1976 Carter VS. Ford

"Essence"

Transcript

Museum of the Moving Image
The Living Room Candidate
"Essence," Carter, 1976

CARTER: Hi. Governor Carter from Georgia.

MAN: How you doing?

CARTER: I'm running for President; I want to ask you to help me next year.

MALE NARRATOR: In the beginning, Jimmy Carter's campaign was a lonely one. But through the months, more and more people recognized him as a new leader, a man who will change the way this government is run, a competent man who can make our government open and efficient. But above all, an understanding man, who can make ours a government of the people, once again. Jimmy Carter. A leader, for a change.

Credits

"Essence," 1976 Democratic Presidential Campaign Committee, Inc., 1976

Video courtesy of the Jimmy Carter Library.

From Museum of the Moving Image, The Living Room Candidate: Presidential Campaign Commercials 1952-2012.
www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1976/essence (accessed July 29, 2025).

Share

To link to or forward this video via email, copy and
paste this URL:

Save

1976 Carter Ford Results

On August 9, 1974, after a Senate investigation revealed his direct involvement in the cover-up of the Watergate break-in, Richard Nixon became the first president in American history to resign from office. Nixon was succeeded by Gerald Ford, who had been appointed vice president after a bribery scandal forced Spiro Agnew’s resignation in October 1973. These scandals and the televised Watergate hearings, which resulted in the conviction and imprisonment of 25 Nixon administration officials, shattered the public's trust in the government. In a 1974 poll, 43 percent of respondents said that they had "hardly any" faith in the executive branch. As a result, the 1976 election was dominated by issues of integrity and character. Hoping to put the Watergate affair to rest, President Ford unconditionally pardoned Nixon in September 1974, but the move hurt Ford’s political standing. Ford won the Republican nomination only after fighting off a strong challenge from Ronald Reagan.

The Democrats nominated Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, a former naval officer and peanut farmer. Carter, who promised, "I will never tell a lie to the American people," ran a brilliant campaign as an outsider, offering a fresh change from Washington politics as usual.

Click on thumbnail to view video
Democrat
Republican
 
Essence Bio Jobs Secrecy South Rose Welfare Leader Reality
Leadership Biography Man on Street - Democrats Children/Achievements Strom Thurmond Criswell Workers: Tax Reductions Pearl Bailey Peace