Trump's 2024 Election Win Has Jimmy Carter's Name On Everyone's Lips

Former President Jimmy Carter made headlines back in August 2024 when he declared his final wish was to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election. By mid-October, Carter cast his absentee ballot for Harris in Georgia. On election day, many people were thinking about Carter on social media, before and after Donald Trump's win. On X (formerly Twitter), one person invoked Carter's name as a catalyst to encourage voter turnout. "If a literally 100 year old man in hospice can manage it, you've got no excuse," the user wrote. Another praised Carter for his continued involvement in the democratic process.

Carter's milestone birthday was on October 1, and his centenarian status was on other users' minds. More than one person requested Carter to try to stay alive until the 2028 election. For supporters of the Democratic Party, Carter has proven to be reliably like-minded. "He's never voted for a Republican in his life," his grandson Jason Carter informed People.

Besides his staunch Democratic support, Carter and Harris are friends. One user offered commiseration, writing on X, "Depressing that former President Jimmy Carter lived to 100 for . . . THIS. I am numb. I have no tears. I'm sure they will come, but right now I feel nothing."

Given his longevity, Jimmy Carter has been around for an impressive number of presidential elections: 26 out of 60, as one user pointed out on X (formerly Twitter). Carter got an early start, with the first presidential contest occurring a month after he was born in 1924. Once he was old enough to vote, Carter took his democratic responsibilities seriously. His grandson, Jason Carter, confirmed that his grandfather's first presidential vote was for Harry Truman in 1948. "He always felt that the title of citizen was the highest title in our nation and that the obligation of a citizen was to vote," Jason explained to CNN.

Like Carter's candidate of choice, Kamala Harris, the former president also knows what it's like to lose an election. After serving one term, Carter lost the 1980 election by 8 million popular votes, garnering just 49 electoral votes to Ronald Reagan's 489. 

However, Carter's post-presidential career was full of phenomenal success, including his work with Habitat for Humanity and a Nobel Peace Prize.  In addition, part of Carter's non-profit work centered around ensuring that elections worldwide were conducted fairly. "The Carter Center has observed 110 elections in 37 countries around the world," Larry Garber commented in 2018, according to the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training.