Governorship of Ronald Reagan Governorship of Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan was the Governor of California for two terms, the first beginning in 1967 and the second in 1971. He left office in 1975, declining to run for a third term. Robert Finch, Edwin Reinecke, and John L. Harmer served as lieutenant governors over the course of his governorship. California Republicans were impressed with Reagan's political views and charisma after his "A Time for Choosing" speech, and nominated him as the Republican party candidate for Governor in 1966. Reagan's campaign emphasized two main themes: "to send the welfare bums back to work", and regarding burgeoning
Political positions of Ronald Reagan growing national debt and budget deficit. In order to cover the growing federal budget deficits and the decreased revenue that resulted from the cuts, the U.S. borrowed heavily both domestically and abroad, raising the national debt from $1.1 trillion to $2.7 trillion. Reagan described the new debt as the "greatest disappointment" of his presidency. Reagan was a supporter of free trade. When running for President in 1979, Reagan proposed a "North American accord", in which goods could move freely throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Largely dismissed then, Reagan was serious in his proposal and once in office he signed