1980 United States presidential election
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538 members of the Electoral College 270 electoral votes needed to win | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 52.6%[1] 0.9 pp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Presidential election results map. Red denotes states won by Reagan/Bush, Blue denotes those won by Carter/Mondale. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1980 United States presidential election happened on November 4, 1980. Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate and former Governor of California, won the election. He defeated the incumbent president, Jimmy Carter, who was a Democrat, and John B. Anderson, a notable third party candidate who was an Independent.
The country had a lot of problems during the election. The economy was bad (it was in a recession). Inflation was very high. There was an energy crisis. Iran, after the Iranian Revolution was holding 52 Americans hostage.
Reagan campaigned for to cut income taxes and to reduce government spending overall while increasing defense spending to challenge the Soviet Union in the Cold War. Carter campaigned for more government programs and mentioned the importance of human rights and preventing nuclear war.
Ronald Reagan won the election by a landslide, meaning that he had a lot more votes than his opponent.
Ronald Reagan's victory resulted in the Republicans gaining more power for the next few decades.
Candidates
Democratic Party
| 1980 Democratic Party Ticket | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jimmy Carter | Walter Mondale | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| for President | for Vice President | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 39th President of the United States (1977–1981) |
42nd Vice President of the United States (1977–1981) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Democratic candidates:
- Jimmy Carter, President of the United States from Georgia
- Ted Kennedy, U.S. senator from Massachusetts
- Jerry Brown, governor of California
- Cliff Finch, former governor of Mississippi
Candidates gallery
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Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts
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Governor Jerry Brown of California
Republican Party
| 1980 Republican Party Ticket | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ronald Reagan | George H. W. Bush | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| for President | for Vice President | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 33rd Governor of California (1967-1975) |
11th Director of Central Intelligence (1976-1977) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Republican candidates:
- Former Governor Ronald Reagan of California
- Former CIA director and United States Representative George H. W. Bush of Texas
- Representative John B. Anderson of Illinois
- Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker of Tennessee
- Representative Phil Crane of Illinois
- Former Governor John Connally of Texas
- Senator Bob Dole of Kansas
- Former Special Ambassador to Paraguay Ben Fernandez of California
- Former Governor Harold Stassen of Minnesota
- Senator Lowell Weicker of Connecticut
- Senator Larry Pressler of South Dakota
Candidates gallery
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Former Governor Ronald Reagan of California
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Representative John B. Anderson of Illinois
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Representative Phil Crane of Illinois
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Former Minnesota Governor Harold Stassen
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Senator Lowell Weicker of Connecticut
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Senator Larry Pressler of South Dakota
Other candidates
| 1980 Independent ticket | 1980 Libertarian ticket | ||
| John B. Anderson | Patrick Lucey | Ed Clark | David Koch |
|---|---|---|---|
| for President | for Vice President | for President | for Vice President |
| U.S. Representative from Illinois (1961–1981) |
Former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico (1977–1979) |
Former Chair of the Libertarian Party of California (1973–1974) |
Co-owner of Koch, Inc. |
| Campaign | Campaign | ||
Notes
- ↑ In some states labeled as National Unity, Anderson Coalition, Anderson Alternative or “Anderson for President”
References
- ↑ "Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections". Presidency.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2016-08-18.