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Alan Cranston's 1984 Presidential Candidacy
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| Contributor | Chronicler |
| Last Edited | Chronicler Jun 19, 2024 04:42pm |
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| Category | News |
| Author | Chronicler |
| News Date | Wednesday, June 19, 2024 07:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Alan Cranston was one of a group of Democrats who campaigned for the presidential nomination in 1984 to run against Ronald Reagan. Cranston was the earliest Democrat to enter the 1984 race and the oldest Democratic contender that year. He had already developed a liberal voting record in the US Senate, where his 15 years in office from California was already second only to Hiram Johnson. He was also serving as Assistant Majority Leader in the Senate. In January 1982, Cranston wrote an article on the challenges of the year, identifying "ending the nuclear arms race" as the nation's "most pressing problem" (Sacramento Bee, 1/3/1982).
Cranston announced his exploratory committee in January 1982. He commented that he did not foresee his age being an issue, as he was three years younger than Reagan (Albuquerque Tribune, 1/7/1982).
In an interview in February 1982, Cranston recalled an incident that prompted his unexpected presidential run. He had visited Moscow in the fall of 1981, where he had an opportunity to speak about world peace to a group of schoolchildren. It hit him for the first time that a nuclear exchange would likely kill all the youth in his audience (Escondido Daily Times-Advocate, 2/24/1982). At a time when it was common for Democrats to self-identify as "liberal with a difference," Cranston's difference was that he supported some of the business tax cuts that Reagan had proposed in 1981 (Tallahassee Democrat, 2/21/1982).
In March 1982, Allyn Kreps, chairman of the exploratory committee, reported that they had raised $20,000 for Cranston's travel in 1982 and hoped to raise $200,000 for campaign operations in 1982 (Sacramento Bee, 3/23/1982). Cranston's itinerary would include trips to Iowa and New Hampshire plus shorter visits to other important primary states; by the end of the year, he had visited 35 states. He visited with university newspaper editors and student body presidents of 50 major universities in Philadelphia that month, receiving positive feedback (Modesto Bee, 4/8/1982).
Cranston's first political endorsement came at the Democratic Party midterm convention in Philadelphia on 6/2/1982. Gov. Jerry Brown (often a rival of Cranston's) endorsed Cranston's candidacy "without doubt, without question... Cranston is on record as a man of leadership, conviction, and compassion" (Pittsburgh Press, 6/27/1982).
Cranston juggled his Senate duties with campaigning. In July 1982, he was actively lobbying Senators against a proposed constitutional amendment that would require a balanced federal budget (Sacramento Bee, 7/23/1982). He then spent much of September and October of 1982 campaigning for Democratic candidates for Congress. One of his early efforts was for Gene Tackett (CA-17, who ultimately lost) (Tulare Advance-Register, 9/4/1982). He then campaigned in Nevada for Sen. Howard Cannon and Mary Gojack (Nevada State Journal, 9/30/1982). Later, he campaigned with Bob Kerrey in Nebraska (Omaha World-Herald, 10/29/1982). Cranston campaigned with Jerry Brown during his senatorial race, and rumors suggested that he was secretly relieved that Brown didn't win and then launch his own presidential campaign (Racine Journal Times, 11/17/1982).
In September 1982, the New York Times reported on campaign spending. The three Democrats who had spent the most were Askew ($149,600), Cranston ($62,200), and Hart ($11,300) (quoted in the Alexandria [LA] Town Talk, 9/26/1982).
Cranston had a busy October 1982. Cranston was the featured speaker at the memorial service for Mary Harris "Mother" Jones in Mount Olive, Illinois (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 10/11/1982). He was the only Democratic contender to attend the Peaceday event in Des Moines on 10/10 (Des Moines Register, 10/11/1982) and also the only Democratic contender to attend the Human Rights Campaign Fund dinner in Philadelphia (Camden Courier-Post, 10/14/1982).
After the midterm election, Cranston's advisory committee gathered to discuss the progress of his campaign. The 22 people met on November 20, 1982 in Washington DC and voted unanimously to encourage him to officially enter the race. They recommended that he raise $2 million for campaigning in 1983 (Escondido Daily Times-Advocate, 11/21/1982).
