John Deardouff, 61; Political Consultant Worked 70 Campaigns
John Deardouff, 61, a pioneering political consultant who specialized in working for moderate Republican candidates, including President Ford, died of cancer Friday at his home in McLean, Va.
Deardouff and his business partner, Douglas L. Bailey, worked on more than 70 primary and general election campaigns, including Ford’s 1976 election bid, when he came from 20 percentage points behind Democrat Jimmy Carter to fall just short in the balloting.
Ford won 48% of the popular vote and 240 electoral votes to Carter’s 50.1% and 297 electoral votes.
Deardouff left the firm in 1992, but continued to provide advertising for a series of judicial campaigns that changed the political complexion of the Supreme Court of Texas from predominantly Democrat in 1988 to entirely Republican in 2000.
A native of Greenville, Ohio, Deardouff graduated from Wabash College in Indiana. He earned a master’s degree from Tufts University.
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