U.S. presidential election, 1980

The U.S. presidential election of 1980 featured a contest between incumbent President Jimmy Carter and his Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan. Carter was unpopular because of a stagnant economy at home and a deteriorating situation abroad, especially in the Middle East where the Iran hostage crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan had marked serious American setbacks. Reagan, the charismatic ex-Governor of California, capitalized on this unpopularity and won a lopsided victory over Carter. This victory marked the beginning of the "Reagan Revolution."

Nominations

Republican Party nomination

Republican Candidates

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• John Bayard Anderson, U.S. representative from Illinois
• Howard Baker, U.S. senator from Tennessee and Senate Minority Leader
• George H.W. Bush, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and former chairman of the Republican National Committee
• John Connally, former governor of Texas, former Secretary of the Navy, and former Secretary of the Treasury
• Phil Crane, U.S. representative from Illinois
• Bob Dole, U.S. senator from Kansas and 1976 vice-presidential nominee
• Ronald Reagan, former governor of California and former candidate for the 1976 presidential nomination

Toward the beginning of the race, the establishment favorite was George Bush, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and chairman of the Republican National Committee. However, in the initial debates, conservative Ronald Reagan emerged as a serious candidate, sparring with Bush on economic issues.

Related Topics:
Central Intelligence Agency - Republican National Committee - Ronald Reagan

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Reagan was an adherent to a policy known as "supply side economics." Supply-side economists led the assault on the welfare state built up by the New Deal and Great Society. They assumed that the woes of the U.S. economy were in large part a result of excessive taxation (de-emphasizing the role of high foreign policy, the rise of overseas competition, and massive expenditures on Vietnam), which "crowded out" money away from private investors and thus stifled economic growth. The solution, they argued, was to take economic decisions away from the government and place them in the hands of individuals.

Related Topics:
Supply side economics - New Deal - Great Society

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Reagan promised an economic revival that would affect all sectors of the population. But since cutting taxes would reduce government revenues, it would also be necessary to target "big government." Otherwise, large federal deficits might negate the effects of the tax cut by requiring the government to borrow in the marketplace, thus raising interest rates and drying up capital for investment once again. Thus, Reagan promised a drastic cut in "big government," which he pledged would produce a balanced budget for the first time since 1969. Bush famously called Reagan's economic policy "voodoo economics."

Related Topics:
1969 - Voodoo economics

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Bush won the Iowa caucuses, and Reagan won big in the New Hampshire primary, causing most of the other candidates to drop out of the race. Anderson dropped out of the primary, running an independent bid. Reagan went on to win most of the subsequent primaries and caucuses, securing the Republican Party nomination. There was wide speculation that Reagan would ask Gerald Ford to be his running mate, but instead Reagan chose Bush.

Related Topics:
Iowa caucuses - New Hampshire primary - Gerald Ford

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Democratic Party nomination

Democratic Candidates

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• Jerry Brown, governor of California
• Jimmy Carter, incumbent President of the United States
• Ted Kennedy, U.S. senator from Massachusetts

President Carter's prospects for reelection were weakened by a primary challenge by liberal icon Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts. Kennedy, although a far more magnetic personality than Carter and beloved by the Democratic base, could not transcend personal controversies, most notably a 1969 automobile accident at Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts that had left a young woman dead. Although party solidarity caused by the Iranian hostage crisis gave Carter an early lead, forcing Brown from the race, Kennedy made a comeback later in the primary season and the nomination had not been decided by the time of the Democratic National Convention. At the convention, Kennedy conceded the nomination and called for a more liberal party platform in what many saw as the best speech of his career.

Related Topics:
Carter - Ted Kennedy - Massachusetts - 1969 - Chappaquiddick Island - Iranian hostage crisis - Democratic National Convention

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Other nominations

Liberal Republican John Bayard Anderson, after being defeated in the Republican primary, entered the general election as an Independent candidate because of his opposition to the more conservative policies of Reagan.

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