Presidential Elections – Candidates Responses 1976 to Today

Since 1976, Arms Control Today has given presidential candidates the opportunity to present their views on a range of arms control and national security issues. Over the years presidential candidates have all taken the time to share their opinions with our readers. These fora are an excellent opportunity to compare leading politicians' opinions on critical issues in more specific detail than usually provided by campaign material.

Below you will find an archive of all the questions and answers Arms Control Today has exchanged with presidents and major party nominees since 1976.

Candidate Views on Arms Control 1976-2008

1976: Jimmy Carter vs. Gerald Ford
1980: Jimmy Carter vs. Ronald Reagan
1984: Walter Mondale vs. Ronald Reagan*
1988: Michael Dukakis vs. George H. W. Bush
1992: George H.W. Bush vs. Bill Clinton
1996: Bill Clinton vs. Bob Dole*
2000: George W. Bush vs. Albert Gore
2004: George W. Bush* vs. John Kerry*
2008: John McCain** vs. Barack Obama

* Ronald Reagan did not answer the survey in 1984 and Bob Dole declined in 1996. In 2004, the survey was not conducted when one of the major party candidates declined to participate.
**The McCain campaign has previously expressed a willingness to provide answers to the same questions and has been cooperative in dealing with Arms Control Today. But the Republican presidential nominee’s staff did not provide ACT with answers to the survey questions in time for the publication of the October issue of ACT. ACT will publish Senator McCain’s responses to the survey whenever they become available.