1980 Republican Party presidential primaries

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1980 Republican Party presidential primaries
← 1976 January 21 to June 3, 1980 1984 →
  Official Portrait of President Reagan 1981-cropped.jpg George H. W. Bush official CIA portrait.jpg John B. Anderson in New Jersey (cropped).jpg
Candidate Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush John B. Anderson
Home state California Texas Illinois
Contests won 44 6 + DC 0
Popular vote 7,709,793 3,070,033 1,572,174
Percentage 59.8% 23.8% 12.2%
Republican presidential primary results, 1980.svg
Red indicates a win by Reagan, blue a win by Bush.
Previous Republican nominee

Gerald Ford

 Republican nominee

Ronald Reagan

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.

Background[]

As the 1980 presidential election approached, incumbent Democratic president Jimmy Carter appeared vulnerable. High gas prices, economic stagflation, a renewed Cold War with the Soviet Union following the invasion of Afghanistan, and the Iran hostage crisis that developed when Iranian students seized the American embassy in Tehran all contributed to a general dissatisfaction with Carter's presidency; his job approval rating sank to below 20 percent in late-1979 as a result. Consequently, the president faced stiff Democratic primary challenges from Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy and California Governor Jerry Brown. A large field of Republican challengers also emerged.

Candidates[]

Nominee[]

Candidate Most recent position Home state Campaign

Withdrawal date

Popular vote Contests won Running mate
Ronald Reagan Official Portrait of President Reagan 1981-cropped.jpg 33rd Governor of California
(1967–1975) 		California
California 		Reagan Bush Logo 2.svg
(Campaign • Positions)
Secured nomination:
May 24, 1980 		7,709,793
(59.79%) 		44 George Bush

Withdrew during primaries[]

Candidate Most recent position Home state Campaign

Withdrawal date

Popular vote Contests won
George Bush George H. W. Bush official CIA portrait.jpg 11th Director of Central Intelligence
(1976–1977) 		Texas
Texas 		Bush80.gif
Withdrew: May 26
(endorsed Ronald Reagan, nominated for Vice President) 		3,070,033

(23.81%)

8

CT, DC, IA, ME, MA, MI, PA, PR

John Anderson John B. Anderson in New Jersey (cropped).jpg U.S. Representative
from Illinois
(1961–1981) 		Flag map of Illinois.svg
Illinois 		Anderson logo.png
Withdrew: April 24
(ran as independent) 		1,572,174

(12.19%)

None
Howard Baker Howard Baker photo.jpg U.S. Senator
from Tennessee
(1967–1985) 		Tennessee
Tennessee 		Howard Baker presidential campaign, 1980 (logo).png
Withdrew: March 5
(endorsed Ronald Reagan) 		181,153

(1.41%)

None
Phil Crane Philip M. Crane 94th Congress 1975.jpg U.S. Representative
from Illinois
(1969–2005) 		Flag map of Illinois.svg
Illinois 		Phil Crane presidential campaign, 1980.png
Withdrew: April 17[1]
(endorsed Ronald Reagan) 		97,793

(0.76%)

None
John Connally John Connally (cropped).jpg 61st Secretary of the Treasury
(1971–1972) 		Texas
Texas 		John Connally presidential campaign, 1980.png
Withdrew: March 9
(endorsed Ronald Reagan) 		82,625

(0.64%)

Won 1 delegate from Arkansas (Ada Mills)
Benjamin Fernandez Ben Fernandez for President.jpg U.S. Special Envoy to Paraguay (1973)
 California
California 		Ben Fernandez campaign button.png
Withdrew: March 30
(endorsed Ronald Reagan) 		25,520

(0.20%)

None
Harold Stassen Harold Stassen 1980.jpg Director of the United States Foreign Operations Administration
(1953-1955) 		Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania 		[data unknown/missing] 25,425

(0.20%)

None
Bob Dole Bob Dole bioguide.jpg U.S. Senator
from Kansas
(1969–1996) 		Kansas
Kansas 		Bobdole80 transparent.gif
Withdrew: March 15 		7,204

(0.06%)

None

Withdrew before primaries[]

  • Senator Larry Pressler of South Dakota (withdrew January 8, 1980)

