Why was Goldwater re-elected to the Senate by such a small margin in 1980?

[darklordoftech]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_United_States_Senate_election_in_Arizona

[Indy Texas]

He was perceived as being too old and past his prime.

(This sounds crazy from the vantage point of 2021, considering Goldwater was 71 years old in 1980 and we have freshman senators who are older than that.)

[OSR stands with Israel]

His opponent was also a conservative

[Bootes Void]

This article may help

Title:Arizona's Goldwater faces challenge from near-right
https://www.csmonitor.com/1980/1022/102245.html

[Podgy the Bear]

Goldwater didn't run much of a campaign for his 1980 Senate race, and his opponent (Bill Schulz) focused hard on the fact that Goldwater had an abysmal Senate attendance record.  Otherwise, Schulz had similar views to Goldwater and he distanced himself from the Carter re-election campaign.  Schulz used the slogan "Energy for the Eighties"--in effect telling the Arizona people that he would be a younger, more energetic Goldwater.

It almost worked.  Schulz came within a point of defeating Goldwater while Carter lost the state by 32 points.

[TheElectoralBoobyPrize]

An even better question is how Goldwater got a landslide re-election in 1974.

[Calthrina950]

In both 1964 and 1980, Goldwater was saved from defeat in Arizona by Maricopa County.

[E-Dawg]

In both 1964 and 1980, Goldwater was saved from defeat in Arizona by Maricopa County.

Ironic considering that Maricopa county has been costing Republicans victories during recent elections.

[Schiff for Senate]

In both 1964 and 1980, Goldwater was saved from defeat in Arizona by Maricopa County.

Ironic considering that Maricopa county has been costing Republicans victories during recent elections.

By today's standard, to be honest, Goldwater was less of a conservative firebrand and more of a libertarian. He supported abortion and LGBT+ rights, two positions that most of today's GOP would oppose.

[TDAS04]

An even better question is how Goldwater got a landslide re-election in 1974.

He wasn't exactly the closest to Nixon.

[OSR stands with Israel]

In both 1964 and 1980, Goldwater was saved from defeat in Arizona by Maricopa County.

Ironic considering that Maricopa county has been costing Republicans victories during recent elections.

By today's standard, to be honest, Goldwater was less of a conservative firebrand and more of a libertarian. He supported abortion and LGBT+ rights, two positions that most of today's GOP would oppose.

This is a misunderstanding, as while he was pro choice he also believed it should be up to the states to make abortion law which is pretty in line  with almost any Republican nominee today .  Also on LGBT rights , Trump was definitely the most liberal Republican nominee ever on that issue and again I don’t think Goldwater would really be that liberal on it today .

He’d probably have taken the stance of i think it should be legal but it shouldn’t be decided federally .

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

In both 1964 and 1980, Goldwater was saved from defeat in Arizona by Maricopa County.

Ironic considering that Maricopa county has been costing Republicans victories during recent elections.

The sunbelt was a series of Republican islands surrounded by Democratic territory, at least down ballot if less so up ballot. Phoenix, just like Dallas, Charlotte, Tampa and Orlando, led the drive of their states towards the Republicans.

White Flight, the Growth of Minority voting, the Republican gains among rural working class voters and the lose of college educated whites, is what reversed this geographic paradigm and made these states just like the rest of the country.

[OSR stands with Israel]

In both 1964 and 1980, Goldwater was saved from defeat in Arizona by Maricopa County.

Ironic considering that Maricopa county has been costing Republicans victories during recent elections.

The sunbelt was a series of Republican islands surrounded by Democratic territory, at least down ballot if less so up ballot. Phoenix, just like Dallas, Charlotte, Tampa and Orlando, led the drive of their states towards the Republicans.

White Flight, the Growth of Minority voting, the Republican gains among rural working class voters and the lose of college educated whites, is what reversed this geographic paradigm and made these states just like the rest of the country.

Didn’t you say this is what happened in the North in the 1920s through the 1940s