1980: Josh Ferdinand runs as an independent

[Blow by blow, the passion dies]

US Senator for Michigan between 1977 and 1995, and US Representative between 1959 and 1977.

As a Senator, Josh Ferdinand was known for his progressive stances on economics and conservative positions on social issues and foreign policy. He strongly pushed for the repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act.

Ferdinand was a strong supporter of the Humphrey-Hawkins Act, but said it did not go far enough.

Ferdinand amended the 1980 Budget to include greater pay for teachers and funding for the Department of Education.

Ferdinand called for sanctions on the Soviet Union after the invasion of Afghanistan.

Ferdinand, together with Ted Kennedy strongly advocated for an universal healthcare program with adequate funding and controls on prices.

Ferdinand successfully wrote legislation increasing benefits for Social Security.

He also supported higher taxes on the wealthy and government spending to end stagflation.

Ferdinand was supportive of offshore drilling, peace deals in the Middle East, and a federal program of renewable energy development, to solve the oil crisis. He opposed ending price controls on oil.

On March 28 1980, Jimmy Carter signed his bill creating a Consumer Protection Agency.

Ferdinand advocated for a constitutional amendment banning abortion in all cases other than rape, incest or threat to the mother's life. The Senator supported the Equal Rights Amendment, however.

Ferdinand opposed Jimmy Carter's use of the Taft-Hartley Act to break down two strikes.

Ferdinand announced his campaign with a rally in Burton, Michigan. In the rally, he gave a speech denouncing the failures of the Carter Administration and hitting on a theme of optimism and American renewal. He promised universal healthcare, paid family leave, guaranteed employment, energy independence, guaranteed employment, and a repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act, among other things. Former Solicitor General of Pennsylvania Bob Casey immediately endorsed Ferdinand; on May 26, Ferdinand confirmed the selection of Casey as his running mate.

The media immediately focused on Ferdinand's affair with a congressional staffer in the 1960s, which hurt him in the polls from the start. He never polled above 10% nationally.

When John Anderson entered the race, the two campaigns formed a non-aggression pact.

During the general election, Josh Ferdinand focused on targeting Democratic voters, while attacking Ronald Reagan as a "Hollywood actor unfit for high office".

He focused his campaign on universal healthcare, the intiative, referendum and recall, a federal program of renewable energy development, guaranteed employment, paid family leave, universal healthcare, offshore drilling and selling weapons and supplies to Iraq in its war against Iran. The Senator for Michigan said his plans for political reform would prevent America's "predicament" if they were in effect, while touting his progressive economic policies.

Ferdinand's running mate Bob Casey Sr. stumped for the candidate across Pennsylvania and Ohio, while doing little else.

Ferdinand said both major party candidates were faces of the same coin, attacking Ronald Reagan for his "unrealistic" economic policies and Jimmy Carter for his "disastrous" record.

By August 1980, Ferdinand was polling at 10% nationwide. However, the media reported on his 1960s affair with congressional aide Mary Jenkins, which he called a "red herring" while bringing up Jimmy Carter's interview with Playboy. However, the Jenkins issue still damaged the Senator in the polls, and he fell to 5.1% by October 31.

Ferdinand frequently challenged third-party candidate John Anderson to a presidential debate, but Anderson refused his requests. The two rarely addressed eachother in spite of their sharp ideological differences. The Commission on Presidential Debates repeatedly refused to include Ferdinand in any presidential debate, garnering him some sympathy.

What helped Ferdinand in the final stretch was an appearance in Saturday Night Live on October 18, where he humorously mocked Reagan and Carter.

Ferdinand/Casey was in the ballot on every state but Illinois and the District of Columbia, due to the work of his volunteers who saw him as a "true liberal", unlike Jimmy Carter's centrism.

Due to being short of cash, his campaign only produced five television ads, all thirty seconds long focusing on the candidate's policies for education, healthcare, jobs, energy and foreign policy.

Another factor damaging Ferdinand was how he repeatedly refused requests to drop out. When asked if he thought his campaign would throw the election to Reagan, he said: "If Jimmy Carter didn't mess up America that much, I wouldn't be running in first place".

By Election Day, many of his supporters had been pulled away by Reagan and Carter, but Ferdinand affecting the results wasn't substantially ruled out, given his appeal to working-class voters.

[Blow by blow, the passion dies]

My guess is that Minnesota and West Virginia flip to Reagan due to more vote splitting