12-04-2017, 05:28 PM
John Anderson, independent candidate for President in 1980
John Bayard Anderson (February 15, 1922 – December 3, 2017) was a United States Congressman and presidential candidate from Illinois. As a member of the Republican Party, he represented Illinois's 16th congressional district from 1961 through 1981. In 1980, he ran an independent campaign for president, taking 6.6% of the popular vote.
Born in Rockford, Illinois, Anderson practiced law after serving in the Army during World War II. After a stint in the United States Foreign Service, he won election as the State's Attorney for Winnebago County, Illinois. He won election to the House of Representatives in 1960 in a strongly Republican district. Initially one of the most conservative members of the House, Anderson's views moderated during the 1960s, particularly regarding social issues. He became Chairman of the House Republican Conference in 1969 and remained in that position until 1979. He strongly criticized the Vietnam War as well as President Richard Nixon's actions during the Watergate scandal.
Anderson entered the 1980 Republican presidential primaries, introducing his signature campaign proposal of raising the gas tax while cutting social security taxes. He established himself as a contender for the nomination in the early primaries but eventually dropped out of the Republican race, choosing to pursue an independent campaign for president. In the election, he finished third behind Republican nominee Ronald Reagan and Democratic President Jimmy Carter. He won support among Rockefeller Republicans, independents, liberal intellectuals, and college students.
After the election, he resumed his legal career and helped found FairVote, an organization that advocates electoral reforms such as instant-runoff voting. He also won a lawsuit against the state of Ohio, Anderson v. Celebrezze, in which the Supreme Court struck down early filing deadlines for independent candidates. Anderson served as a visiting professor at numerous universities and was on the boards of several organizations. He endorsed Ralph Nader in 2000 and helped found the Justice Party in 2012.
In 1978, Anderson formed an exploratory committee,[18] finding little public or media interest. In late April 1979, Anderson made the decision to enter the Republican primary, joining a field that included Bob Dole, John Connally, Howard Baker, Harold Stassen, George H. W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan.[19] Within the last weeks of 1979, Anderson introduced his signature campaign proposal, advocating that a 50-cent a gallon gas tax be enacted with a corresponding 50% reduction in social security taxes.[20]
Anderson built state campaigns in four targeted states—New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Wisconsin.[8] He won some political support among Republicans, picking up endorsements along the way that helped legitimize him in the race.[21] He began to build support among media elites, who appreciated his articulateness, straightforward manner, moderate positions, and his refusal to walk down the conservative path that all of the other Republicans were traveling.[22]
In the first political event of 1980, in the Republican candidates' debate in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 5, unlike the others, he said lowering taxes, increasing defense spending, and balancing the budget were an impossible combination.[21] In a stirring summation,[23] Anderson invoked his father's emigration to the United States and said that we would have to make sacrifices today for a better tomorrow.[21] For the next week, Anderson's name and face were all over the national news programs, in newspapers, and in national news magazines.[23]
Anderson spent less than $2000 in the state, but he finished with 4.3% of the vote.[8] The television networks were covering the event, portraying Anderson to a national audience as a man of character and principle.[24] When the voters in New Hampshire went to the polls, Anderson again exceeded the expectations, finishing fourth with just under 10% of the vote.[24]
Anderson was declared the winner in both Massachusetts and Vermont by the Associated Press,[25] but the following morning ended up losing both primaries by a slim margin.[21] In Massachusetts, he lost to George Bush by 0.3% and in Vermont he lost to Reagan by 690 votes.[21] He arrived there after the New England elections and had a lead in the state polls.[6] But his Illinois campaign struggled despite endorsements from the state's two largest newspapers.[8] Reagan defeated him, 48% to 37%, however, Anderson carried Chicago and Rockford (the state's two largest cities at the time), but he lost in the southern section of the state.[8]
The next week, there was a primary in Connecticut, which (while Anderson was on the ballot) his team had chosen not to campaign actively in.[6] He finished third in Connecticut with 22% of the vote, and it seemed to most like any other loss, whether Anderson said he was competing or not.[21] Next was Wisconsin, and this was thought to be Anderson's best chance for victory, but he again finished third, winning 27% of the vote.[26]
