Patrick Caddell, Carter pollster dies

Patrick Caddell, the pollster who helped propel Jimmy Carter in his longshot bid to win the presidency and later distanced himself from Democrats, has died, a colleague said. He was 68.

Caddell died Saturday in Charleston, South Carolina, after suffering a stroke. That’s according to Professor Kendra Stewart of the College of Charleston, who confirmed the death.

After working with Democrats in the 1970s and 1980s, Caddell eventually drifted away from the Democratic Party and began advising supporters of Republican Donald Trump, including a close relationship with former Trump campaign strategist Steve Bannon, and was a contributor to Fox News for a time.

Caddell worked for 1972 Democratic nominee George McGovern, then joined with Carter in the mid-1970s to develop a campaign strategy to overcome the cynicism spawned by the Vietnam War and Watergate.