|
|
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
|
Milton Shapp's 1976 Presidential Campagn
|
|---|
| Parent(s) |
Race
|
| Contributor | Chronicler |
| Last Edited | Chronicler Jun 27, 2024 09:41pm |
| Logged |
0
|
| Category | News |
| Author | Chronicler |
| News Date | Friday, June 28, 2024 03:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Milton Shapp was one of the Democratic contenders for the 1976 presidential nomination. He was a successful and popular governor of Pennsylvania, and he was the first person of the Jewish faith to run for president.
Milton Shapp was an up and coming Democrat in 1975. During the JFK administration, Shapp was one of the people who organized the Peace Corps. Shapp was elected Pennsylvania governor in 1970, and due to a change in the state constitution, he was able to run for re-election in 1974 and became the first Pennsylvania governor to serve two consecutive terms. After his 1975 inauguration, newspapers reported that the event "marks the inauguration of his efforts to gain the vice presidential nod come the 1976 presidential sweepstakes" (Carlisle Sentinel, 1/20/1975).
It came as somewhat of a surprise when Shapp began discussing a presidential candidacy. His first public statement about a candidacy came in May 1975 in a speech before the Mercer County Association for the Retarded. He advocated new federal programs in the housing industry and mass transit as ways to stimulate employment (New Castle News, 5/8/1975). Shapp travelled around the nation in the spring and early summer of 1975 talking with Democratic leaders. When he spoke to the National Governors Conference, the other governors realized that Shapp was preparing a presidential bid and weren't overly excited when he mentioned a possible run (Rutland Daily Herald, 6/12/1975). Shapp's first major endorsement came on July 21, 1975 when a young US Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) endorsed him (Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/22/1975).
In mid-August, Shapp spent a week in New England. He met with a variety of influencers, including New Hampshire newspaperman William Loeb and Maine's Independent Governor James Longley (overview of recent events in the Bradenton Herald, 8/27/1975). During this trip, the finances of Shapp's 1970 campaign came under scrutiny by federal and state investigators, a slight embarrassment right when he was preparing his presidential bid (Pittsburgh Press, 8/15/1975). A poignant issue came up in September when reporters asked the various Democratic contenders if they would step out of the race if Ted Kennedy entered; Shapp said that he was planning his announcement and would not step aside for Kennedy (Pocono Record, 9/18/1975).
Shapp Announces Candidacy
Shapp officially entered the race on September 25, 1975 at a press conference in the Statler Hilton Hotel in Washington DC. The venue was the same place where Shapp successfully mediated a nationwide trucker strike in 1974. Shapp described himself as the only candidate who could rescue the nation's economy. "We need a new spirit in 1976 and a new zeal to match that of FDR two score and two years ago when hopelessness engulfed this land," he said. His campaign had already raised $100,000, and he could confidently say he would qualify for federal matching funds. After his speech, he travelled to Cleveland, where he was born, and raised $5,600 (Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/26/1975).
Shapp's intended visit to a string of states after his announcement had to be cut short. Hurricane Eloise brought flooding to central Pennsylvania, closing multiple roads including US Routes 11, 15, 30, and 34. In the days before FEMA, governors needed to contact the US President to get a disaster declaration, so Shapp contacted President Ford to ask for the declaration (Danville News, 9/27/1975). Lt. Gov. Ernest Kline, as acting governor, called out 1,500 National Guardsmen to help evacuate people living along the Susquehanna River. State workers even moved furniture in the governor's mansion in Harrisburg to the upper floors (Latrobe Bulletin, 9/26/1975).
Although Shapp continued to campaign in late 1975 and into early 1976, newspapers generally ignored him. He finally started to get more attention in January 1976 while campaigning in Iowa. Four Democratic contenders appeared on CBS's Face the Nation: Bayh, Carter, Harris, and Shapp. However, the major issue of the episode was the George Wallace candidacy. The only part of Shapp's statements that newspapers carried related to a potential Soviet naval base in Angola (Berkshire Eagle, 1/12/1976).
