“In selecting Geraldine Ferraro, he also paved the way for (Kamala Harris) to make history. “Walter Mondale championed progressive causes and changed the role of VP-so leaders like could be the last ones in the room when decisions were made,” Obama tweeted. He later served as the US ambassador to Japan and the envoy to Indonesia under then-President Bill Clinton.Ĭlinton and former President Barack Obama also weighed in Monday, commemorating Mondale for his service. Ferraro of New York, as his running mate before ultimately falling short to Reagan. ![]() Mondale won the Democratic presidential nomination himself in 1984, and made history by naming a woman, US Rep. Rosalynn and I join all Americans in giving thanks for his exemplary life, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family.” Fritz Mondale provided us all with a model for public service and private behavior. Star Tribune/Getty Imagesįormer Vice President Walter 'Fritz' Mondale dead at 93Ĭarter’s statement Monday continued, “He was an invaluable partner and an able servant of the people of Minnesota, the United States, and the world. Mondale, photographed at his Mill District condo on Apin Minneapolis. His wife, Joan, died in 2014 at age 83, and his daughter, Eleanor Poling, died from brain cancer in 2011 at age 51.MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 30, 2019: Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale is survived by sons Ted Mondale, a former Minnesota state senator, and William Mondale, former assistant attorney general of Minnesota. “At the end of what will be my last campaign, I want to say to Minnesota, you always treated me well, you always listened to me,” Mondale said in his concession speech. Mondale narrowly lost the race to Republican St. And in 2002 he accepted the nomination to run for his old Senate seat, after the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s candidate Senator Paul Wellstone died unexpectedly in a plane crash less than two weeks before election day. He also mentored rising Minnesota politicians, including 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. While some thought the 62-year-old would run for Senate again in 1990, he instead chose to sit it out, explaining that he believed “it’s time for other candidates to step forward.”īut his time in politics didn’t fully end: Mondale served as ambassador to Japan under the Clinton administration from 1993 to 1996. history: Reagan won 49 states and 525 electoral votes, while Mondale only carried his home state of Minnesota and Washington D.C., winning just 13 electoral votes.Īfter his stinging loss, Mondale once again returned to practicing law. ![]() Mondale ultimately lost the presidential race in the biggest Republican landslide in U.S. “Our founders said in the Constitution: ‘We the people’-not just the rich, or men, or white, but all of us.” “This is an exciting choice,” Mondale said as he announced Ferraro. He has never had this kind of response, this same kind of excitement.” As TIME reported following the announcement, “Walter Mondale has never experienced a day like this before. In an effort to inject life into his campaign, he selected New York Congresswoman Geraldine Ferarro as his running mate, making her the first woman to appear on a major party’s presidential ticket. ![]() Then, on July 12, 1984, Mondale made history. Gary Hart also ran for the Democratic nomination, and after a heated primary - in which Mondale famously asked Hart “where’s the beef” during a debate, parodying a popular commercial - Mondale eventually won and went on to face Reagan in the general. But when he entered the Democratic race, he faced tough competition. According to the Senate historical office, “Mondale played a transitional role in the Democratic Party, seeking to bridge the generational and ideological divisions that racked the party during and after the 1960s.”Īfter their defeat, Mondale returned to Minnesota to practice law and began to prepare for a presidential run of his own. In 1973, Mondale co-sponsored the War Powers Resolution, which limited the President’s ability to commit the U.S. He supported the Vietnam War throughout Johnson’s presidency, but changed his position in October of 1969, after Richard Nixon became President. He also co-authored the Fair Housing Act, which aimed to end discriminatory housing practices. While in the Senate, Mondale sponsored the Fair Warning Act, which required car manufacturers to tell consumers about defects. He wore a coat and tie to most events, and Humphrey once remarked that “the thing that is most evident about Mondale … is that he’s non-abrasive. ![]() Senate historical office, the young Senator was “admired, trusted, and promoted by other politicians,” and was known as a level-headed operator who rarely became emotional.
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