Surprised at these results. While I appreciate Goldwater's socially liberal leanings, never forget his staunch pro-segregation stances that won him the south (and that's about it). Voted Reagan.
Goldwater was hardly a racist. He had voted for all federal civil rights legislation prior to 1964, worked for civil rights in his home town and desegregated the Arizona Air National Guard in 1946 - two years before the military in general.
His opposition to the Civil Rights Act was a mix of opportunism and principles (not regulating who businesses can serve or what states can do). With a man as principled as Goldwater I doubt you can just disregard the ideological aspect. The CRA was a step too far regarding federal regulation from his POV.
He is far from me ideologically, especially on his view of unions, and he was also pro-choice. For me his progressive views on the environment are crucial, an area where Reagan was terrible. His principled stance during Watergate is also admirable.
Goldwater was also personally a more interesting character than Reagan (skillfull photographer, amateur radio operator, nature lover, river expeditions, writer, pilot, Indian doll collector, UFO investigator). By and large just an all round more multifaceted person than Reagan.
Also, it is hard not to have some sympathy for a guy, who could say things like "You don't need to be straight to fight and die for your country. You just need to shoot straight".
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