CHIEF OF PARTY

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Chief of Party: The President is expected to form his party's opinion and position on all important issues.
President Carter as Chief of Party: Jimmy Carter was a Democrat. His positions on environmental protection and racial justice greatly defined his presidency. Carter and his administration came under fire for moving the Deomcratic party to the center and away from the liberal wing. At the Democratic Party Midterm Conference in Memphis, TN. in December 1978, the Carter Administration was criticized by the liberal wing of the party for balancing the budget at the expense of domestic social programs. By November 1979, Carter had weakened the Democratic party so much that Ted Kennedy announced he was running against the president for the Democratic party nomination. Carter lost the New York Democratic Primary to Kennedy by 16% in March 1980. While Carter eventually won the Democratic Party's nomination, he lost the election in a landslide to Ronald Reagan.