Moral Majority

====1980====
The Moral Majority was a relatively early supporter of Reagan, endorsing him before the Republican convention.<ref>Liebman, Robert and Robert Wuthnow (1983) ''The New Christian Right'', p. 36. New York: Aldine Publishing Company. {{ISBN|0-202-30307-1}}</ref> According to Jimmy Carter, "that autumn [1980] a group headed by Jerry Falwell purchased $10&nbsp;million in commercials on southern radio and TV to brand me as a traitor to the South and no longer a Christian."<ref>{{cite book |page=[https://archive.org/details/whitehousediary00jimm/page/469 469] |last=Carter |first=Jimmy |title=White House Diary |url=https://archive.org/details/whitehousediary00jimm |url-access=registration |year=2010 |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |location=New York|isbn=9780374280994 }}</ref> Naturally, the Moral Majority continued working on behalf of Reagan after he gained the Republican nomination. Following the organization's lead, more than one-fifth of Moral Majority supporters that had supported Carter in 1976 voted for Reagan in 1980.<ref>Wilcox, Clyde (1992). ''God's Warriors'', p. 117. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. {{ISBN|0-8018-4263-8}}</ref> After Reagan's victory, Falwell attributed Reagan's success directly to the Moral Majority and others registering and encouraging church-goers to vote who had never before been politically active.<ref>Wilcox, Clyde (1992). ''God's Warriors'', p. 96. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. {{ISBN|0-8018-4263-8}}</ref> Empirical evidence suggests that Falwell's claim about the role of Christian Right organizations in Reagan's victory has some truth, though difficult to determine definitively.<ref>Wilcox, Clyde (1992). ''God's Warriors'', pp. 115-17. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. {{ISBN|0-8018-4263-8}}</ref>

Reagan sought input from the Moral Majority leadership during his campaign and appointed the Rev. Robert Billings, the Moral Majority's first executive director, to be a religious advisor to the campaign.<ref>Liebman, Robert and Robert Wuthnow (1983) ''The New Christian Right'', p. 60. New York: Aldine Publishing Company. {{ISBN|0-202-30307-1}}</ref> Later, Reagan appointed Billings to a position in the [[United States Department of Education|Department of Education]]. This appointment was particularly significant for the Moral Majority, which had lobbied on education policy issues, especially those regarding private schools.<ref>Wald, Kenneth (1997). ''Religion and Politics in the United States'', p. 137. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press. {{ISBN|1-56802-157-7}}</ref>