Opinion: Happy 100th Birthday President Carter

It was 1975 when I first became involved with President Carter’s New Hampshire primary campaign. I can still vividly remember watching Barbara Walters interview him on the Today Show in February of 1975 and becoming immediately convinced that he should be president. President Carter didn’t just give me my commitment to politics – through his actions, he inspired me to begin a lifetime or service to our country. I’m not alone. An entire generation of leaders, including United States Senator Jeanne Shaheen and her husband, former U.S. Attorney to New Hampshire Billy Shaheen, got their political start and much of their inspiration working for him. As we celebrate his 100th birthday, I want to express my gratitude to him for all the work he has done, and for all the work to come that he has inspired.

When Jimmy Carter first ran for President, he was a Washington outsider. Our country was divided and reeling from the fallout of Watergate and the Vietnam War. We wanted a way out of the wilderness we found ourselves in, but we struggled to place our trust in any of the leaders of our time. Along came President Carter, offering something that our country was sorely lacking. Humility, grace and integrity, and a promise to bring those ideals with him to the Oval Office. They weren’t buzz words or poll tested phrases. That’s who he really was. Raised on a small farm in rural Georgia by a veteran of World War I and a hard working nurse, he came from humble beginnings. He served in the U.S. Navy, before tossing his hat into the ring and running for the Georgia State Senate and eventually becoming Governor.

Here in New Hampshire, I was 15 years old and working diligently as a volunteer for his campaign. This was back in the days before computers and Iphones – everything was done by hand. I spent the entire month of July handwriting postcards and making calls to build a crowd for a Saturday morning house party for Governor Carter.

This was before answering machines, so you had to call folks over and over until you got someone. Governor Carter was still unknown at the time, so when you finally got somebody on the phone, they’d respond, “Jimmy WHO?” The night before the event, I got a call asking if I wanted to ride in the car with Governor Carter to the house party. I accepted without hesitation. We had a great conversation, and it was clear to me that he truly was the real deal.

When we arrived at the house party, I was horrified to find only three people in the backyard: the host, a neighbor and a UPI reporter. But through hard work by Governor Carter, his family, his campaign, and his dedicated supporters, he went on to win the NH Primary just five months later. Four months after that, he was elected President. This is a classic New Hampshire primary story. Granite Staters are known to put candidates through their paces – in fact, it’s kind of our thing. Here was a candidate with no advantages and no major name ID, but he was willing to put in the work and had the right message. That was all he needed to become our choice and get elected.

When President Carter left the Oval Office for the last time, he went home and worked on his peanut farm. He built houses for those in need with Habitat for Humanity. He worked on the Carter Center, which benefits people around the world, combating poverty, hunger, and political violence. He has, from the very start of his life all the way up until the final chapter, put others first.

As we approach his 100th birthday, President Carter remains focused on one major moment — voting for Kamala Harris and Democrats up and down the ballot. Partially, because he’s a Democrat’s Democrat deep down and loyal to the core. But it’s also because so much of the work he began all those years ago remains unfinished. He faced down the Klu Klux Klan so that we could grow up in a more equitable world.

His work remains unfinished – but with what could be his final vote to support Vice President Harris as the first woman of color to be President of the United States, he will signal to the next generation that he is in their corner and that he is ready to pass the torch.

When I think of President Carter, I think of the humanitarian, the humble veteran, and the undeterred leader fighting for what’s right. But most of all, I’ll think of the man who first wowed us in New Hampshire. I’ll think of the man who walked into that quiet party and shook three hands. He’s the same man now at 100 that he was then. Principled, brave, honorable, and always ready to fight like hell for Democracy. Happy 100th Birthday, President Carter.