#TBT: Corpus Christi got brush with presidential politics in 1980

Corpus Christi got a taste of presidential election politics in the fall of 1980. That's when President Jimmy Carter came to Corpus Christi in September, a campaign stop on his ultimately failed re-election bid for president. His challenger, Ronald Reagan, not to be outdone, scheduled a campaign stop the following day as the November election rapidly approached.

Carter arrived on Air Force One at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi around 9 a.m. on Sept. 15. His visit was the first visit to Corpus Christi by a sitting president in 71 years.

The last president to set foot in the city was President William Howard Taft, for the opening of the city’s first country club golf course on North Beach in 1909. President Franklin Roosevelt came to South Texas in May 1937, for a tarpon fishing expedition in Port Aransas but he didn’t set foot in Corpus Christi, so that didn’t count.

Carter’s visit was a town hall event at Moody High School. There was only room for 1,400 in the gymnasium, but 25 of those attendees could ask questions. The organizers assured the crowd that any questions could be asked, with no pre-planned questions.

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As the motorcade arrived at Moody, the street was lined with students from Moody and nearby Prescott Elementary, along with some retired folks and housewives. Many carried signs or wore T-shirts with slogans like “Jimmy Carter Number One,” “I Want A Job,” and “Amy’s Dad Ain’t Bad.” That last sign holder admitted that they didn’t come up with the slogan themselves, but got the idea from a Secret Service agent who had seen it at a previous town hall.

Both Carter and Reagan were courting Hispanic voters in Texas, so Carter’s speech included references to Mexican-American discrimination, particularly the Felix Longoria Affair. This also led to references of Corpus Christi as the birthplace of both the League of United Latin American Citizens and the American GI Forum.

The president then moved on to the questions from citizens. Residents of all ages asked about education funding for people living in the country illegally, the federal retirement system and cost-of-living raises, the effect of the Olympic boycott and grain embargo on Russia in Afghanistan, the release of American hostages in Tehran, tax rates on the middle class, federal funding of parochial schools and the practice of using busing for desegregation in school districts.

The town hall then wrapped up and Carter was whisked back to NAS for his flight to a Houston fundraiser.

Reagan’s visit took place in the afternoon on Sept. 16, and former Texas Gov. John Connally was quick to point out he wore a guayabera shirt in honor of Diez y Seis de Septiembre. Detractors brought attention to the fact that though Carter’s audience the previous day was a mix of Hispanic and Anglo supporters that closely resembled the city’s demographics, Reagan’s audience was mostly Anglo.

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Reagan’s appearance took place at Corpus Christi International Airport, with a crowd estimated between 3,000 to 4,000. The well-attended rally started off with performance by the Rebekah Christian School choir and what was described as a “cowboy musician,” singing music written specifically for the rally. The crowd also quickly depleted the soft drinks offered in the scorching September heat.

As expected for a presidential challenger, Reagan’s speech was criticisms of the Carter administration. His speech also included that Naval Air Station Corpus Christi would remain safe from closure under his watch. Carter also promised the same the previous day. After Reagan’s speech, he shook hands in the crowd as Secret Service agents watched, then departed for the rest of his Texas tour.

Both candidates had incredibly short times in the city but Carter stuck it out a little longer: Carter spent two hours and 15 minutes and Reagan one hour and 15 minutes. But the city was well pleased with its brush with presidential politics.

Allison Ehrlich writes about things to do in South Texas and has a weekly Throwback Thursday column on local history. 

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: #TBT: Carter and Reagan visits in 1980 rallied Corpus Christi voters