Editing Ronald Reagan (section)

===1966 California gubernatorial election===
{{further|1966 California gubernatorial election}}
[[File:Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan at victory celebration for 1966 Governor's election (cropped).jpg|thumb|alt=The Reagans celebrating Ronald's victory in the 1966 California gubernatorial election at The Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles|Ronald and Nancy Reagan celebrating his gubernatorial election victory, November 1966]]

In January 1966, Reagan announced his candidacy for the [[governor of California|California governorship]],{{sfn|Cannon|2003|p=141}} repeating his stances on individual freedom and [[big government]].{{sfn|Brands|2015|p=148}} When he met with black Republicans in March,{{sfn|Brands|2015|p=149}} he was criticized for opposing the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]]. Reagan responded that bigotry was not in his nature{{sfn|Cannon|2003|p=142}} and later argued that certain provisions of the act infringed upon the rights of property owners.{{sfn|Brands|2015|p=150}} After the [[Supreme Court of California]] ruled that the initiative that repealed the [[Rumford Act]] was unconstitutional in May, he voiced his support for the act's repeal,{{sfn|Cannon|2003|p=147}} but later preferred amending it.{{sfn|Putnam|2006|p=27}} In the Republican primary, Reagan defeated [[George Christopher (mayor)|George Christopher]],{{sfn|Cannon|2003|pp=147–148}} a moderate Republican{{sfn|Cannon|2003|p=135}} who [[William F. Buckley Jr.]] thought had painted Reagan as extreme.{{sfn|Brands|2015|p=148}}

Reagan's general election opponent, incumbent governor [[Pat Brown]], attempted to label Reagan as an extremist.{{sfn|Pemberton|1998|p=69}} Reagan portrayed himself as a political outsider,{{sfn|Cannon|2003|p=149}} and charged Brown as responsible for the [[Watts riots]] and lenient on crime.{{sfn|Pemberton|1998|p=69}} In numerous speeches, Reagan "hit the Brown administration about high taxes, uncontrolled spending, the radicals at the [[University of California, Berkeley]], and the need for [[accountability]] in government".{{sfn|Woodard|2012|p=59}} Meanwhile, many in the press perceived Reagan as "monumentally ignorant of state issues", though [[Lou Cannon]] said that Reagan benefited from an appearance he and Brown made on ''[[Meet the Press]]'' in September.{{sfn|Cannon|2003|pp=158–159}} Reagan won the governorship with 57 percent of the vote compared to Brown's 42 percent.{{sfn|Woodard|2012|p=60}}