elect Rhodes is the second oldest President-Elect in American history, behind only President William Henry Harrison in the year 1840.
We’ll cover the results as they continue to come in, but the Republican ticket has won the Presidential election. It remains to be seen how the elections will play out in the Senate, and in the House of Representatives, to determine how much help in Congress President-Elect Rhodes will have in his coming term…”
Most of the cabinet has been selected. The total results for the 1976 elections will be coming tomorrow, and the cabinet and staff will be coming later this week if all goes well.
Interesting TL.
Couple of comments. Canadian, eh?
We're the only country that redefined the word 'riding' that way, iirc.*
Riding is a weird extension of a peculiarly Yorkshire usage, which in turn is a result of people forgetting the meaning of the dialect Middle English 'thrithing' meaning third.
Yorkshire was big enough it was split in three - norththrithing, souththrithing and eastthrithing. The 'thth' and 'tth' boiled down to 'th', and the other, voiced the, turned into a 'd' (compare burden/burthen, murder/murther, etc for other examples of that sound shift).
Thus leaving northriding, Southriding and eastriding. Which were then split by folk etymology to create a new word 'riding' for the Yorkshire constituencies.
Correction. Not south, west. Sorry.
Couple of comments. Canadian, eh?
We're the only country that redefined the word 'riding' that way, iirc.*
Joe Who?')
Heh, heh, the irony of someone WANTING a pipeline in their back yard.
----
Riding is a weird extension of a peculiarly Yorkshire usage, which in turn is a result of people forgetting the meaning of the dialect Middle English 'thrithing' meaning third.
Yorkshire was big enough it was split in three - norththrithing, souththrithing and eastthrithing. The 'thth' and 'tth' boiled down to 'th', and the other, voiced the, turned into a 'd' (compare burden/burthen, murder/murther, etc for other examples of that sound shift).
Thus leaving northriding, Southriding and eastriding. Which were then split by folk etymology to create a new word 'riding' for the Yorkshire constituencies.
Correction. Not south, west. Sorry.
Chapter Thirty-One - Part Five - Wabash Cannonball
"Being in politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game, and dumb enough to think it's important."
“Good morning. This is Walter Cronkite. The day is Wednesday, November 3rd, and it is 8:00 AM. In last night’s presidential election, Governor James A. Rhodes of Ohio, the Republican candidate for President, won a landslide victory over the Democratic nominee, Senator Henry ‘Scoop’ Jackson of Washington.
The state that made Governor Rhodes into President-Elect Rhodes was Pennsylvania. As the night went on, Jackson’s hopes of a narrow defeat were quashed, as Rhodes swept the rest of the Midwest states: Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Further west, Rhodes won in Texas and New Mexico, while on the West Coast, Rhodes took Nevada, California, Oregon, and Alaska. Jackson, in turn, won Washington and Hawaii. The American Independent Party folded completely without George Wallace at the helm, with Rhodes taking every state in the South. Some pollsters predicted that the People’s Party ticket would throw the election to Rhodes, but they had very limited ballot access. The only state where the People’s Party was an apparent ‘spoiler’ was in Oregon, which exit polls indicated would have otherwise gone for Jackson if it hadn’t been for President McCarthy’s alleged endorsement of the People’s Party and other similar third parties. However, opinions polls indicate New York could well have been thrown to Rhodes if the People’s Party had access there.
It has also been a great victory for Republicans down ticket. The Republicans now have narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and also very nearly have a majority of America's governorships.
James A. Rhodes will be the first Republican President since Dwight Eisenhower, who left office in 1961. This is also the first time that the Republicans controlled the Executive Branch as well as both wings of Congress since the 1952 elections for President and in Congress. Rhodes will also be the second oldest President in American history after William Henry Harrison, and the oldest in modern history. President-Elect Rhodes is already said to be assembling his cabinet, while Senator Jackson gave a concession speech last night. Despite losing the Presidential election, Jackson will be returning to the Senate, and his Neoconservative faction is sure to hold sway amongst the Democrats in Congress.
We have the full results here...”
Democrats - 25 Governorships - Lost One
Republicans - 24 Governorships - Gained One
Independents - 1 Governorship - No Gains/Loses
Democrats - 37 Governorships - Gained One
Republicans - 12 Governorships - Lost One
Independents - 1 Governorship - No Gains/Loses
President Pro Tempore: Milton Young
Senate Republicans - Hugh Scott - 56 Seats - Gained Eight
Senate Democrats - Mike Mansfield - 43 Seats - Lost Eight
Senate Independents - 1 Seat - No Gains/Loses
President Pro Tempore: James Eastland
Senate Democrats - Mike Mansfield - 61 - No Gains/Loses
Senate Republicans - Hugh Scott - 38 - Gained One
Senate Independents/Conservatives - 1 - Lost One
- Senator Eugene McCarthy on politics, 1967
“Good morning. This is Walter Cronkite. The day is Wednesday, November 3rd, and it is 8:00 AM. In last night’s presidential election, Governor James A. Rhodes of Ohio, the Republican candidate for President, won a landslide victory over the Democratic nominee, Senator Henry ‘Scoop’ Jackson of Washington.
