Source: Alex Brandon/Elijah Nouvelage / Getty
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter may be living on borrowed time at 99 years old; however, he has big plans for making it to 100 and voting for Kamala Harris.
According to People, Carter’s son reports that the almost centenarian has his sights set on exercising his right to vote, one last time, and casting a ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris. Carter has been in hospice care for over a year. However, his loved ones say he’s been “more alert and interested in politics and the war in Gaza” in recent days.
“I’m only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris,” he said, according to his son, Chip Carter.
Though the election is over a month past what will be his 100th birthday, the 39th U.S. president would be able to cast his ballot early in his current state of Georgia. His vote would still count even in the event of his death.
In terms of making Carter’s dying wish come true, the latest news confirming Harris as the Democratic Party’s nominee for president is a good sign. Earlier this year, Carter’s grandson Jason said the former politician was “no longer awake every day.”
Before his health began to rapidly decline, Carter didn’t try to hide his disdain for former President Donald Trump.
“I think it’s well-known that the incumbent [President Trump] is very careless with the truth,” Jimmy told CBS News in a 2018 interview. “I think I went through my campaign and my presidency without ever lying to the people or making a deliberately false statement, and I think that would be a very worthwhile thing to reinsert into politics these days.”
He continued,
“I think he’s a disaster … In human rights and in treating people equal.”
Carter’s storied history in politics has garnered him praise and respect from politicians in both parties. As president, he appointed the first Black woman to the U.S. Cabinet in Patricia Roberts Harris, who served as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the late 1970s. He also stood on the frontlines for equality in both race and gender.