| |||||||||||||||||||||
|
The 1980 United States presidential debates were a series of debates held for the presidential election. The League of Women Voters organized two presidential debates: the first on September 21, 1980, and the second on October 28, 1980. The second presidential debate is the second most-watched debate in American history.
The Republican nominee Ronald Reagan participated in both debates. Independent candidate John B. Anderson only participated in the first debate, while the Democratic nominee and incumbent President Jimmy Carter participated in the second debate.
The tentative schedule for the debates, reported in August 1980, was as follows: [1]
The 1980 election featured a major third-party candidate, John B. Anderson. The League of Women Voters allowed for Anderson to participate in the debate if he polled above 15%. [2]
The Carter campaign, believing that a three-way debate between Carter, Reagan, and Anderson would boost Anderson's campaign, tried to push for an earlier debate only featuring Carter and Reagan [2] This plan was supported by the chairs of the Democratic and Republican National Committee. [3] The two-person debate did not materialize, and Carter declined to debate alongside Anderson. [4]
The Vice Presidential debate was cancelled on September 29, days before it was scheduled to be held. George H. W. Bush and Walter Mondale refused to attend, leaving only Anderson's running mate Patrick Lucey accepting the invitation. [5]
1980 United States presidential election debates | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Date and time | Host | Location | Moderator | Participants | |||||||||||
Key: P Participant N Non-invitee A Absent invitee | Democratic | Republican | Independent | |||||||||||||
President Jimmy Carter of Georgia | Governor Ronald Reagan of California | Congressman John B. Anderson of Illinois | ||||||||||||||
1 | Sunday, September 21, 1980 10:00 – 11:00 p.m. EDT [6] | Baltimore Convention Center | Baltimore, Maryland | Bill Moyers | A | P | P | |||||||||
2 | Tuesday, October 28, 1980 9:30 – 11:00 p.m. EST [6] | Music Hall | Cleveland, Ohio | Howard K. Smith | P | P | N | |||||||||
1980 United States vice presidential debate | ||||||||||||||||
No. | Date and time | Host | Location | Moderator | Participants | |||||||||||
Key: P Participant. I Invitee. N Non-invitee. | Democratic | Republican | Independent | |||||||||||||
Vice President Walter Mondale of Minnesota | Director George H. W. Bush of Texas | Ambassador Patrick Lucey of Wisconsin | ||||||||||||||
VP | Thursday, October 2, 1980 cancelled [7] | Commonwealth Convention Center | Louisville, Kentucky | n/a | N | N | P |
First presidential debate | |
---|---|
Date(s) | September 21, 1980 |
Venue | Baltimore Convention Center |
Location | Baltimore, Maryland |
Participants | John B. Anderson Ronald Reagan |
Footage | Ronald Reagan Presidential Library |
The first presidential debate was held on September 21 at the Baltimore Convention Center. The three invitees were Jimmy Carter, John B. Anderson and Ronald Reagan, though Carter refused to attend due to the presence of Anderson. [8] [9]
Following a strong performance by Reagan, Anderson's poll numbers began to drop; he would not be invited to the second debate. [8]
The debate started at 10:00 p.m. EDT, and lasted for one hour. [10] Anderson and Reagan both received six questions. [11] They were given two and a half minutes to answer each question, as well as one minute and 15 seconds to rebut. Closing statements could be as long as three minutes. [10]
Second presidential debate | |
---|---|
Date(s) | October 28, 1980 |
Venue | Music Hall |
Location | Cleveland, Ohio |
Participants | Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan |
Footage | Ronald Reagan Presidential Library C-SPAN CNN |
The second debate was held on October 28 in Cleveland, Ohio's Music Hall. The debate was held only a week before Election Day. [8]
Carter and Reagan were the only invitees. [8] CNN attempted to include Anderson from the Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. CNN's Daniel Schorr read the same questions to Anderson. They then aired Anderson's live responses along with tape delay of Carter and Reagan's responses, [12] [13] despite technical difficulties. [14]
Reagan's most notable moments include using the phrase "There you go again" and asking whether or not Americans were better off than they were four years ago. [8]
In 1983, Reagan's team came under fire for having access to Carter's internal debate briefing materials. [15]
The second presidential debate started at 9:30 p.m. EST, and lasted for 90 minutes. [10] The debate consisted of two halves, and panelists were only allowed to offer follow-ups in the first half. Candidates Carter and Reagan both received the same 12 questions [16] and the ability to rebut twice for one minute each. [10]
Nielsen Media Research states that the second presidential debate garnered 80.6 million viewers. [10] [17] It was the most-watched debate in American history until the first presidential debate of 2016. [18]
An unscientific televote poll carried out by ABC immediately after the debate received about 650,000 responses, two thirds in favor of Reagan. [19] [20]
A minor party debate was held by the New York Committee for Marxist Education on October 9. The debate was moderated by Bill Henning, and attended by representatives of Communist Party USA, Socialist Workers Party, Socialist Party U.S.A., Citizens Party, and Workers World Party. The only candidate to attend in person was Workers World's Deirdre Griswold. [21]
The 1976 United States presidential election was the 48th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 2, 1976. Democrat Jimmy Carter, former Governor of Georgia, defeated incumbent Republican president Gerald Ford in a narrow victory. This was the first presidential election since 1932 in which the incumbent was defeated, as well as the only Democratic victory of the six presidential elections between 1968 and 1988.