  • Senator Lowell Weicker of Connecticut (withdrew May 16, 1979)

Declined to run[]

The following potential candidates declined to run for the Republican nomination in 1980.[2][3]

  • Frank Borman, former astronaut from Indiana
  • Bill Brock, RNC Chairman of Tennessee
  • John Danforth, Senator from Missouri
  • Pete du Pont, Governor of Delaware
  • Gerald Ford, former President of the United States
  • Jesse Helms, Senator from North Carolina
  • Jack Kemp, U.S. Representative from New York
  • Alexander Haig, former NATO Commander
  • John Heinz, Senator from Pennsylvania
  • Charles Mathias, Senator from Maryland
  • Charles Percy, Senator from Illinois
  • Elliot Richardson, former United States Secretary of Commerce
  • William Ruckelshaus, former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • Richard Schweiker, Senator from Pennsylvania
  • Bill Simon, former United States Secretary of the Treasury (endorsed Reagan)[4]
  • Jim Thompson, Governor of Illinois

Polling[]

National polling[]

Poll source Publication date
John Anderson
Howard Baker
George Bush
John Connally
Bob Dole
Gerald Ford
Ronald Reagan
Others
Gallup[5] Aug. 1977 – 8% – – – 20% 33% 3%
Gallup[5] Apr. 1978 – 11% – 4% 4% 40% 30% 4%
Gallup[5] July 1978 – 9% 1% 5% 4% 37% 31% 5%
Gallup[5] Dec. 1978 1% 9% 1% 6% 1% 24% 40% 11%[a]
Gallup[5] Apr. 1979 2% 8% 1% 12% 1% 26% 31% 11%[b]
Gallup[5] May 1979 – 10% – 8% 3% 27% 28% –
Gallup[5] June 1979 0% 11% 0% 5% 0% 29% 37% 5%
Gallup[5] July 1979 3% 11% 1% 9% 2% 27% 32% 15%[c]
Gallup[5] Aug. 1979 1% 10% 3% 8% 1% 21% 29% 16%[d]
Gallup[5] Nov. 1979 1% 14% 2% 10% 3% 22% 33% 15%[e]
Gallup[5] Nov. 1979 0% 11% 5% 8% 3% 24% 40% —
Gallup[5] Dec. 1979 1% 9% 7% 10% 4% 18% 40% 10%[f]
Gallup[5] Jan. 1980 3% 9% 9% 9% 0% 27% 33% —
Gallup[5] Jan. 1980 0% 6% 28% 7% 0% 18% 29% —
Gallup[5] Feb. 1980 2% 6% 17% 4% 1% 32% 34% 3%[g]
Gallup[5] Feb. 1980 3% 7% 16% – – 25% 44% —
  1. ^ Including 1% for Phil Crane.
  2. ^ Including 2% for Phil Crane.
  3. ^ Including 2% for Phil Crane.
  4. ^ Including 1% each for Phil Crane, Benjamin Fernandez, and Harold Stassen.
  5. ^ Including 1% each for Phil Crane, Benjamin Fernandez, and Harold Stassen.
  6. ^ Including 1% each for Phil Crane, Benjamin Fernandez, and Harold Stassen.
  7. ^ 1% each for Phil Crane, Benjamin Fernandez, and Harold Stassen.

Primary race[]

Ronald Reagan, who had narrowly lost the 1976 Republican nomination to President Gerald Ford, was the early odds-on favorite to win the nomination in 1980. He was so far ahead in the polls that campaign director John Sears decided on an "above the fray" strategy. He did not attend many of the multi-candidate forums and straw polls in the summer and fall of 1979.

George H. W. Bush, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and chairman of the Republican National Committee, did go to all the so-called "cattle calls", and began to come in first at a number of these events. Along with the top two, a number of other Republican politicians entered the race.

In January 1980, the Iowa Republicans decided to have a straw poll as a part of their caucuses for that year. Bush defeated Reagan by a small margin. Bush declared he had "the Big Mo", and with Reagan boycotting the Puerto Rico primary in deference to New Hampshire, Bush won the territory easily, giving him an early lead going into New Hampshire.

