Jimmy Carter of racial segregation and support the growing civil rights movement. He became an activist within the Democratic Party. From 1963 to 1967, Carter served in the Georgia State Senate, and in 1970, he was elected as Governor of Georgia, defeating former Governor Carl Sanders in the Democratic primary on an anti-segregation platform advocating affirmative action for ethnic minorities. Carter remained as governor until 1975. Despite being a dark horse candidate little-known outside of Georgia at the start of the campaign, Carter won the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination. In the general election, Carter ran as an outsider and narrowly defeated incumbent
USS Jimmy Carter her hull was extended to accommodate a 2,500-ton supplementary middle section with an ocean interface for divers, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and special operation equipment; ROV handling system, storage and deployment space for mission systems; and a pressure-resistant passage between the fore and aft parts of the submarine to accommodate the boat's crew. "Jimmy Carter" was christened on 5 June 2004. The ship sponsor was former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. One result of the changes was that "Jimmy Carter" was commissioned more than six years after and almost four months after the commissioning of the first of the subs, .