Assume you’re a Democrat or want to vote in the 1980 Democratic primary which features Senator Ted Kennedy challenging President Jimmy Carter. Who would you vote for?
I’ve been reading a lot about this race and watching all the available videos of this race.
While the Carter presidency definitely had some good points such as the Camp David accords and SALT II, the Carter presidency featured far too many failures and micromanagement of everything. I’d vote for Ted Kennedy in the primary.
Yes, I’m aware this is a 40 year old race, figured it might be an interesting diversion from 2020
I voted in that primary. I really liked Carter, plus as the incumbent I thought he had the best chance of winning in the general election. I voted for Carter. Is the OP asking who we’d vote for knowing what we do today?
I was in high school then and too young to vote, but was pretty interested in politics. I supported Carter. He was a smart, hardworking man of goodwill, doing his level best in a tough job at a tough time, although I certainly admit he’d made mistakes.
Ted Kennedy just seemed like an opportunist who didn’t really know why he was even running, other than because he was a Kennedy (and I could not and would not overlook Chappaquiddick, either).
Ted didn’t stand a chance and he knew it. I voted for Carter and would again. The reason we have mentally ill people roaming the streets and haven’t made any real advances in middle class wages is due to polices implemented by Reagan.
At the time, I joined the Democratic Party so I could participate in the Michigan caucus (then closed) and vote for Ted Kennedy. But as I look back on it, I should have voted for Carter as my esteem for him has grown immensely over time. I still like Ted, but Jimmy is without doubt the most morally upright president in history.
Kennedy would have lost in a landslide just like Carter did. Carter is a good guy, probably the most morally upright president we’ve had, so I’ll stick with the incumbent.
I voted for Carter here. I don’t remember who I voted for in the1980 primary. I was pretty pissed off at Carter for trying to force me to register for the draft, so I might have gone with Kennedy. (Five years later I was an intern in Kennedy’s office).
I voted for Carter and I’d do it again. The Kennedy interview made me lose all interest in him. In my circle of friends, Jerry Brown’s short-lived candidacy inspired more interest than Ted Kennedy.
