Ted Kennedy had been asked to take his brother Robert ’s place at the 1968 Democratic National Convention and had refused . He ran for Senate Majority Whip in 1969 , with many thinking that he was going to use this as a platform for the 1972 race . However , then came the notorious Chappaquiddick incident that killed Kennedy 's car passenger Mary Jo Kopechne . Kennedy subsequently refused to run for president in 1972 and 1976 . Many of his supporters suspected that Chappaquiddick had destroyed any ability he had to win on a national level . Despite this , in the summer of 1979 , Kennedy consulted with his extended family , and that fall , he let it leak out that because of Carter ’s failings , 1980 might indeed be the year he would try for the nomination . Gallup had him beating the president by over two to one
1968 Democratic National Convention
1968 Democratic National Convention
1980 Democratic Party presidential primaries