Cranston's campaign received a boost in December 1983 when Sen. Ted Kennedy declined to enter the race. Cranston's campaign staff began calling Kennedy supporters to recruit them for his race (Modesto Bee, 12/2/1982). One of these Kennedy supporters was Gov. Harold Hughes, who had initially endorsed Cranston but withdrew his support and endorsed Kennedy (Boston Globe, 12/5/1982). To boost his campaign, Cranston developed a 10-point plan to revive the economy, envisioning "a new partnership of labor, business and government" (Monrovia News-Post, 12/9/1982).
Near the end of 1982, Cranston gave an interview while campaigning in Wisconsin. He reported that he wanted to focus on seven primaries: WI, NH, IA, IL, NY, CA, and AL. His campaign would focus on reducing Reagan's military spending, particularly the MX missile (Green Bay Press-Gazette, 12/13/1982).
Early in 1983, the Cranston campaign was the second to qualify for federal campaign matching funds. Harris Wofford, co-chairman of the advisory committee, reported that Cranston raised $150,000 in 23 states in 1982 (meeting the minimum requirement of $500 in 20 states) (San Francisco Examiner, 1/12/1983). The news came at a fortuituous time, as a critical California straw poll was held on January 15, 1983. Cranston's campaign worked hard to win the poll and ended up with 59% to 23% for Mondale (San Francisco Examiner, 1/16/1983).
Entering the race
Cranston announced his candidacy on February 2, 1983. His initial announcement was in the US Senate caucus room in Washington DC, then he held a New Hampshire announcement event the same day in Manchester. Cranston believed that being the first announced contender gave him an advantage, as being the fourth to announce wouldn't be covered as a news story (South Florida Sun Sentinel, 2/3/1983). An early test of Cranston's strength came in Massachusetts Democratic straw poll. With Kennedy out of the race, Mondale placed first among party faithful with 29%, followed by "jobs" with 26%, Cranston with 17%, and Hart with 10% (Boston Globe, 4/11/1983).
Although Cranston was campaigning almost full-time in the spring of 1983, most news articles emphasized his age and the fact that for a time he held a sprinting record. When he appeared on David Brinkley's show on ABC, he made a strategic decision. After being pressed to compare his views with those of Mondale and Glenn, Cranston said "I'm not going to run down my Democratic opponents. I'm going to stress what I believe in, and I believe I've been doing well because of the clarity and strength of my message, putting the nuclear predicament at the very head of our agenda." He was willing to critique President Reagan, saying, "Ronald Reagan is a tyrant. We have to get rid of that man" (Daily Hampshire Gazette, 6/7/1983). Newspapers later reported that Reagan's words were actually that Reagan "is a target" for Democrats rather than a tyrant, although in the meantime Republican commentators gave Cranston additional attention for calling the president a tyrant (Pensacola News, 8/12/1983).
In the summer of 1983, Cranston worked hard to expand his base. In a surprise, Cranston won the Wisconsin Democratic straw poll on 6/12 with 39% to 36% for Mondale, 22% for Hart, and only 2% for Glenn (Green Bay Press-Gzzette, 6/13/1983). He was one of five contenders who addressed the National Women's Political Caucus on 7/10. Of the five, the women believed that Mondale did best, Cranston second best, and Hart offended them by speaking over Harriet Woods twice (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7/11/1983). In an address to the Disabled American Veterans, Cranston promised to create a federal Department of Veterans Affairs and objected to Reagan's proposed cut of $740 million to the Veterans Administration (Camarillo Star, 8/1/1983). The Harris poll in early September showed Mondale with 40%, Glenn with 31%, Cranston 8%, and Jesse Jackson 7% (Johnson City Press, 9/2/1983). An analysis of the Democratic contenders in September 1983 considered Cranston to be running a strong race. He "has the best-organized campaign in Iowa right now... In New Hampshire, he is generally rated as second behind Mondale in organization" (Ithaca Journal, 9/23/1983). Other newspapers also reported some negative news about Cranston. The Charlotte Observer reported on 9/25/1983 that Cranston's campaign was $500,000 in debt with only 5% support in the polls.
Events beyond Cranston's control created a sour flavor for his campaign in late 1983. On September 1, the Soviet Union shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, killing 269 people including a member of the US House. With most politicians weighing in and condemning the Soviet Union, Cranston's statement that the situation demonstrated the "trigger-happy situation" of the time seemed to be too tame for voters (Sacramento Bee, 9/2/1983). When Reagan sent troops into Grenada upon the request of some American students, Cranston called the president "trigger-happy" and said that the action was a "direct violation" of the charter of the Organization of American States. The accuracy of this statement was overshadowed by the American public's support for the action (Sacramento Bee, 10/26/1983).