The 1980 United States presidential election was the 49th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 1980. The Republican ticket of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush defeated incumbent Democratic president Jimmy Carter and incumbent vice president Walter Mondale in a landslide victory.
The 1984 United States presidential election was the 50th quadrennial presidential election held on Tuesday, November 6, 1984. Incumbent Republican president Ronald Reagan was re-elected to a second term defeating Democratic former vice president Walter Mondale in a landslide victory.
John Bayard Anderson was an American lawyer and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Illinois's 16th congressional district from 1961 to 1981. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as the Chairman of the House Republican Conference from 1969 until 1979. In 1980, he ran an independent campaign for president, receiving 6.6% of the popular vote.
During presidential election campaigns in the United States, it has become customary for the candidates to engage in one or more debates. The topics discussed in the debate are often the most controversial issues of the time, and arguably elections have been nearly decided by these debates. Candidate debates are not constitutionally mandated, but they are now considered an intrinsic part of the election process. The debates are targeted mainly at undecided voters; those who tend not to be partial to any political ideology or party.
The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) is a nonprofit corporation established in 1987 under the joint sponsorship of the Democratic and Republican political parties in the United States. The CPD sponsors and produces debates for U.S. presidential and vice-presidential candidates and undertakes research and educational activities relating to the debates. It has run all of the presidential debates held since 1988. The commission's debates are sponsored by private contributions from foundations and corporations as well as fees from hosting institutions.
From January 21 to June 3, 1980, voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for president in the 1980 United States presidential election. Retired Hollywood actor and two-term California governor Ronald Reagan was selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the Republican National Convention held from July 14 to July 17, 1980, in Detroit, Michigan.
In 1980, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush were elected president and vice president of the United States. They defeated the incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale.
The 1980 United States presidential election in Minnesota took place on November 4, 1980 as part of the 1980 United States presidential election. State voters chose ten representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice-President.
The 1980 United States presidential election in Virginia took place on November 4, 1980. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1980 United States presidential election. Virginia voters chose twelve electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president of the United States.
Twelve presidential debates and nine forums were held between the candidates for the Republican Party's nomination for president in the 2016 United States presidential election, starting on August 6, 2015.
The 2016 United States presidential debates were a series of debates held for the presidential election. The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), a bipartisan organization formed in 1987, organized three debates among the major presidential candidates. The first of these presidential debates took place on September 26, 2016, and set the record as the most-watched debate in American history, with 84 million viewers. The second debate took place on October 9, and the third took place on October 19. All CPD debates occurred from approximately 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. EDT. Only the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and the Republican nominee Donald Trump met the criteria for inclusion in the debates, and thus were the only two to appear in the debates sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The CPD-sponsored vice presidential debate took place on October 4, 2016. Only Democratic nominee Tim Kaine and Republican nominee Mike Pence appeared in it.
The 1980 United States presidential election in Illinois took place on November 4, 1980. All 50 states and The District of Columbia, were part of the 1980 United States presidential election. State voters chose 26 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. This would be the last time a Democrat failed to win more than three counties as well as the last time Rock Island County voted Republican, with the county turning sharply to the Democratic party beginning with Reagan's reelection bid and continuing through to the present day.
The 1980 United States presidential election in Wisconsin took place on November 4, 1980. All 50 states and The District of Columbia, were part of the 1980 United States presidential election. State voters chose eight electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
The 1980 United States presidential election in Oregon took place on November 4, 1980. All fifty states and The District of Columbia were part of the 1980 United States presidential election. Voters chose six electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
The 1980 United States presidential election in Mississippi took place on November 4, 1980. All fifty states and The District of Columbia were part of the 1980 United States presidential election. Mississippi voters chose seven electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
The 1976 United States presidential election in Illinois was held on November 2, 1976. All 50 states and The District of Columbia, were part of the 1976 United States presidential election. State voters chose 26 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Since 1980, the Republican Party of the United States has held debates between candidates for the Republican nomination in presidential elections during the primary election season. Unlike debates between party-nominated candidates, which have been organized by the bi-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates since 1988, debates between candidates for party nomination are organized by mass media outlets.
Debates took place among candidates in the campaign for the Democratic Party's nomination for the president of the United States in the 2020 presidential election.
The 1976 presidential campaign of Jimmy Carter resulted in the election of Jimmy Carter and his running mate Walter Mondale as president and vice president of the United States, defeating incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford and his running mate Bob Dole. Carter, a Democrat and former governor of Georgia, launched his presidential bid in December 1974, as the Constitution of Georgia barred him from running for a second term as governor. In the wake of the Watergate scandal, the declining popularity of President Ford due to his pardon of Nixon, and the severe recession of 1974–75, many Democrats were sure of victory in the 1976 presidential election. As a result, 17 Democrats ran for their party's nomination in 1976. Carter's opponents mocked his candidacy by saying "Jimmy, who?", for his being relatively unknown outside Georgia. In response, Carter began saying "My name is Jimmy Carter, and I'm running for president." Carter extensively campaigned in the primaries, and in the end received 39.19% of his party's primary votes.