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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for August 18, 2020
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
August 18, 2020: The last meaningful convention moment was 40 years ago. In 1980, Senator Ted Kennedy was challenging incumbent President Jimmy Carter for the Democratic nomination. Carter had won enough delegates to secure the nomination, but Kennedy was convinced that—in their hearts—most delegates preferred him. So, his team challenged the convention rules and called for a vote that would free all the delegates to vote their conscience.[1]
Eventually, Carter’s team carried the day and the president was formally nominated. He went on to lose the general election to Ronald Reagan.[1]
That 1980 convention capped a decade of change in the way we nominate our presidents. We didn’t know it at the time, but the new nomination process would make conventions irrelevant.[1]
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- August 17, 2020 –15 percent of U.S. companies in China plan to move operations out of China
- August 14, 2020 –5,377 fewer deaths now attributed to COVID-19 in the United Kingdom
- August 13, 2020 –59 years ago today construction of the Berlin Wall began
- August 12, 2020 –44 percent of COVID deaths were nursing home residents
- August 11, 2020 –6 point lead for Joe Biden with 12 weeks to go
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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