As the year 1983 drew to a close, Cranston continued to fail to get the break-out moment he sought. He had to defend his single issue campaign at the first Democratic presidential primary debate on October 13, comparing himself to Lincoln's single issue of "ending slavery." The event, co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Citizens Coalition for Arms Control, served to make the point that of the seven participants, only Askew opposed a nuclear freeze bill (San Francisco Examiner, 10/14/1983). Cranston's campaign released five television commercials in November 1983. One, called "the bald spot," showed Cranston talking to the camera. "Why vote for a 69-year old man who they said is not charismatic and is bald? I'll tell you why. Because what separates my candidacy from my opponents is that I won't promise everything and I won't let the Democratic Party drift. The Cranston presidency will have two clear purposes: ending the arms race and full employment. That's how you beat Ronald Reagan, even if you're bald" (Mason City [IA] Globe-Gazette, 11/18/1983). The next week, Cranston called for an end to deployment of new ICBMs in Europe (Vicksburg Post, 11/21/1983). At an event in San Diego, Cranston said that he was considering choosing a woman to be his vice presidential running mate (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12/5/1983). Cranston stepped back from campaigning in December due to chest pains; after exploratory surgery, it was determined that he had mild pleurisy. Again, although the incident didn't remove him from presidential consideration, it reminded Democrats of his age (Bangor Daily News, 12/26/1983).
You can see three Cranston commercials on YouTube.
Cranston campaign in 1984
The Democratic presidential campaign got off to a rousing start with an environmental conference in Bedford NH on January 8. The contenders spoke sequentially. Glenn said that Mondale's proposals would cost the nation 10 million jobs. Mondale called for greater pollution enforcement. Cranston had the most detailed environmental plan of the six participating candidates, including cutting sulfur dioxide emissions, finding better sources for electricity, and enhance efficiency standards for appliances (Great Falls Tribune, 1/9/1984). Cranston participated in the second Democratic presidential debate on January 15 in Dartmouth NH; although he gave a strong performance, the news was more attracted to the Mondale-Glenn tension (Des Moines Register, 1/16/1984). An important boost for Cranston came when the Caucus of Connecticut Democrats endorsed him with 64% of their internal vote; Mondale placed second with 28% (Hartford Courant, 1/29/1984). At the third Democratic presidential primary debate, Cranston had dropped his policy of not critiquing his opponents, trying to make the case that Mondale was too much of a hawk because he supported several controversial military weapons programs during the Carter administration (San Francisco Examiner, 2/1/1984).
Cranston skipped the 4th Democratic primary debate, instead holding a press conference in which he increased his attacks upon Mondale for not opposing the Grenada invasion and supporting increased defense spending. He believed that Mondale was "unlikely to offer the bold leadership we need on the fundamental issues of war and peace" (Des Moines Register, 2/4/1984). Cranston concentrated on Iowa before its lead-off caucus. A Des Moines Register poll published in its 2/19/1984 issue showed Mondale leading Democrats with 44%, Cranston second with 17%, Hart with 14%, and Glenn 11%. If those numbers had held, the primary campaign would have been rather different. Instead, Mondale won the Iowa caucus with 49%. Hart placed second with 17%, followed by McGovern with 10%, Uncommitted 9%, Cranston 7%, and Glenn 4%.
Cranston's fifth place finish in Iowa was the effective end of his campaign. Contributors fled to other contenders, which exacerbated his campaign budget. Contractors who had not been paid filed lawsuits and froze his accounts, news of which appeared in the papers nationally the same day as the New Hampshire primary (Boston Globe, 2/28/1984). In New Hampshire, Cranston's young voters fled to Hart along with supporters of many other contenders, giving Hart his completely unexpected 37-28% win over Mondale; Cranston with just 2% placed eighth, less than half the number of Democratic write-in votes for President Reagan. In his concession speech that night, Cranston ended his campaign. He wouldn't endorse another Democrat yet but would work instead for a strong party platform at the national convention (San Francisco Examiner, 2/29/1984). His campaign was $1 million in debt (San Pedro News-Pilot, 2/29/1984). After his withdrawal, several people running for DNC delegate under his banner endorsed other candidates and some were elected delegate and supported Hart.
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