1980 Democratic National Convention
|
1980 Presidential Election | |
|
Nominees Carter and Mondale | |
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | August 11–14, 1980 |
| City | New York City |
| Venue | Madison Square Garden |
| Candidates | |
| Presidential nominee | Jimmy Carter of Georgia |
| Vice Presidential nominee | Walter Mondale of Minnesota |
| Voting | |
| Total delegates | 3,346 |
| Votes needed for nomination | 1,677 |
| Results (President) |
Carter (Georgia): 2,129.02 (63.63%) Kennedy (Massachusetts): 1,150.48 (34.38%) Carey (New York): 16 (0.48%) Proxmire (Wisconsin): 10 (0.30%) Others: 40.5 (1.21%) |
| Results (Vice President) |
Mondale (Minnesota): 2,428.7 (72.91%) Not Voting: 723.3 (21.72%) Scattering: 179 (5.37%) |
| Ballots | 1 |
The 1980 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party nominated President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale for reelection. The convention was held in Madison Square Garden in New York City from August 11 to August 14, 1980.
The 1980 convention was notable as it was the last time in the 20th century, for either major party, that a candidate tried to get delegates released from their voting commitments. This was done by Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Carter's chief rival for the nomination in the Democratic primaries, who sought the votes of delegates held by Carter.
Notable speakers
After losing his challenge for the nomination earlier that day, Kennedy spoke on August 12 and delivered a speech in support of President Carter and the Democratic Party. His speech closed with the lines "For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." The speech was written by Bob Shrum.[1]
Various prominent delegates to this convention included Abe Beame, Geraldine Ferraro, Bruce Sundlun, Ruth Messinger, Thomas Addison, Ed Koch, Robert Abrams, Bella Abzug, Mario Biaggi, Steve Westly, and Howard Dean.
Voting
Candidates
-
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Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts -
Senator William Proxmire of Wisconsin
President
Delegate voting results[2]
| Democratic National Convention presidential vote, 1980 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage |
| President Carter | 2,123 | (64.04%) |
| Ted Kennedy | 1,151 | (34.72%) |
| William Proxmire | 10 | (0.30%) |
| Koryne Kaneski Horbal | 5 | (0.15%) |
| Scott M. Matheson | 5 | (0.15%) |
| Ron Dellums | 3 | (0.09%) |
| Robert Byrd | 2 | (0.06%) |
| John Culver | 2 | (0.06%) |
| Kent Hance | 2 | (0.06%) |
| Jennings Randolph | 2 | (0.06%) |
| Warren Spannaus | 2 | (0.06%) |
| Alice Tripp | 2 | (0.06%) |
| Jerry Brown | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Dale Bumpers | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Hugh L. Carey | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Walter Mondale | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Edmund Muskie | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Thomas J. Steed | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Totals | 3,315 | 100.00% |
Vice-President
With the Kennedy delegates angry at losing the election, those who bothered to show up for the morning balloting decided to scatter their votes. Over 700 of them didn't bother make it on time, and it took several roll calls to conclude the first ballot. This is the last time during the 20th century that the Democratic Party had a roll call for the Vice Presidential spot.
Vice Presidential tally:[3]
| Democratic National Convention Vice presidential vote, 1980 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | percentage |
| Walter Mondale (inc.) | 2,429 | (72.99%) |
| Abstain/failed to show up | 724 | (21.76%) |
| Melvin Boozer | 49 | (1.44%) |
| Ed Rendell | 28 | (0.84%) |
| Roberto A. Mondragon | 19 | (0.57%) |
| Patricia Stone Simon | 11 | (0.33%) |
| Tom Daschle | 10 | (0.30%) |
| Ted Kulongoski | 8 | (0.24%) |
| Shirley Chisholm | 6 | (0.18%) |
| Terry Chisholm | 6 | (0.18%) |
| Barbara Jordan | 4 | (0.12%) |
| Richard M. Nolan | 4 | (0.12%) |
| Patrick Joseph Lucey | 3 | (0.09%) |
| Jerry Brown | 2 | (0.06%) |
| George McGovern | 2 | (0.06%) |
| Eric Tovar | 2 | (0.06%) |
| Mo Udall | 2 | (0.06%) |
| Les Aspin | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Mario Biaggi | 1 | (0.03%) |
| George S. Broody | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Michella Kathleen Gray | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Michael J. Carrington | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Frank Johnson | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Eunice Kennedy Shriver | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Dennis Krumm | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Mary Ann Kuharski | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Jim McDermott | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Barbara Mikulski | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Gaylord Nelson | 1 | (0.03%) |
| George Orwell | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Charles Prine | 1 | (0.03%) |
| William A. Redmond | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Jim Thomas | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Elly Uharis | 1 | (0.03%) |
| Jim Weaver | 1 | (0.03%) |
| William Winpisinger | 1 | (0.03%) |
The President's acceptance speech
President Carter gave his speech accepting the party's nomination on August 14. This was notable for his tribute to Hubert Humphrey, whom he first called "Hubert Horatio Hornblower."[4]
On November 4, President Carter and Vice President Mondale lost to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush in the general election having lost both the popular vote by 8,423,115 popular votes and the electoral vote by 440 electoral votes.[5]
See also
- Democratic Party presidential primaries, 1980
- 1980 Republican National Convention
- U.S. presidential election, 1980
References
- ↑ Auletta, Ken. "Kerry's Brain." The New Yorker. 20 Sept. 2004.
- ↑ "US President - D Convention Race - Aug 11, 1980". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- ↑ Our Campaigns - US Vice President - D Convention Race - Aug 11, 1980
- ↑ The New York Times, Aug. 15, 1980
- ↑ 1980 Presidential General Election Results
External links
- Text and Audio of Ted Kennedy's Address
- Carter acceptance speech
- List of members from various state delegations to convention
- Speech by Melvin Boozer
| Preceded by 1976 |
Democratic National Conventions | Succeeded by 1984 |
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