Shapp spent much of January 1976 campaigning in Florida. He told audiences that he was focusing his campaign on two early primaries, Florida and Massachusetts. He held events along the "Jewish Gold Coast" from Palm Beach to Miami, focusing on the Jewish vote, the senior citizen vote, and retired Pennsylvanians. Shapp was experiencing back pain and lost his voice several times, both slowing his rigorous schedule (Tampa Times-Tribune, 1/25/1976). Then Shapp contracted a bad case of the flu in February (Charlotte News, 2/13/1976).
Shapp's first primary test came in Massachusetts on March 2. His campaign ran large display ads in Massachusetts on the topic of school busing, trying to point to a way forward that would shift the debate towards better schools and touting his executive experience (Boston Globe, 2/21/1976). His concentration of effort there failed to gain traction, however. On primary day, Jackson carried the state with 22%, followed by Udall with 18% and Wallace with 17%. Shapp ended up in ninth place with 3%, although he won one National Convention delegate.
Florida Primary and Withdrawal
The Florida primary a week later (March 9, 1976) crushed Shapp's hopes. Carter placed first with 35%, then Wallace with 31% and Jackson with 24%. Shapp placed fifth behind No Preference, winning only 2.5%. Three days later, Shapp withdrew from the race. He had spent $832,000 just to win a single delegate (Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/13/1976).
|
| Share |
|
|
2¢
|
|
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
| DISCUSSION |
|---|
| [View All 4 Previous Messages] |
 |
 LBR:1802 | Old LW ( 599.6209 points)
|
Sun, June 30, 2024 06:59:46 PM UTC0:00
|
I think Shapp overall was a good Governor, but it's not hard to imagine a lot of Yinzers really not liking him what with the steel industry collapsing right at that time.
I think Shapp overall was a good Governor, but it's not hard to imagine a lot of Yinzers really not liking him what with the steel industry collapsing right at that time.
|
|
 |
| WmP:879 | Chronicler ( 84.4516 points)
|
Sun, June 30, 2024 07:39:06 PM UTC0:00
|
Very interesting! I was living in NC at the time so all I know about Shapp is what I found for this article.
Is your campaign button one of those pictured?
Very interesting! I was living in NC at the time so all I know about Shapp is what I found for this article.
Is your campaign button one of those pictured?
|
|
 |
| I:8766 | Pennsylvanian ( 404.5480 points)
|
Mon, July 1, 2024 03:33:08 AM UTC0:00
|
Is your campaign button one of those pictured?
Indeed -- first one, top left. That was the only one I can recall having seen before. It's in a box with an assortment of other buttons, political and non-political. Interestingly, there's a Ray Shafer (Shapp's Republican predecessor) button from '66 and a Broderick-Scalera button from '70 (Shapp-Kline's opponents in their first run). And a lot of vintage Penn State football buttons...
I think Shapp overall was a good Governor, but it's not hard to imagine a lot of Yinzers really not liking him what with the steel industry collapsing right at that time.
History will be fairly kind to Shapp, and it isn't entirely unjustified. Some of the corruption in the late 1970s Pennsylvania Democratic establishment (think Henry Cianfrani, among others) and Shapp's ill-fated White House run (and ensuing FEC difficulties) were damaging to him in his second term, which I think turned out not to be quite the victory lap he'd hoped for.
Chronicler: Is your campaign button one of those pictured?
Indeed -- first one, top left. That was the only one I can recall having seen before. It's in a box with an assortment of other buttons, political and non-political. Interestingly, there's a Ray Shafer (Shapp's Republican predecessor) button from '66 and a Broderick-Scalera button from '70 (Shapp-Kline's opponents in their first run). And a lot of vintage Penn State football buttons...
Old LW: I think Shapp overall was a good Governor, but it's not hard to imagine a lot of Yinzers really not liking him what with the steel industry collapsing right at that time.
History will be fairly kind to Shapp, and it isn't entirely unjustified. Some of the corruption in the late 1970s Pennsylvania Democratic establishment (think Henry Cianfrani, among others) and Shapp's ill-fated White House run (and ensuing FEC difficulties) were damaging to him in his second term, which I think turned out not to be quite the victory lap he'd hoped for.
|
|
|
|
|
