Kemp championed several Chicago school and supply-side economics issues , including economic growth , free markets , free trade , tax simplification and lower tax rates on both employment and investment income . He was a long-time proponent of the flat tax . He also defended the use of anti-Communist contra forces in Central America , supported the gold standard , spoke for civil rights legislation , opposed abortion , and was the first lawmaker to popularize enterprise zones , which he supported to foster entrepreneurship and job creation and expand homeownership among public housing tenants . During his career , he sometimes sounded like a liberal Democrat ; he supported affirmative action and rights for illegal immigrants . '' The New York Times '' described Kemp as the most proactive combatant in the war on poverty since Robert Kennedy . He differed from Rockefeller Republicans and earlier combatants such as Lyndon Johnson by supporting incentive-based systems instead of traditional social programs . For his commitment to inner city concerns from within the Republican party , David Gergen heralded him as a " courageous voice in the wilderness . " Although he was liberal on many social issues and supported civil liberties for homosexuals , he opposed certain gay rights such as the right to teach in schools . Kemp at times felt his role was that of " freewheeling , entrepreneurial , wildcatting backbencher . " '' Time '' identified 38-year-old second-term congressman Kemp as a future leader in its 1974 " Faces for the Future " feature . Another early-career notable magazine appearance was in a 1978 issue of '' Esquire '' . The article explained allegations of homosexual activity among staffers in Ronald Reagan 's Sacramento office in 1967 ; Kemp was not implicated . Kemp considered running for the U.S. Senate in 1980 and Hugh Sidey mentioned him as a contender to unseat Jimmy Carter in the 1980 presidential election and was a front runner for the vice presidency at the 1980 Republican National Convention , where he received 43 votes from conservative detractors of George H. W. Bush . After he was reelected for a sixth term in 1980 , his Republican peers elected him to a party leadership position , and he served seven years as chairman of the House Republican Conference . This promotion occurred immediately after Kemp and David Stockman urged Reagan by memorandum to dedicate his first 100 days to working on an economic package with Congress . Kemp considered running for Governor of New York in 1982 but ultimately decided to stay in the House . By 1984 , many viewed Kemp as Reagan 's heir apparent
1980 Republican National Convention
1980 Republican National Convention
Jack Kemp