Michigan State University - Red Cedar Log Yearbook (East Lansing, MI)

Page 28 text:

Dirt, mud and a US. Senate race After a bitter battle including charges and counter-charges of dirty campaign tactics, ruthless attacks on leadership ability and the front-page unveiling of a 1969 extra-marital af- fair, a battered victor emerged to claim the US. Senate seat. Don Riegle, Democrat from Flint, defeated Marvin Esch, Republican from Ann Arbor, in one of the most abusive senate races in the nation. Al- though both men claimed to have had no intention to conduct their cam- paigns with personal assaults, discus- sion of the real issues was clouded by continual mud-slinging. Esch attacked Riegle as a do-noth- ing congressman who had never sponsored or written a bill that had become law. Incidents in Riegle's per- sonal life prompted Esch to describe him as immature, irresponsible and poorly qualified to handle a position of leadership. Riegle retorted to the accusations by charging Esch with running a Nixon-style dirty tricks campaign. He called the Esch advertisements criticizing his pro-busing bills a clas- sic smear. Riegle pointed out that Esch voted in favor of stopping the Nixon impeachment inquiry and sup- ported legislation that would have de- stroyed an emergency jobs bill. Esch, a former professor of speech at Wayne State University, represent- ed the Ann Arbor area as a congress- man for 10 years. He was sometimes referred to as middle Marv, and had a reputation as a solid moderate Re- publican. Riegle, who did graduate work in finance and business at MSU and Harvard, was a Republican congress- man in the Flint area for 10 years. Strong disagreements with the Nixon administration about the Vietnam War and several domestic issues prompted a switch to the Democratic party in 1973. Carlos Sosa, coordinator of the cam- pus Esch campaign, did not expect a favorable response toward his candi- date. When the commercials began the picture brightened up, and for a short while I thought victory was pos- sible, Sosa said. But three or four days after the Detroit News story re- vealed Riegle's affair with an unpaid staff member, we knew we wouldn't win. Sosa felt handicapped from the be- ginning of the campaign because im- portant literature arrived late. As a re- sult, only dorms with fairly conserva- tive voting patterns were leafletted. A mere seven students volunteered time for Esch, and their efforts were con- centrated in Akers, McDonel, Shaw and Landon Halls. There was too lit- tle too late, Sosa said. We didn't have enough literature or money and Waiting 45 minutes to vote was not uncommon on Election day. Here married housing residents wait to vote in the Red Cedar School gymnasium. -s v s a 4'. , z a n. ' 4, , . only a small work force. He was pleasantly surprised that Esch carried 38 per cent of the campus Vote. Sosa credited Esch campaign head- quarters in Lansing for its special in- terest in getting young people in- volved with the party. i'The Demo- crats say 'I'll call you back' when you offer to volunteer, but the Republi- cans are really interested in your sup- port and letting you get involved, Sosa said. Marty McCormick, an MSU stu- dent who arranged a political science internship as a paid staff member for Riegle, was disappointed with only 58 per cent of the campus vote. He cited misdirected newspaper coverage as a reason. All the articles were about the mud-slinging, he said. The is- sues were not adequately covered, es- pecially in the State News. We should have had the coverage Carr and Taylor did. McCormick also felt that Ford pulled a lot of votes for Esch on straight Republican-ticket voting. Riegle stimulated a good student re- sponse and his two campus visits gar- nered student volunteers, resulting in a staff of fifty working with McCor- mick. The combination of an enthusi- astic work force and Riegle's charis- matic personality secured his sound victory. by Karen Houdek Bob Bloom

Page 27 text:

The only third party candidate to receive any national attention was former Minnesota Sen. Eugene McCarthy. Unable to receive any of the public millions which aided Carter and Ford, Mc- Carthy was crippled by financing. He was also prevented by the US. Supreme Court from par- ticipating in the presidential debates. In some states McCarthy had to sue to get on the ballot. With Carter's victory came a commitment to keep some big campaign promises. He pledged conceded to President-elect Carter. People were in a complete state of shock after the election and were walking around saying I don't be- lieve it! Aylward said. Many volun- teers didn't know that Ford was in that much danger, he mused, but others who had tuned into the polls from the very beginning were aware that he was behind all the way. Despite his loss, Ford trailed Carter by only a few percentage points on election day. On campus, 12 of 15 stu- dent precincts voted substantially in favor of Ford. They voted not on the basis of party ticket or rhetoric, but on what both candidates had to offer, Frank said. Her co-worker Aylward observed, The results showed that the old myth that students never vote for the candidate who represents the 'Establishment' is untrue. The stu- dents were looking for a change and many felt Ford could supply it, he said. Throughout the nation there was apprehension that with the Carter ad- ministration would also come changes. Many were ready for change, but Carter's failure to explain his plans left concern about the type, ex- tent and effects of his proposals. From the moment all votes were counted until Inauguration Day, people sat in limbo trying to anticipate what was in store for the country. I want to be optimistic toward the Carter adminis- tration, said a Ford supporter, but I am one person that he is going to have to prove himself to. I don't want to have to put a bumper sticker on my car that says, 'Don't blame me, I voted for Ford', in a few years. by Collette Pollard more jobs, a fight against crime, a reorganization of the federal bureaucracy and a promise to par- don all Vietnam draft resisters. I pray I can live up to your confidence and never disappoint you, Carter said in his victory speech. In East Lansing, Ford won the presidential race by a wide margin. What can explain a usually liberal community like East Lansing going to the Republican President? For the first time in Michi- gan history, the incumbent in the White House Aaron Sussell Sen. Walter Mondale, jimmy Carter's choice for vice-president, addressed an overflow crowd at the Union Building in September. 23

Page 29 text:

5 Donald Riegle addresses a rally in the Union Ballroom. was a Michigan resident. Also, many East Lansing residents felt right up to the time of the election that Jimmy Carter was hazy on the issues. Prob- ably the most important factor was the apparent change in student attitudes. No longer were the liberal anti-war rebels charging the political atmo- sphere of the community. There was a new breed of students with a different set of loyalties. Three student precincts: the West Circle wom- en's dormitory area, a coed dormitory complex and a crowded apartment area known as the Riv- er Ghetto went to President Ford by 59, 49, and 54 per cent of the vote. In 1972 George McGovern won all three precincts with 65, 80 and 67 per cent of the vote. The last two national elections have Aaron Sussell gone against the preferences of the student voters, but at least in 1976 the vote was relatively close to the pulse of the nation as a whole. In Michigan, the campaign battles focused on the seat vacated by' Sen. Philip Hart who died of cancer December 26, 1976. Congressman Don- ald Riegle, a Flint Democrat, defeated Ann Arbor Republican Marvin Esch. Riegle captured the Michigan labor vote by a 2-to-1 margin and over- came a 1969 sex scandal which surfaced courtesy of The Detroit News tsee related storyt. Michigan had four statewide proposals on the ballot. The most controversial, yet the only one to win approval, was Proposal A. The bottle bill referendum passed with 63 per cent of the vote