1980 United States presidential election: Difference between revisions
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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 Donald Rumsfeld defeated Democratic former president George Wallace and Clay Smothers and incumbent Progressive president Fidel Castro and incumbent vice president Jimmy Carter. Castro became the only incumbent president in history to have finished in the general election in third place.
Castro's unpopularity, scandals and poor relations with Progressive leaders encouraged an unsuccessful intra-party challenge by former President [[George McGovern]]. Meanwhile, the Republican primaries were contested between Senator [[Bob Dole]], former California governor [[Ronald Reagan]], Massachusetts senator Edward Brooke, and several other candidates. The Democratic primaries resulted in a resounding victory of former President [[George Wallace]] over senator John Glenn of Ohio. Although running a conservative campaign focused on law and order, strong national defense, and welfare reform, Wallace presented himself as a moderate on racial issues, nominating the first Black Democratic running mate
1980 was the first election where 3 electoral votes were delegated to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Just two months after his inauguration, Reagan was assassinated and Rumsfeld took the office.
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