Illinois Republican John Anderson, third-party candidate for president in 1980, dies at 95

www.chicagotribune.com ^ | 12/04/2017 | Anne Kenderdine

[Red Badger]

John B. Anderson, an Illinois Republican who cultivated a free-thinking reputation during his 20 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, and who mounted a serious third-party bid for the White House in 1980, died Dec. 3 in Washington. He was 95.

His family announced the death in a statement. Additional details were not immediately available.

After entering Congress in 1961, Anderson spent many years in lock step with Republican Party orthodoxy and was a supporter of ultraconservative Sen. Barry Goldwater's presidential bid in 1964.

[laplata]

RIP

[Gay State Conservative]

Sorry...nothing good to say about him.

[teeman8r]

The first person I cast a vote for

[AppyPappy]

Wow. I thought he was long dead.

[FlipWilson]

Ah yes, before there was Egg McMuffin there was John Anderson, the GOPe’s 1980 attempt to derail a Reagan presidency.

The GOPe’s hatred of anything not them is nothing new. Never forget that.

[Angels27]

RIP. He helped Reagan score the electoral vote landslide in 1980. As a “moderate” Republican he syphoned off dissatisfied Democrat votes from Carter, especially in Carters home south.

[KSCITYBOY]

Good country singer....wait never mind!

[Gideon7]

IIRC Anderson took more Carter votes than Reagan votes.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Yes, I remember that. Even at 10yo.

6% of the vote.

[Red Badger]

Wrong dude.....................

[rdl6989]

I hadn’t heard anything about him in ages.

[Buckeye McFrog]

68% surveyed said "the guy who played the father on Dennis the Menace."

[LRoggy]

So true, the GOP-E wanted Bush Sr. desperately . . . if only Reagan had listened to Nancy and picked Jack Kemp as VP instead of King George the Worst history might have turned out a lot different. No ‘Kindler and Gentler’, no ‘Read My Lips’ and no ‘Clinton Presidency’.

[Enchante]

"Anderson spent many years in lock step with Republican Party orthodoxy"

Funny, we never seem these MSM clowns describe Democrat pols as "in lock step with Democrat Party orthodoxy" on myriad liberal issues. If liberals are to be praised for any ideological deviation, it's only for going further "left" i.e. even more radical. Republicans, of course, can only be praised as "maverick" (John McVain, for example) when they embrace the MSM's liberal talking points.

[CatOwner]

The first person I cast a vote for

So did a lot of people I knew who were in college at the time here in California. None of them could stand Carter, but many also couldn't connect with Reagan.

[reg45]

Me too. He kept quiet in recent years. Unlike other former presidential candidates.

[KSCITYBOY]

YUP

[dfwgator]

Good country singer....wait never mind!

I thought he was the former lead singer of "Yes".

[Dilbert San Diego]

Interesting reactions here.

Some say he was the GOP-E candidate intended to take out Reagan, drain votes from Reagan, so that Reagan would get taken out.

Others say that he took more votes from Carter than Reagan,and got dissaffected Democrat votes, since he was a more liberal Republican.