The Nashua debate, the 9th debate between Ronald Reagan (left) and George H. W. Bush (right)

With the other candidates in single digits, the Nashua Telegraph offered to host a debate between Reagan and Bush. Worried that a newspaper-sponsored debate might violate electoral regulations, Reagan subsequently arranged to fund the event with his own campaign money, inviting the other candidates to participate at short notice. The Bush camp did not learn of Reagan's decision to include the other candidates until the debate was due to commence. Bush refused to participate, which led to an impasse on the stage. As Reagan attempted to explain his decision, the editor of the Nashua Telegraph ordered the sound man to mute Reagan's microphone. A visibly angry Reagan responded, "I am paying for this microphone, Mr. Green!" [sic] (referring to the editor Jon Breen).[6][7][8] Eventually the other candidates agreed to leave, and the debate proceeded between Reagan and Bush. Reagan's quote was often repeated as "I paid for this microphone!" and dominated news coverage of the event; Reagan sailed to an easy win in New Hampshire.[9]

Ronald Reagan delivering his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Detroit, Michigan, on July 17, 1980.

Lee Bandy, a writer for the South Carolina newspaper The State stated that heading into the South Carolina primary, political operative Lee Atwater worked to engineer a victory for Reagan: "Lee Atwater figured that Connally was their biggest threat here in South Carolina. So Lee leaked a story to me that John Connally was trying to buy the black vote. Well, that story got out, thanks to me, and it probably killed Connally. He spent $10 million for one delegate. Lee saved Ronald Reagan's candidacy."[10]

Reagan swept the South, and although he lost five more primaries to Bush—including the Massachusetts primary in which he came in third place behind John B. Anderson—the former governor had a lock on the nomination very early in the season. Reagan said he would always be grateful to the people of Iowa for giving him "the kick in the pants" he needed.

Reagan was an adherent to a policy known as supply-side economics, which argues that economic growth can be most effectively created using incentives for people to produce (supply) goods and services, such as adjusting income tax and capital gains tax rates. Accordingly, Reagan promised an economic revival that would benefit all sectors of the population. He said that cutting tax rates would actually increase tax revenues because the lower rates would cause people to work harder as they would be able to keep more of their money. Reagan also called for a drastic cut in "big government" and pledged to deliver a balanced budget for the first time since 1969. In the primaries Bush called Reagan's economic policy "voodoo economics" because it promised to lower taxes and increase revenues at the same time.

Results[]

Statewide[]

