Harding College - Petit Jean Yearbook (Searcy, AR)

Page 32 text:

Mondale is Welcomed in Iowa. Walter Mons date campaigns across the nation prior to ' November 6, 1984. - photo by Associated Press. Bethune Visits Harding. Republican congres- sionai candidate Ed Bethune visits Harding's campus as wel'i as Searcy during his unsuc- cessful campaign. - photo by Wes Holland. Campus Colored by Politics. Red, white, and blue dominates the Hammon Student Center weeks before the election as College Republicans set up a campaign booth hoping to sway student voters. - photo by Wes Holland. 30 Presidential Election Harding and Arkansas Record breaking events marked the 1984 elections on both the national and local levels. From the landslide victory for PreSident Ronald Reagan all the way down to the formation of a new democratic organization for Harding students, 1984 presented a number of allwtime firsts. President Reagan won reelection with 525 electoral votes which made him the largest electoral college winner in history. Mr. Reagan also became the first president ever to get more than 50 million votes and with 59 percent of the popular vote he is second only to Lyndon B. Johnsonts 61.1 percent in the history of the presidency; Walter Mondale, the Democratic Presiden- tial Nominee, attributed his landslide defeat to President Reaganis unshakable popularity. Given the small gain of GOP seats in the House and a loss of two seats in the Senate, Mr. Mondalds evaluation of the Presidential election seems accurate. The most plausible explanation for his 49 state electoral sweep was Mr. Reaganls personal popularity among the American people, Fifty-three Republicans and 47 Dem- ocrats now govern in the United States Senate. The Republicans gained 15 seats in the House of Representatives and now have a total of 182 while the Democrats still enjoy a narrowed majority of 253 seats. The Congressional election results indicate the Presidential election was not one of deep-seated concerns and issues, but one of a very popular president in a time of some economic progress and a weaker personality on the part of Walter Mondale. President Reagan, while savor- ing an immense personal triumph at the polls. already has begun work on a second term devoted to fending off higher taxes, dealing effectively with a record-setting deficit and revitalizing the arms-control pro- cess. Time will tell as to whether or not Mr. Reagan will be successful. Whether or not the election of 1984 goes clown in history as a watershed for the future posterity of the Republican Right is yet to be seen. Economic conditions and yet unknown events will tell the difference in the 1988 election about which rumors are already circulating. Republican Ho- ward Baker of Tennessee and Democrat Gary Hart of Colorado will be two of the highly probable candidates. Governor Cuomo of New York and Ted Kennedy are still outside chances to be the next leader of the Democratic party. Vice- President Bush certainly will be in a posit tion to help decide the future of the Repub- lican party. In the 1984 Arkansas state elections. Mr. Reagan won the state of Arkansas handily, but the Republican party in general did not make significant gains at the polls. Pulaski County Sheriff, Tommy Robinson, was elected with a plurality of the vote over Judy Petty and Jim Taylor. Senator David Pryor gained a second term with a substantial victory over Seatcy rest; dent and 2nd Congressional Congressman Ed Bethune in the Senate race. President Reagan's last minute historic visit to Arkan- sas for Petty and Bethune was not impor- tant to the outcome. Governor Clinton was -.

Page 31 text:

It's either bills, bulletins, or blank. Routinely checking their mail, junior Linda Foster and sophomore Robin Ezell, anticipate letters from home, that seem to come so rarely, and care packages that seem Inevitably to appear in someone elses box. - photo by Wes Holland. Giving one another a hand. Studying together in the library allows Lisa Johnson and Mike Clif- ton to spend time together without hindering progress in their classes. v photo by Wes HoHand. Raindrops keep falling on my head. A sud- den downpour sends students running for the shelter of the student center after chapel, while a few of the prepared stroH under umbreHas. photo by Wes HoHand. Open mouth, insert . . . salad? Junior Cathy Machen and sophomor Billy Fore wait in line to pay for their salads in Heritage Cafeteria. The new salad bar is one of the many new ideas Em- piemenied in the cafeterids nLookr'rf Good Pro- gram. 7 photo by Wes Holland, Sunrise, Sunset

Page 33 text:

Support Reagan elected to a third term as governor of the state with a substantial victory over Repub- lican Woody Freeman. The Arkansas con- gressional delegation now stands at two Democrats in the Senate, three Democrats and one Republican in the House of Representatives. 2: net loss of one Republican seat in the House. Harding University students were par- ticularly active and involved in the 1984 election. For most of them it was their first ballot and one to long remember. Coliege Republicans, a campus organization, spon- sored a voting drive and over 800 students registered to vote locally. Even though there was some controversy over students voting locally, students were encouraged to go to the polls and cast their ballots ac- cording to their consciences. Most of the students voted in Searcy Ward 48 at the Heritage Center. With the exception of the governor's race. the students voted over- whelmingly Republican for every office. The Presidential results were Ronald Rea- gan 563 votes. David Bergland, a Liber- tarian candidate, two votes, Lyndon La- Rouche, the Independent Democrat one vote, and Walter Mondale 17 votes. In the U.S. Senate race Congressman Ed Bea thune had 485 votes and David Pryor 54 votes. The student vote in the US Senate race put Congressman Ed Bethune over the top in his own county, which is one of the few counties that Mr. Bethune had in the plus column. In the US. Congress race Judy Petty led the three candidates with 482 votes to Jim Tayloris 10 votes and Tommy Robinsonk 51 votes. There was almost an equal split for gevemor. Bill Clinton received 236 and Woody Freeman 267 votes. Students voted 204 to 84 for ordinance 6'75 and 194 to '77 for or- dinance 6741 Both of these had to do with annexation of sections outside Searcy to the city limits. In the county judgesl race, Democrat Waylon Heathscott received 59 votes and Republican Gerald Parish 338 votes. With the exception of the Presidential race, the students were largely out-OfsSte-P with the state wide results. This was especially true with some of the amend- ments. For example, amendment 67 which would have increased the sales tax for the benefit of the Game and Fish Com- mission failed state-wide by a 70 to 30 per cent margin. The students box voted 289 to 119 for the amendment. While the 1984 Presidential election broke many records, it will not go down in history as the most exciting. According to the polls, Walter Mondale never had a chance. He trailed badly all along and on election night only the margin of victory held the major interest, With the exception of the Second Congressional District race, the state and local elections were equally dull. The Democrats took all of the races. Yet, significantly different from the past, student involvement and participation was high with many young voters casting their first ballot. For many, the 1984 election did bring victory and excitement M - Dr. Thomas M. Howard Reagan is the Man of the Hour. Newly re: elected President Ronald Reagan waves to his fans as he walks with First Lady Nancy. - photo by Associated Press. I'm Making My Vote Count. Tom Hobbs casts his vote in one of the booths set up in the American Heritage Building. - photo by Wes Holland. Presidential Election 31