Campaign Trail Results: Game #716913
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 1976
- Player Candidate: Gerald Ford
- Running Mate: John Connally
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
- Game Played:
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- Gerald Ford | 334 | 40,030,178 | 49.21 |
| ---- Jimmy Carter | 204 | 39,689,304 | 48.79 |
| ---- Other Candidates | 0 | 865,151 | 1.06 |
| ---- Eugene McCarthy | 0 | 758,203 | 0.93 |
Visits:
- Minnesota:3
- New York:3
- Ohio:2
- Texas:2
- Florida:1
- Pennsylvania:1
Answers:
- Do you think that the Panama Canal should be turned back over to Panama?I support this as a positive step, and I'm eager to see how current negotiations play out.
- What will your overall campaign strategy be this year?I'm an approachable, open guy with an open Administration. Let's emphasize my mainstream values and positions, and avoid extremist rhetoric or attacks on Jimmy Carter.
- A lot of voters are concerned about honesty and integrity in our government. What can you say about yourself in this aspect, particularly in light of your pardon of Richard Nixon?I've taken our country and led it past the nightmares of Watergate and Vietnam. Anyone can see that I've led an open, honest Administration.
- Your Secretary of Agriculture, Earl Butz, will be quoted in next week's Rolling Stone as making some very crude and racist jokes. Some have suggested you fire him before the article is released. What are your thoughts?Let's have him leave the day that the article comes out. That way the connection is clear.
- There is talk of a Presidential Debate for the first time since 1960. Is this something that you're interested in doing?I think this is a good idea, and we need something to shake this campaign up.
- You have vetoed a significant number of bills in your two years as President. What was your reasoning?This is an issue that has been blown way out of proportion. In many of these cases, I've proposed my own alternative to a given bill, and Congress has acted on it.
- Some of your operatives want to attack Carter for the way he has equivocated on abortion, gun control, busing, labor issues, and so on. Will you approve a series of ads labeling him as a "flip-flopper"? Maybe some limited spots, asking if we really know who Jimmy Carter is. Or attacking him on one of these issues. But let's not go overboard.
- Your campaign has just received a big break in the form of a controversial interview that Carter did with Playboy, where he confessed to "committing adultery in his heart" and used some coarse language. Any thoughts?I will hold a press conference and remind people that we really don't know anything about this guy. What other hidden, perverse notions does he have?
- You have selected John Connally as your running mate. Can you speak a little more about that?Connally was a loyal Democrat for many years, but anyone can see how their party has lurched away from the mainstream. I think he can remind Americans that Republicans are the sensible, governing party in this country.
- What is your position on the federal government making loans to states or cities in need of financial help? An obvious recent example is the $2.3 billion bailout of New York city.I couldn't really comment until I saw what the specifics of the case would be.
- What is your position on a pardon of Vietnam War draft evaders?Millions of American men accepted their responsibilities and served admirably, but I can see the case for an eventual pardon. Perhaps towards the end of my term.
- Do you support the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, which states "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."?I don't really have a strong statement to make on this Amendment. This is an issue for Congress and the states to decide.
- What is your opinion on the court-ordered busing of students within school districts, in a way designed to achieve racial balance in our schools?I am opposed to these plans and believe that the courts have erred greatly.
- Do you believe that the United States can afford a reduction in defense spending?I don't support cuts, to be sure, but neither do we need increases. We have made great strides in reducing tension with the Soviet Union.
- What is your opinion on abortion, and specifically the recent Roe v. Wade decision?I will uphold the law as President, but I think it should be left to each state to decide. I would support an Amendment on this issue.
- Do you think that the tax cuts in early 1975 were the right economic policy for this country?This was a good policy. Our economy has rebounded considerably since early 1975, and millions of new jobs have been created.
- How can we best prevent another episode like the 1973 oil crisis, which paralyzed the country?We need to do anything we can, including reducing our consumption, working for peace deals, producing domestically, and stabilizing our relationships with oil-producing allies.
- Do you have a position on the gun control issue?I'm an opponent of gun control overall, but some common-sense measures like the 1968 Act are appropriate.
- What is your position on right-to-work laws? Would you support a national bill to repeal Taft-Hartley and do away with right-to-work?I go more the other way on this issue. I think that more states should be right-to-work. Unions dangerously distort the economy and the political process.
- Should there be a ban on nuclear weapons testing?This is an issue I'd have to consider carefully, but perhaps if we got the Soviet Union on board I'd be open to it.
- In 1972, George McGovern proposed replacing the income tax exemption with a $1,000 guaranteed minimum income, for every American citizen. Are you interested in this type of proposal?This kind of idea is way off the mark. We need to focus on reducing the size of government and lowering taxes.
- Do you support the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act?I'm all for some programs to provide jobs, but this Act has too many mandates and goals that are inconsistent with each other. We can't have a balanced budget, full employment, and low inflation at the same time.
- Would you support a law for universal health care in this country?I think it is a noble goal, but it would add too much of a financial burden to the federal budget, which is already running a deficit.
- What are your feelings in the Gregg v. Georgia case, recently decided, that allows capital punishment in the U.S.?I'm neutral when it comes to the death penalty. This is an issue for the states to decide.
- Where will you focus your efforts on the last day before the election?The East Coast -- from Maryland and Pennsylvania to New York and Connecticut.