1980 3rd Party Presidential Candidate John Anderson Dead at 95

John Anderson for President campaign button.December 6 , 2017 - Former Illinois Republican Congressman John Anderson who waged a highly publicized run for the White House in 1980 has died at 95. First elected to Congress in 1960 , Anderson Anderson Lucey 1980 campaign button.began his presidential bid by entering the 1980 Republican presidential  primaries. He would go on to finish second in the Vermont and Massachusetts GOP contests. In April 1980 , Anderson dropped  out of the Republican primaries and began his third party quest for the Oval Office.

For a running mate in the general election against Republican Ronald Reagan and Democrat Jimmy Carter , Anderson selected Patrick Lucey who had served as the Democratic Governor of Wisconsin from 1971 - 1977. On September 21 ,1980 in Baltimore , Maryland,  Anderson debated Reagan on national TV  though Carter had refused to participate in the debate. 

On election day in November , 1980 , Anderson would receive 7% of the vote which was the best showing by a third party presidential candidate since George Wallace in 1968.

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