Editing Jimmy Carter (section)

== Early political career (1963–1971) ==
=== Georgia state senator (1963–1967) ===
As racial tension inflamed in Plains by the 1954 [[Supreme Court of the United States]] ruling in ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'',{{sfn|Gherman|2004|p=40}} Carter favored integration but often kept those feelings to himself to avoid making enemies. By 1961, Carter began to speak more prominently of integration as a member of the [[Baptist Church]] and chairman of the [[Sumter County, Georgia|Sumter County]] school board.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=92–108}}{{sfn|Donica|Piccotti|2018}} In 1962, he announced his campaign for an open [[Georgia State Senate]] seat.{{sfn|Carter|1992|pp=83–87}} Rosalynn, who had an instinct for politics and organization, was instrumental in his campaign. While early counting of the ballots showed Carter trailing his opponent, Homer Moore, this was later proven to be the result of fraudulent voting.{{sfn|Carter|1992|pp=83–87}} Another election was held, in which Carter defeated Moore as the sole Democratic candidate.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=108–132}} He served in both the [[127th Georgia General Assembly]] and the [[128th Georgia General Assembly]].

The [[civil rights movement]] was well underway when Carter took office. Carter remained relatively quiet on the issue at first, even as it polarized much of the county, to avoid alienating his segregationist colleagues. Carter did speak up on a few divisive issues, giving speeches against [[literacy test]]s and against an amendment to the [[Constitution of Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia Constitution]] that he felt implied a compulsion to practice religion.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=132–140}} Carter entered the state Democratic Executive Committee two years into office, where he helped rewrite the state party's rules. He became the chairman of the West Central Georgia Planning and Development Commission, which oversaw the disbursement of federal and state grants for projects such as historic site restoration.{{sfn|Ryan|2006|p=37}}

When [[Bo Callaway]] was elected to the [[United States House of Representatives]] in 1964, Carter immediately began planning to challenge him. The two had previously clashed over which two-year college would be expanded to a four-year college program by the state, and Carter saw Callaway—who had switched to the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]—as representing aspects of politics he despised.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=132–145}} Carter was reelected to a second two-year term in the state Senate,{{sfn|Georgia General Assembly|1965}} where he chaired its Education Committee and sat on the Appropriations Committee. He contributed to a bill expanding statewide education funding and getting [[Georgia Southwestern State University]] a four-year program. He leveraged his regional planning work, giving speeches around the district to make himself more visible to potential voters. On the last day of the term, Carter announced his candidacy for the House of Representatives.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=145–149}} Callaway decided to run for governor instead;{{sfn|Bourne|1997|p=150}} Carter decided to do the same.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=154–155}}

=== 1966 and 1970 gubernatorial campaigns ===
{{See also|1966 Georgia gubernatorial election|1970 Georgia gubernatorial election}}

In the 1966 gubernatorial election, Carter ran against liberal former governor [[Ellis Arnall]] and conservative segregationist [[Lester Maddox]] in the Democratic primary. In a press conference, he described his ideology as "Conservative, moderate, liberal and middle-of-the-road ... I believe I am a more complicated person than that."{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=149–153}} He lost the primary but drew enough votes as a third-place candidate to force Arnall into a [[runoff election]] with Maddox, who defeated Arnall.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=153–165}} In the general election, Republican nominee Callaway won a plurality of the vote but less than a majority, allowing the Democratic-majority [[Georgia House of Representatives]] to elect Maddox as governor.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=153–165}} Maddox's victory—due to his segregationist stance—was seen as the worst outcome for the indebted Carter.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=153–165}} Carter returned to his agriculture business, carefully planning his next campaign. This period was a spiritual turning point for Carter; he declared himself a [[born again]] Christian. His last child, [[Amy Carter|Amy]], was born during this time.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=165–179}}{{sfn|Hayward|2009|pp=39–46}}

In the 1970 gubernatorial election, liberal former governor [[Carl Sanders]] became Carter's main opponent in the Democratic primary. Carter ran a more modern campaign, employing printed graphics and statistical analysis. Responding to polls, he leaned more conservative than before, positioning himself as a [[populist]] and criticizing Sanders for both his wealth and perceived links to the national Democratic Party. He also accused Sanders of corruption, but when pressed by the media, he did not provide evidence.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=180–199}}{{sfn|Hayward|2009|pp=46–51}} Throughout his campaign, Carter sought both the black vote and the votes of those who had supported prominent Alabama segregationist [[George Wallace]]. While he met with black figures such as [[Martin Luther King Sr.]] and [[Andrew Young]] and visited many black-owned businesses, he also praised Wallace and promised to invite him to give a speech in Georgia. Carter's appeal to racism became more blatant over time, with his senior campaign aides handing out a photograph of Sanders celebrating with Black basketball players.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=180–199}}{{sfn|Hayward|2009|pp=46–51}}

Carter came ahead of Sanders in the first ballot, leading to a runoff election. The subsequent campaign was even more bitter. Despite his early support for civil rights, Carter's appeal to racism grew, and he criticized Sanders for supporting [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] Carter won the runoff election and won the general election against Republican nominee [[Hal Suit]]. Once elected, Carter began to speak against Georgia's racist politics. [[Leroy Johnson (Georgia politician)|Leroy Johnson]], a black state senator, voiced his support for Carter: "I understand why he ran that kind of ultra-conservative campaign. I don't believe you can win this state without being a racist."{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=180–199}}