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Carter said that he would not appear on stage with Anderson, and sat out the debate, which hurt the President in the eyes of voters.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._Anderson#cite_note-Bloomberg-35][35] Reagan and Anderson had a debate in Baltimore on September 21, 1980.[29] Anderson did well, and polls showed he won a modest debate victory over Reagan, but Reagan, who had been portrayed by Carter throughout the campaign as something of a warmonger, proved to be a reasonable candidate and carried himself well in the debate.[35] The debate was Anderson's big opportunity as he needed a break-out performance, but what he got was a modest victory.[29] In the following weeks, Anderson slowly faded out of the picture with his support dropping from 16% to 10–12% in the first half of October.[1] By the end of the month, Reagan debated Carter alone and Anderson's support continued to fade.[1] Although Reagan would win a sizable victory, the polls showed the two major party candidates closer (Gallup's final poll was 47–44–8[37]) going into the election and it was clear that many would-be Anderson supporters were now supporting their second choice.[21] In the end, Anderson finished with just under 7% of the vote.[38]
Most of Anderson's original support came from Rockefeller Republicans, who were more liberal than Reagan.[35] Many prominent intellectuals, including All in the Family creator Norman Lear, and the editors of the liberal magazine The New Republic, also endorsed the Anderson campaign.[35] Cartoonist Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury ran several strips sympathetic to the Anderson campaign.[39] According to the recently published journals of Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis voted for Anderson, as did Schlesinger himself.[6] Although the Carter campaign feared Anderson could be a spoiler, Anderson's campaign turned out to be "simply another option for frustrated voters who had already decided not to back Carter for another term.[35] Polls found Anderson voters nearly as likely to list Reagan as their second choice as Carter."[40]
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Anderson did not carry a single precinct in the country.[41] Anderson’s finish was still the best showing for a third party candidate since George Wallace’s 14 percent in 1968 and stands as the seventh best for any such candidate since the Civil War (trailing James B. Weaver’s 8.5 percent in 1892, Theodore Roosevelt’s 27 percent in 1912, Robert La Follette’s 17 percent in 1924, Wallace, and Ross Perot’s 19 percent and 8 percent in 1992 and 1996, respectively).[42][6]
He pursued Ohio's refusal to provide ballot access to the U.S. Supreme Court and won 5–4 in [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anderson_v._Celebrezze]Anderson v. Celebrezze.[6] His inability to make headway against the de facto two-party system as an independent in that election would later lead him to become an advocate for instant-runoff voting, helping to found FairVote in 1992.[35]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._Anderson
John Bayard Anderson (February 15, 1922 – December 3, 2017) was a United States Congressman and presidential candidate from Illinois. As a member of the Republican Party, he represented Illinois's 16th congressional district from 1961 through 1981. In 1980, he ran an independent campaign for president, taking 6.6% of the popular vote.
Born in Rockford, Illinois, Anderson practiced law after serving in the Army during World War II. After a stint in the United States Foreign Service, he won election as the State's Attorney for Winnebago County, Illinois. He won election to the House of Representatives in 1960 in a strongly Republican district. Initially one of the most conservative members of the House, Anderson's views moderated during the 1960s, particularly regarding social issues. He became Chairman of the House Republican Conference in 1969 and remained in that position until 1979. He strongly criticized the Vietnam War as well as President Richard Nixon's actions during the Watergate scandal.
Anderson entered the 1980 Republican presidential primaries, introducing his signature campaign proposal of raising the gas tax while cutting social security taxes. He established himself as a contender for the nomination in the early primaries but eventually dropped out of the Republican race, choosing to pursue an independent campaign for president. In the election, he finished third behind Republican nominee Ronald Reagan and Democratic President Jimmy Carter. He won support among Rockefeller Republicans, independents, liberal intellectuals, and college students.
After the election, he resumed his legal career and helped found FairVote, an organization that advocates electoral reforms such as instant-runoff voting. He also won a lawsuit against the state of Ohio, Anderson v. Celebrezze, in which the Supreme Court struck down early filing deadlines for independent candidates. Anderson served as a visiting professor at numerous universities and was on the boards of several organizations. He endorsed Ralph Nader in 2000 and helped found the Justice Party in 2012.
