Carter was a conservative in his political views . However , his son Jimmy recollected that , " within our family we never thought about trying to define such labels . " Initially having supported Franklin D. Roosevelt , Carter opposed implementation of his New Deal when production control programs instituted under the Roosevelt administration included the slaughtering of hogs and plowing of cotton . That evolved into a broader opposition to FDR , and Carter never voted for him in subsequent elections . According to his eldest son , despite his disillusion with Roosevelt , Carter never abandoned the statewide Democratic Party and voted for its candidates in the remaining elections held during his lifetime . However , his opposition to FDR led to a different approach when it came to national politics . For the 1936 Republican National Convention , Carter assembled his family to huddle around a radio for several hours , and subsequently voted for the party 's nominee , Alf Landon , in the general election . Within Georgia , Carter supported Eugene Talmadge in his 1932 gubernatorial bid . Carter 's eldest son remembered that he " would take his one-ton farm truck to Gene Talmadge 's rallies and barbecues , its flat bed covered with straw and loaded down with our neighbors . " James Earl Carter , Sr. was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1953 , as a Democrat , and served briefly representing Sumter County until his death later that year . Carter had previously served on the Sumter County Board of Education
1936 Republican National Convention
1936 Republican National Convention
James Earl Carter Sr.