Milton Shapp 1976 presidential campaign
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Governor Milton Shapp of Pennsylvania unsuccessfully sought the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
nomination for president of the United States in the 1976 election. Shapp won reelection as governor of Pennsylvania in the 1974 election, the first Pennsylvania governor to be elected to a second four-year term following an amendment permitting this in 1967, and had hoped to translate his relative popularity in Pennsylvania into the groundwork of a successful presidential campaign. Shapp ran on a platform of bifurcating the United States federal budget into short-term and long-term expenditure and a reduction of the federal funds rate to reduce inflation. The campaign attempted a strategy of amassing votes and
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delegates in the
Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...
in order to generate momentum and expand into a national campaign while galvanizing more widespread support. This strategy proved unsuccessful, however, and Shapp had poor showings in the early primaries, both within the northeast and elsewhere. Considered a long-shot for the nomination, Shapp withdrew from the race after a poor showing in the Massachusetts and Florida primaries.


Background

Shapp entered politics in 1960 as an active supporter of John F. Kennedy's successful presidential campaign during that year's election. In correspondence with President Kennedy's brother Robert, Shapp played a role in the creation of the Peace Corps and served as an adviser in that organization during the Kennedy administration. Following his service in the Peace Corps, Shapp mounted his first campaign for governor of Pennsylvania in the 1966 election. Shapp ran as the anti-
political machine In the politics of Representative democracy, representative democracies, a political machine is a party organization that recruits its members by the use of tangible incentives (such as money or political jobs) and that is characterized by a hig ...
candidate and defeated the machine-endorsed candidate, future governor
Bob Casey Sr. Robert Patrick Casey Sr. (January 9, 1932 – May 30, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania who served as the 42nd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1987 to 1995. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the ...
, in the Democratic primary. However, he went on to lose the general election to Republican
Raymond P. Shafer Raymond Philip Shafer (March 5, 1917 – December 12, 2006) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 39th governor of Pennsylvania from 1967 to 1971. Prior to that, he served as the 23rd lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania from ...
, who was then serving as
lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
under
Bill Scranton William Warren Scranton (July 19, 1917 – July 28, 2013) was an American Republican Party politician and diplomat. Scranton served as the 38th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1963 to 1967, and as United States Ambassador to the United Nations fr ...
. Shapp again sought the governorship in the 1970 election, in which incumbent Governor Shafer was not a candidate for reelection (having been barred from running since he was elected prior to the 1967 amendment permitting successive four-year terms). He again defeated Bob Casey Sr. for the Democratic nomination, but this time was victorious in the general election. He defeated Shafer's lieutenant governor, Republican
Raymond J. Broderick Raymond Joseph "Ray" Broderick (May 29, 1914 – August 6, 2000) was an American jurist and politician from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 24th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania from 1967 to ...
, and entered office in January 1971. Having gained a reputation as a populist and a consumer advocate, Shapp won re-election in the 1974 election, defeating Republican Drew Lewis.