In 1978, Anderson formed an exploratory committee,[18] finding little public or media interest. In late April 1979, Anderson made the decision to enter the Republican primary, joining a field that included Bob Dole, John Connally, Howard Baker, Harold Stassen, George H. W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan.[19] Within the last weeks of 1979, Anderson introduced his signature campaign proposal, advocating that a 50-cent a gallon gas tax be enacted with a corresponding 50% reduction in social security taxes.[20]
Anderson built state campaigns in four targeted states—New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Wisconsin.[8] He won some political support among Republicans, picking up endorsements along the way that helped legitimize him in the race.[21] He began to build support among media elites, who appreciated his articulateness, straightforward manner, moderate positions, and his refusal to walk down the conservative path that all of the other Republicans were traveling.[22]
In the first political event of 1980, in the Republican candidates' debate in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 5, unlike the others, he said lowering taxes, increasing defense spending, and balancing the budget were an impossible combination.[21] In a stirring summation,[23] Anderson invoked his father's emigration to the United States and said that we would have to make sacrifices today for a better tomorrow.[21] For the next week, Anderson's name and face were all over the national news programs, in newspapers, and in national news magazines.[23]
Anderson spent less than $2000 in the state, but he finished with 4.3% of the vote.[8] The television networks were covering the event, portraying Anderson to a national audience as a man of character and principle.[24] When the voters in New Hampshire went to the polls, Anderson again exceeded the expectations, finishing fourth with just under 10% of the vote.[24]
Anderson was declared the winner in both Massachusetts and Vermont by the Associated Press,[25] but the following morning ended up losing both primaries by a slim margin.[21] In Massachusetts, he lost to George Bush by 0.3% and in Vermont he lost to Reagan by 690 votes.[21] He arrived there after the New England elections and had a lead in the state polls.[6] But his Illinois campaign struggled despite endorsements from the state's two largest newspapers.[8] Reagan defeated him, 48% to 37%, however, Anderson carried Chicago and Rockford (the state's two largest cities at the time), but he lost in the southern section of the state.[8]
The next week, there was a primary in Connecticut, which (while Anderson was on the ballot) his team had chosen not to campaign actively in.[6] He finished third in Connecticut with 22% of the vote, and it seemed to most like any other loss, whether Anderson said he was competing or not.[21] Next was Wisconsin, and this was thought to be Anderson's best chance for victory, but he again finished third, winning 27% of the vote.[26]
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Carter said that he would not appear on stage with Anderson, and sat out the debate, which hurt the President in the eyes of voters.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._Anderson#cite_note-Bloomberg-35][35] Reagan and Anderson had a debate in Baltimore on September 21, 1980.[29] Anderson did well, and polls showed he won a modest debate victory over Reagan, but Reagan, who had been portrayed by Carter throughout the campaign as something of a warmonger, proved to be a reasonable candidate and carried himself well in the debate.[35] The debate was Anderson's big opportunity as he needed a break-out performance, but what he got was a modest victory.[29] In the following weeks, Anderson slowly faded out of the picture with his support dropping from 16% to 10–12% in the first half of October.[1] By the end of the month, Reagan debated Carter alone and Anderson's support continued to fade.[1] Although Reagan would win a sizable victory, the polls showed the two major party candidates closer (Gallup's final poll was 47–44–8[37]) going into the election and it was clear that many would-be Anderson supporters were now supporting their second choice.[21] In the end, Anderson finished with just under 7% of the vote.[38]
Most of Anderson's original support came from Rockefeller Republicans, who were more liberal than Reagan.[35] Many prominent intellectuals, including All in the Family creator Norman Lear, and the editors of the liberal magazine The New Republic, also endorsed the Anderson campaign.[35] Cartoonist Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury ran several strips sympathetic to the Anderson campaign.[39] According to the recently published journals of Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis voted for Anderson, as did Schlesinger himself.[6] Although the Carter campaign feared Anderson could be a spoiler, Anderson's campaign turned out to be "simply another option for frustrated voters who had already decided not to back Carter for another term.[35] Polls found Anderson voters nearly as likely to list Reagan as their second choice as Carter."[40]
[/url]
Anderson did not carry a single precinct in the country.[41] Anderson’s finish was still the best showing for a third party candidate since George Wallace’s 14 percent in 1968 and stands as the seventh best for any such candidate since the Civil War (trailing James B. Weaver’s 8.5 percent in 1892, Theodore Roosevelt’s 27 percent in 1912, Robert La Follette’s 17 percent in 1924, Wallace, and Ross Perot’s 19 percent and 8 percent in 1992 and 1996, respectively).[42][6]
He pursued Ohio's refusal to provide ballot access to the U.S. Supreme Court and won 5–4 in [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anderson_v._Celebrezze]Anderson v. Celebrezze.[6] His inability to make headway against the de facto two-party system as an independent in that election would later lead him to become an advocate for instant-runoff voting, helping to found FairVote in 1992.[35]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._Anderson
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist but instead the people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists -- Hannah Arendt.