Raw Vote Totals Delegate Estimate
Date Jurisdiction Dels Anderson Baker Bush Reagan Others Totals Anderson Baker Bush Reagan Others
January 21 Iowa 38 4,585 16,216 33,530 31,348 20,372 106,051 0 6 13 12 8
February 2 Arkansas 22 State Convention 0 0 8 9 5
February 17 Puerto Rico 20 0 68,934 111,940 0 5,497 186,371 0 8 12 0 0
February 22 Alaska 20 0 34 818 1,789 459 3,100 0 0 5 12 3
February 26 New Hampshire 23 14,458 18,943 33,443 72,983 6,707 146,534 0 3 6 13 0
March 4 Massachusetts 46 122,987 19,366 124,365 115,334 18,771 400,823 16 0 16 15
Vermont 20 19,030 8,055 14,226 19,720 4,580 65,611 6 3 5 6 0
March 8 South Carolina 28 0 753 21,458 78,854 42,287 143,352 0 0 4 15 8
March 11 Alabama 31 0 1,963 53,232 146,042 7,564 208,800 0 0 8 23 0
Florida 55 56,447 6,294 185,527 345,093 20,224 613,585 0 0 19 36 0
Georgia 40 16,853 1,571 25,293 146,500 9,953 200,170 0 0 6 34 0
March 18 Illinois 103 415,193 7,051 124,057 547,355 36,425 1,130,081 39 0 12 52 0
March 25 Connecticut 38 40,354 2,446 70,367 61,735 7,382 182,284 9 0 16 14 0
New York 127 Votes cast for delegate slates by CD, not for candidates 1 0 8 71 43
April 1 Kansas 34 51,493 3,603 35,408 177,988 14,147 282,639 7 0 5 23 0
Wisconsin 37 248,623 3,298 276,164 364,898 9,919 902,902 10 0 11 15 0
April 5 Louisiana 34 0 0 7,818 31,212 2,653 41,683 0 0 7 27 0
April 19 Maine 23 0 0 17 3 3
April 22 Pennsylvania 85 0 30,848 626,759 527,916 26,311 1,211,834 0 0 46 39 0
May 3 Arizona 31 0 0 0 31 0
Missouri 40 0 0 0 27 13
Oklahoma 38 0 0 0 34 4
Texas 82 0 0 250,219 268,169 8,112 526,500 0 0 40 42 0
May 6 Washington, D.C. 13 2,025 0 4,973 0 531 7,529 4 0 9 0
Indiana 56 56,342 0 92,955 419,556 0 568,853 0 0 10 46
North Carolina 43 8,542 2,543 36,631 113,854 6,821 168,391 0 0 10 33
Tennessee 34 8.722 10 35,274 144,625 6,589 195,210 0 0 7 27
May 13 Maryland 45 16,244 0 68,389 80,557 2,113 167,303 0 0 21 24
Nebraska 27 11,879 0 31,380 155,995 2,882 202,136 0 0 5 22
May 20 Michigan 85 48,947 0 341,998 189,184 15,047 595,176 0 0 55 30
Oregon 31 32,118 0 109,210 170,449 2,324 314,101 3 0 11 17
May 27 Idaho 23 13,130 0 5,416 111,868 4,465 134,879 0 0 0 23
Kentucky 31 4,791 0 6,869 78,601 5,068 95,329 0 0 0 31
Nevada 20 0 0 3,078 39,352 4,965 47,395 0 0 0 18 2
June 3 California 171 349,315 0 125,113 2,057,923 31,707 2,564,058 25 0 0 146 0
Mississippi 25 0% 8% 89% 0% 0 0 0 25 0
Montana 23 0 0 7,665 68,744 3,014 79,423 0 0 0 23 0
New Jersey 70 0 0 45,447 225,959 4,571 275,977 0 0 12 58 0
New Mexico 23 7,171 0 5,892 37,982 8,501 59,546 3 0 0 16 4
Ohio 79 0 0 164,485 615,233 0 779,719 0 0 17 62 0
Rhode Island 16 0 0 962 3,839 503 5,304 0 0 3 13 0
South Dakota 23 0 0 3,691 72,861 6,353 82,905 0 0 0 23 0
West Virginia 22 0 0 19,509 115,407 3,100 138,016 0 0 3 19 0
2,152 1,549,249 191,935 3,102,808 7,637,219 541,342 12,830,618 128 20 637 1,222 99

Nationwide[]

Primaries, total popular vote:[11]

  • Ronald Reagan – 7,709,793 (59.79%)
  • George H. W. Bush – 3,070,033 (23.81%)
  • John B. Anderson – 1,572,174 (12.19%)
  • Howard Baker – 181,153 (1.41%)
  • Phil Crane – 97,793 (0.76%)
  • John B. Connally – 82,625 (0.64%)
  • Unpledged – 68,155 (0.53%)
  • Ben Fernandez – 25,520 (0.20%)
  • Harold Stassen – 25,425 (0.20%)
  • Gerald Ford – 10,557 (0.08%)
  • Bob Dole – 7,204 (0.06%)

The Republican National Convention was held in Detroit, Michigan, from July 14 to July 17, 1980.

Endorsements[]

Ronald Reagan

  • New Hampshire Union Leader of Manchester, New Hampshire[12]
  • Former Governor Deane C. Davis of Vermont[13]
  • Senator Bob Dole of Kansas (former candidate)[14]
  • State Senator and former Representative Donald "Buz" Lukens of Ohio[15]
  • Representative Thomas N. Kindness of Ohio[16]

John B. Connally, Jr.

  • Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina[17]
  • Governor Bill Clements of Texas[18]
  • Senator Henry Bellmon of Oklahoma[19]
  • Former Senator Clifford Hansen of Wyoming[20]
  • Former Governor Tim Babcock of Montana[21]
  • Mayor Buddy Cianci of Providence, Rhode Island[22]
  • Former U.S. Postmaster General Winton M. Blount of Alabama[23]
  • Former U.S. Attorney General Herbert Brownell of New York[24]
  • Former RNC Chair Leonard Hall of New York[25]
  • Former NY Attorney General Louis J. Lefkowitz of New York[26]
  • Retired Admiral Thomas Hinman Moorer, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, of Maryland[27]

George H.W. Bush

  • Former State Representative Francis W. Hatch Jr. of Massachusetts[28]
  • Former United States Attorney General and Commerce Secretary Elliot Richardson of Massachusetts[29]
  • Former Senator, Ambassador and 1960 Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. of Massachusetts[30]
  • Former Senator Robert Taft Jr. of Ohio[31]
  • Former Senator and U.S. Attorney General William Saxbe of Ohio[32]

John B. Anderson

  • Middlesex County Sheriff John J. Buckley of Massachusetts[33]
  • State Representative Paul Cellucci of Massachusetts[34]
  • Former Senator Edward Brooke of Massachusetts[35]
  • Representative Jim Jeffords of Vermont[36]
  • The Hutchinson News of Hutchinson, Kansas[37]

Howard Baker

  • Former Governor Walter R. Peterson Jr. of New Hampshire[38]
  • State Attorney General Thomas D. Rath[39]
  • Former Representative Perkins Bass[40]
  • Governor Richard A. Snelling of Vermont[41]

Phil Crane

  • Rev. Joe Morecraft III of Cumming, Georgia[42]

See also[]

  • 1980 Democratic Party presidential primaries

References[]

  1. ^ "Reagan Maneuvering His Bandwagon," Washington Post, April 18, 1980.
  2. ^ Sidey, Hugh (29 May 1978). "The Presidency: Roses with a Touch of Ragweed". Time.
  3. ^ "Republicans: There's Life in the Old Party Yet". time. 15 November 1976.
  4. ^ Clymer, Adam (March 8, 1979). "Backers of Reagan Open His Campaign". New York Times. p. A18. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "US President - R Primaries". OurCampaigns.com. 16 Nov 2004. Retrieved 29 Oct 2020.
  6. ^ "Reagan's Nashua Moment"
  7. ^ "Nation: We Were Sandbagged". Time. 10 March 1980.
  8. ^ "Molloy Sound and Video Contractors: Articles (1/1/11)". Molloysoundandvideo.com. 2000-02-10. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
  9. ^ Dunham, Richard (20 October 2009). "New book tells inside story of pivotal Bush-Reagan debate in Nashua". The Houston Chronicle.
  10. ^ Forbes, Stefan (2008). "Transcript – Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story". PBS Frontline.
  11. ^ "US President - R Primaries Race - Feb 17, 1980". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  12. ^ "1980 New Hampshire Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  13. ^ "1980 Vermont Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  14. ^ "1980 Kansas Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  15. ^ "1980 Ohio Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  16. ^ "1980 Ohio Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  17. ^ "1980 South Carolina Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  18. ^ "1980 New Hampshire Republican Primary".
  19. ^ "1980 New Hampshire Republican Primary".
  20. ^ "1980 New Hampshire Republican Primary".
  21. ^ "1980 New Hampshire Republican Primary".
  22. ^ "1980 New Hampshire Republican Primary".
  23. ^ "1980 New Hampshire Republican Primary".
  24. ^ "1980 New Hampshire Republican Primary".
  25. ^ "1980 New Hampshire Republican Primary".
  26. ^ "1980 New Hampshire Republican Primary".
  27. ^ "1980 New Hampshire Republican Primary".
  28. ^ "1980 Massachusetts Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  29. ^ "1980 Massachusetts Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  30. ^ "1980 Massachusetts Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  31. ^ "1980 Ohio Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  32. ^ "1980 Ohio Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  33. ^ "1980 Massachusetts Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  34. ^ "1980 Massachusetts Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  35. ^ "1980 Massachusetts Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  36. ^ "1980 Vermont Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  37. ^ "1980 Kansas Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  38. ^ "1980 New Hampshire Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  39. ^ "1980 New Hampshire Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  40. ^ "1980 New Hampshire Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  41. ^ "1980 Vermont Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  42. ^ "1980 Georgia Republican Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
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