Jimmy Carter was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, at the Wise Sanitarium, making him the first American president to be born in a hospital. In 1962, Carter announced his candidacy for a seat in the Georgia State Senate and defeated Homer Moore by a margin of 3,013 to 2,182, securing the seat for the Democratic Party. On January 14, 1963, Jimmy Carter was sworn in as the senator for Georgia’s 14th district.
While in office, Carter spoke out on several issues, including delivering speeches against literacy tests. He criticized an amendment in the Georgia constitution, which he believed implied compulsory religious practice. Carter also played a key role in distributing funding for planning and development projects, such as the restoration of historic sites.
In the Democratic primary election for governor, Carter defeated former governor Carl Sanders to become the Democratic nominee. In the general election, Carter defeated his Republican rival, Hal Suit, winning 60 percent of the vote. On January 12, 1971, Jimmy Carter was sworn in as the 76th governor of Georgia.
During his time as governor, Carter openly opposed racial discrimination laws and worked to eliminate them. In January 1972, he introduced a reorganization plan to save state funds by consolidating 300 state agencies into 22. Carter also made significant contributions to education in Georgia by ensuring equal state aid for schools in both wealthy and poor areas and expanding educational programs for convicts. However, after the U.S. Supreme Court suspended death penalties in the Furman v. Georgia case, Carter reintroduced the penalty – a decision he later regretted, saying, “I didn’t see the injustice of it as I do now.”
As Carter’s term as governor ended on January 14, 1975, and he was ineligible for reelection, he began preparing a bid for the presidency. On December 12, 1974, Carter announced his presidential candidacy at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C..
Carter faced stiff competition from 16 other presidential candidates and was initially dismissed due to his limited national recognition. To address this, Carter published a memoir, Why Not the Best?, to increase his visibility and outline his political views. His strategy proved effective, and he emerged victorious in the primaries, winning 39.6 percent of the vote. At the Democratic National Convention on July 15, Carter chose Senator Walter Mondale of Minnesota as his running mate and formally accepted the nomination for president.
Jimmy Carter faced rival Gerald Ford (Republican nominee) in the 1976 election for president. At first Carter had a sizeable lead but that soon narrowed with several polls showing that the race was tied. Most analysts thought that Carter would win the popular vote, but Ford was favored for the election.
Carter shocked the world when he won 297 electoral votes, 50.1% of the popular vote and 23 states whereas Ford won 240 electoral votes, 48% of the popular vote and 27 states. Ford would make the history books winning the most states ever achieved by a losing candidate for president. Carter would win several states by close margins such as Ohio (Carter won the state by a margin of 0.27% and 15 electoral votes) and Wisconsion (Carter won by a margin of 1.68% and 11 electoral votes). If Ford had won both states, he would have won the election. His victory was attributed to his overwhelming support from African voters particularly in the south. Carter won most of the states in the south (apart from Virginia and Oklahoma). He also achieved narrow victories in the north in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Ford won all the states in the west apart from Hawaii.
While Jimmy Carter achieved many significant milestones during his presidency, the 1976 election victory defines a large part of his legacy, particularly given the challenges he overcame as a relatively unknown candidate. Carter believed that meeting people personally could earn their votes. A notable example of his grassroots campaign strategy was his ambitious tour of 37 states and over 200 speeches, all before any major candidate had even announced their candidacy. This remarkable effort remains one of the highlights of Carter’s political career.