Hopefully...
Been there. Done that.
After several years as a senator, Ted ran for president in 1980 but did not receive the democratic nomination. He lost the nomination to the incumbent Jimmy Carter who would subsequently lose to Republican Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election.............. In addition to losing the bid for the democratic nomination in 1980, Ted Kennedy also was involved in the incident at Chappaquiddick in 1969. Kennedy was driving with a campaign staffer, Mary Jo Kopechne, on Chappaquiddick Island after an event at which he had been drinking. Both were involved in a car accident when the car went over a bridge. Mary Jo Kopechne drowned in the incident and Ted Kennedy’s involvement has been the source of much controversy.......... Ted Kennedy's 1980 campaign also suffered from a great deal of bad press. At one point during the campaign, Kennedy referred the Shah of Iran's government as "one of the most violent regimes in the history of mankind." This led some to the impression that Kennedy was siding with the Iranian militants who had taken American hostages in 1979............ The second and most damaging public blunder occurred when Ted Kennedy appeared in an interview on CBS television with reporter Roger Mudd. Mudd asked Kennedy questions about the Chappaquiddick incident and Kennedy was evasive and stumbled over his words. Also when asked, "why do you want to be president?" Kennedy seemed totally incoherent and unresponsive.......... Many commentators point to this CBS interview as the most damaging moment of Ted Kennedy's 1980 campaign. After the interview, Kennedy dropped substantially in the polls and Carter won the first ballot confirmation. Kennedy has never since run for President but continues as an influential Senator in the U.S. Congress.