Campaign highlights

After expressing a serious interest in and an intention to run in the 1976 election in mid-1975, Shapp announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States on September 25, 1975, in Washington, D.C. Shapp's campaign focused primarily on reforming the United States federal budget, splitting it into two separate budgets: a perpetually balanced operating budget meant to fund day-to-day government expenditure and an "investment" budget meant to fund long-term initiatives, such as
infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...
improvement and research into energy sources. In particular, for the investment budget, Shapp proposed a six-fold increase in federal education expenditure (to $50 billion in 1976 dollars per year) and improvements to railroads (totaling $13 billion in 1976 dollars). In an interview with the Associated Press in January 1976, Shapp indicated that he did not have an estimate of the total size of the respective budgets, though did say that he planned to fund the additional expenditures via the
national debt A country's gross government debt (also called public debt, or sovereign debt) is the financial liabilities of the government sector. Changes in government debt over time reflect primarily borrowing due to past government deficits. A deficit oc ...
, as well as a surcharge on the federal income tax together with other surcharges, which he claimed would help to pay down the additional accrued principal and interest on the debt. Shapp also called for reducing the federal funds rate, which he claimed would slow inflation. Among those who endorsed Shapp for president was
U.S. senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...
and future president Joe Biden of Delaware. Shapp's campaign adopted a strategy of focusing efforts on garnering votes in the
Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...
, announcing that Shapp would compete in primary contests in Massachusetts, New Jersey,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, and Pennsylvania despite skipping the New Hampshire primary. From the beginning of the campaign, however, Shapp had difficulty extending his appeal from the northeastern states. At a Democratic convention in Florida in November 1975, he finished second out of ten candidates in a
straw poll A straw poll, straw vote, or straw ballot is an ad hoc or unofficial vote. It is used to show the popular opinion on a certain matter, and can be used to help politicians know the majority opinion and help them decide what to say in order to gain ...
behind former Georgia governor Jimmy Carter, the only other candidate to make an appearance at the convention and who would go on to win the nomination and general election. Shapp entered the campaign relatively late and, as a result, had less time to organize in the early primary states. Although he did not expect to win the Florida primary, he stated that he would be satisfied with a showing of 10 to 15 percent in order to prove he had extended his appeal from the northeast and had become a candidate with a national base of support. Despite Shapp's attempts to expand his support beyond Pennsylvania and the northeast, he did not have success in the primaries. He finished with three percent of the vote in the Massachusetts primary on March 2, earning one delegate to the
1976 Democratic National Convention The 1976 Democratic National Convention met at Madison Square Garden in New York City, from July 12 to July 15, 1976. The assembled United States Democratic Party delegates at the convention nominated former Governor Jimmy Carter of Geor ...
. After the poor showing in Massachusetts, Shapp and his campaign staff lowered expectations for the Florida primary, though expressing confidence in his ability to garner at least seven percent of the vote there (in contrast to the 10 to 15 percent goal Shapp had set earlier). The results of the March 9 Florida primary also failed to meet the campaign's expectations; just over two percent of voters cast their ballots for Shapp, who did not earn any delegates from the state and finished with slightly fewer votes than the "uncommitted" option on the ballot. Following the results in Massachusetts and Florida, Shapp began to reconsider his campaign for the presidency. In the days following the Florida primary, Shapp discussed the future of the campaign with members of his campaign staff and family, as well as his supporters, after which he decided to end his campaign for the Democratic nomination on March 11. On the following day, March 12, Shapp formally announced his withdrawal from the presidential race. He did not endorse any of his former competitors in his announcement and stated that he would return to
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...
, to serve the remainder of his term as governor and to concentrate his efforts on the passage of the
state budget A government budget is a document prepared by the government and/or other political entity presenting its anticipated tax revenues (Inheritance tax, income tax, corporation tax, import taxes) and proposed spending/expenditure (Healthcare, Educat ...
. In his withdrawal, Shapp stated that he did not have the time or money necessary to continue with the campaign. He was the fourth candidate to withdraw from the Democratic primary race.


Aftermath

After his withdrawal, Shapp became a speculated candidate for a
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post or another appointment in a potential administration of one of his former competitors. Although Shapp stated that he was not seeking an appointment, he did not specify whether he would accept or decline one if offered, and fellow Democratic presidential candidate Mo Udall expressed an openness to considering Shapp for a Cabinet appointment should he be elected president. Instead, Jimmy Carter eventually won the Democratic nomination and went on to defeat incumbent Republican President
Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...
in the November general election. Shapp did not receive an appointment in the
Carter administration Jimmy Carter's tenure as the 39th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 1977, and ended on January 20, 1981. A Democrat from Georgia, Carter took office after defeating incumbent Republican President ...
. In May 1977, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) determined that Shapp was not eligible for federal public financing of his presidential campaign and he was subsequently ordered to repay the he had received in federal funds. The FEC ruled that the Shapp campaign had improperly reported contributions from five states of the twenty-state minimum requirement for federal funding. Following the 1976 campaign, Shapp returned to Pennsylvania to serve the remainder of his second term as governor. Although unsuccessful in running for president, Shapp is credited with creating the
Pennsylvania Department of Aging The Pennsylvania Department of Aging is a cabinet-level agency charged with providing aid to Pennsylvania's approximately three million individuals age 60 and older. Although the bureau operates some services directly, such as the Pharmaceutical C ...
, overseeing the passage of legislation requiring financial disclosure by Pennsylvania government officials, and implementing reforms to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Shapp served as governor until retiring from politics upon the inauguration of his successor, Republican
Dick Thornburgh Richard Lewis Thornburgh (July 16, 1932 – December 31, 2020) was an American lawyer, author, and Republican politician who served as the 41st governor of Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1987, and then as the United States attorney general fro ...
, in 1979.


See also

*
1976 Democratic Party presidential primaries From January 27 to June 8, 1976, voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for president in the 1976 United States presidential election. Former Georgia governor Jimmy Carter was selected as the nominee through a series of primary election ...
*
1976 United States presidential election The 1976 United States presidential election was the 48th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 1976. Democrat Jimmy Carter of Georgia defeated incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford from Michigan by a narrow ...


References


External links


Milton Shapp campaign brochure
{{United States presidential election, 1976 Shapp, Milton Shapp, Milton