In 1966 Carter unsuccessfully sought the Democrat nomination for [[Governor]] of Georgia. This failure significantly affected Carter personally by influencing him to turn to [[religion]] for comfort, convincing him that he had been "born again."<ref>The Presidents by Richard Kirkendall, pg. 552</ref> Carter did succeed in his second bid for Governor in 1970. [[Racism]] was a major factor in his campaign, in which he criticized his primary challenger Carl Sanders for paying tribute to [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]], in an effort to depress Sanders's white vote. Carter said "I have no trouble pitching for [George] Wallace votes and black votes at the same time, I can win this election without a single black vote." Upon receiving the endorsement of former Democratic Gov. [[Lester Maddox]], Carter responded by praising the life-long segregationist: "He has brought a standard of forthright expression and personal honesty to the governor's office, and I hope to live up to his standard." <ref>https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Jimmy-Carters-racist-campaign-of-1970-59499482.html</ref> | In 1966 Carter unsuccessfully sought the Democrat nomination for [[Governor]] of Georgia. This failure significantly affected Carter personally by influencing him to turn to [[religion]] for comfort, convincing him that he had been "born again."<ref>The Presidents by Richard Kirkendall, pg. 552</ref> Carter did succeed in his second bid for Governor in 1970. [[Racism]] was a major factor in his campaign, in which he criticized his primary challenger Carl Sanders for paying tribute to [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]], in an effort to depress Sanders's white vote. Carter said "I have no trouble pitching for [George] Wallace votes and black votes at the same time, I can win this election without a single black vote." Upon receiving the endorsement of former Democratic Gov. [[Lester Maddox]], Carter responded by praising the life-long segregationist: "He has brought a standard of forthright expression and personal honesty to the governor's office, and I hope to live up to his standard." <ref>https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Jimmy-Carters-racist-campaign-of-1970-59499482.html</ref> |