The state that made Governor Rhodes into President-Elect Rhodes was Pennsylvania. As the night went on, Jackson’s hopes of a narrow defeat were quashed, as Rhodes swept the rest of the Midwest states: Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Further west, Rhodes won in Texas and New Mexico, while on the West Coast, Rhodes took Nevada, California, Oregon, and Alaska. Jackson, in turn, won Washington and Hawaii. The American Independent Party folded completely without George Wallace at the helm, with Rhodes taking every state in the South. Some pollsters predicted that the People’s Party ticket would throw the election to Rhodes, but they had very limited ballot access. The only state where the People’s Party was an apparent ‘spoiler’ was in Oregon, which exit polls indicated would have otherwise gone for Jackson if it hadn’t been for President McCarthy’s alleged endorsement of the People’s Party and other similar third parties. However, opinions polls indicate New York could well have been thrown to Rhodes if the People’s Party had access there.
It has also been a great victory for Republicans down ticket. The Republicans now have narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and also very nearly have a majority of America's governorships.
James A. Rhodes will be the first Republican President since Dwight Eisenhower, who left office in 1961. This is also the first time that the Republicans controlled the Executive Branch as well as both wings of Congress since the 1952 elections for President and in Congress. Rhodes will also be the second oldest President in American history after William Henry Harrison, and the oldest in modern history. President-Elect Rhodes is already said to be assembling his cabinet, while Senator Jackson gave a concession speech last night. Despite losing the Presidential election, Jackson will be returning to the Senate, and his Neoconservative faction is sure to hold sway amongst the Democrats in Congress.
We have the full results here...”
Voter Turnout: 56.3% (Up 3.9%)
Republican - James Rhodes/Mills Godwin - EV 437 - 55.3%
Democratic - Henry Jackson/Jimmy Carter - EV 101 - 44.0%
American Independent - Lestor Maddox/William Dyke - EV 0 - 0.4%
Libertarian - Roger MacBride/David Bergland - EV 0 - 0.2%
People's Party - Margeret Wright/Benjamin Spock - EV 0 - 0.1%
Republican - James Rhodes/Mills Godwin - EV 437 - 55.3%
Democratic - Henry Jackson/Jimmy Carter - EV 101 - 44.0%
American Independent - Lestor Maddox/William Dyke - EV 0 - 0.4%
Libertarian - Roger MacBride/David Bergland - EV 0 - 0.2%
People's Party - Margeret Wright/Benjamin Spock - EV 0 - 0.1%
Voter Turnout: 53.5% (Down 1.7%)
Democratic - Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale - EV 297 - 50.1%
Republican - Gerald Ford/Bob Dole - EV 240 - 48.0%
Independent - Eugene McCarthy/various - EV 0 - 0.9%
Democratic - Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale - EV 297 - 50.1%
Republican - Gerald Ford/Bob Dole - EV 240 - 48.0%
Independent - Eugene McCarthy/various - EV 0 - 0.9%
Democrats - 25 Governorships - Lost One
Republicans - 24 Governorships - Gained One
Independents - 1 Governorship - No Gains/Loses
Democrats - 37 Governorships - Gained One
Republicans - 12 Governorships - Lost One
Independents - 1 Governorship - No Gains/Loses
President Pro Tempore: Milton Young
Senate Republicans - Hugh Scott - 56 Seats - Gained Eight
Senate Democrats - Mike Mansfield - 43 Seats - Lost Eight
Senate Independents - 1 Seat - No Gains/Loses
President Pro Tempore: James Eastland
Senate Democrats - Mike Mansfield - 61 - No Gains/Loses
Senate Republicans - Hugh Scott - 38 - Gained One
Senate Independents/Conservatives - 1 - Lost One
Speaker of the House: Gerald Ford
House Republicans - Gerald Ford - 221 Seats - Gained 28
House Democrats - Mo Udall - 215 Seats - Lost 28
House Republicans - Gerald Ford - 221 Seats - Gained 28
House Democrats - Mo Udall - 215 Seats - Lost 28
Speaker of the House: Carl Albert
House Democrats - Carl Albert - 292 Seats - Gained One
House Republicans - John Rhodes - 143 Seats - Lost One
House Democrats - Carl Albert - 292 Seats - Gained One
House Republicans - John Rhodes - 143 Seats - Lost One
Big oof indeed.Oof, this a lie
Edit: Hope you're ok ;(
Everything is fine, there were just a few delays. Namely, I accidentally deleted all my House election results, and I found a massive pile of primary sources on Gene McCarthy that I've been digging through. It's up now! Thanks for the continued interest.
I've been found out!
That's in reference to Joseph S. Clark Jr, the Mayor of Philadelphia and Senator for Pennsylvania (and Postmaster General from 1969-1977 ITTL) who was referred to by the media as Joe Clark. 'Our' Joe Clark will be a close partner of the Rhodes Administration.Joe Who?')
I decided to include third parties in the Presidential election results for 1976, considering the greater prominence of the AIP and People's Party. I likely won't continue to do so unless there is a significant presence by a third party in an election.
Aw, Gerry finally got his wish come true, too bad he's retiring. It's too bad Jim wasn't able to beat Ronnie's 1980 EV total, but here's to hoping that 1976 isn't a poisoned chalice, and Rhodes wins in 1980 with 100% of the EVs (and 100% of the popular vote ofc ofc).