Richard Nixon campaigning in South Carolina
1979
President Carter's reorganization efforts meet with only partial as the attempt to separated the Department of Health, Education and Welfare into the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services was defeated thanks to conservative opposition. Carter also pushed for and signed the Ethics in Government Act, which established ethics guidelines for executive branch officials and established the
Office of the Independent Counsel, which could independently investigate corruption.
Carter's lack of accomplishments in implementing the Humphrey agenda and the economic stagnation of his presidency caused many liberal Democrats to look for a better candidate in 1980. Senate Majority Leader Ted Kennedy urged his brother to run for president against Carter,
Senator Bobby Kennedy had skipped the 1972 elections because he saw it as unwinable. He jumped into the 1976 race at the convention as a compromise candidate but was narrowly defeated by Hubert Humphrey. He was seen as Humphrey's successor by many Democrats. In his mid-50s, Kennedy understood that time was running out and he needed to make a decision. With polls showing him running ahead of Carter, Kennedy
decided to throw his hat in the ring and challenge Carter. Although Kennedy's support for the Reagan era welfare reform programs met with hostility from some on the left, he was the liberal favorite and a formidable challenger to Carter. Carter also faced challenges from
California Governor Jerry Brown and for
Mississippi Governor Cliff Finch.
Former Secretary of State
Richard Nixon was seen as the heavy favorite for the 1980 Republican nomination and had spent the last two years building up his political network. Nixon's main competition for the nomination was former
Treasury Secretary and Texas Governor John Connally and former
Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker of Tennessee. Also running were Congressman
Phil Crane and former CIA Director
George Bush.
Kennedy lead Carter in the polls throughout the summer and fall and it wasn't until they Iran Hostage Crisis that Carter began to gain on Kennedy.
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