Campaign 76 – second installment. This series of recordings take place between August 11 and 31, 1976 just prior to the Republican Convention. There is still squabbling between the Ford and Reagan camps over delegate count. The Equal Rights Amendment question becomes front and center with the Platform committee along with threats from Republican Women’s groups to engage in a floor fight over the issue.
Old faces appear – Harold Stassen who made 1976 his fourth attempt at nomination was once again offering his name for nomination. Third Party nominations were surfacing – Lester Maddox, the outspoken opponent of segregation announced his candidacy for the American Independent Party. President Ford challenged Jimmy Carter to four debates before the election. The question was how and who was going to pay for them and all the intricacies involved.
Carter’s lead over Ford was fluctuating and according to many observers, the race was far from over. Among the groups needing to be convinced; Jimmy Carter was going after the Catholic Vote, despite a disconnect over views on abortion. While Ford was going toe to toe over the Equal Rights Amendment issue.
So Ford had ERA to deal with and Carter had Abortion to tackle – each side had their respective issues and either could sway the election.
And that’s the gist of what was going on during Campaign ’76 as reported by CBS News and covering the dates August 11-31, 1976.
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