1980 presidential election | |
  Nominees Carter and Mondale | |
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | August 11–14, 1980 |
| City | New York,New York |
| Venue | Madison Square Garden |
| Notable speakers | Ted Kennedy Abe Beame Geraldine Ferraro Bruce Sundlun Ruth Messinger Thomas Addison Ed Koch Robert Abrams Bella Abzug Mario Biaggi Steve Westly Howard Dean |
| Candidates | |
| Presidential nominee | Jimmy Carter ofGeorgia |
| Vice-presidential nominee | Walter Mondale ofMinnesota |
| Voting | |
| Total delegates | 3,346 |
| Votes needed for nomination | 1,674 |
| 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 |
| ‹ 1976 · 1984 › | |
The1980 Democratic National Convention nominatedPresidentJimmy Carter andVice PresidentWalter Mondale for reelection. The convention was held inMadison Square Garden inNew 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 bySenatorTed Kennedy, Carter's chief rival for the nomination in the Democraticprimaries, who sought the votes of delegates held by Carter.
After losinghis challenge for the nomination earlier that day,Ted Kennedy spoke on August 12 anddelivered a speech in support ofPresidentJimmy Carter and theDemocratic Party. Kennedy's famous speech eventually 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." His speech was written byBob Shrum.[1]
Various prominent delegates to this convention includedAbe Beame,Geraldine Ferraro,Bruce Sundlun,Ruth Messinger, Thomas Addison,Ed Koch,Robert Abrams,Bella Abzug,Mario Biaggi,Steve Westly, andHoward Dean.[citation needed]
Candidates
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Delegate voting results[2]
| Democratic National Convention presidential vote, 1980 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage |
| Jimmy Carter(inc.) | 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% |
After Ted Kennedy lost the presidential nomination contest, over 700 of his delegates walked out of the convention, and the rest decided to scatter their votes. It took several roll calls to conclude the ballot.
As of 2024, this is the last time that the Democratic Party has required 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 | 72.90% |
| Melvin Boozer | 48 | 1.44% |
| Ed Rendell | 28 | 0.84% |
| Roberto A. Mondragon | 19 | 0.57% |
| Patricia Stone Simon | 11 | 0.33% |
| Tom Daschle(under 35 years old) | 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% |
| Michelle Kathleen Gray(under 35 years old) | 1 | 0.03% |
| Michael J. Harrington | 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(non-American, deceased) | 1 | 0.03% |
| Charles Prine Sr. | 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% |
| Abstained/absent | 728 | 21.85% |
President Carter gave his speech accepting the party's nomination on August 14. This was notable for his gaffe intended to be a tribute toHubert Humphrey, whom he referred to as "HubertHoratio Hornblower".[4]
On November 4, President Carter and Vice President Mondale lost toRonald Reagan andGeorge H. W. Bush in thegeneral election, having lost both the popular election by 8,423,115 votes and the Electoral College by 440 votes.[5]
In addition to its1976 stance that merely opposed overturningRoe v. Wade, the 1980 platform for the first time explicitly supported the Roe decision as the law of the land.
| Preceded by 1976 New York, New York | Democratic National Conventions | Succeeded by 1984 San Francisco, California |
42ndVice President of the United States (1977–1981) •U.S. Senator from Minnesota (1964–1976) •Attorney General of Minnesota (1960–1964) | |||||||
| Electoral history |
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| Family and personal life |
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