Jimmy Carter's Arizona connections

Jimmy Carter defeated Arizona Rep. Mo Udall for the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination on his path to becoming the nation's 39th commander in chief.

• Carter didn't travel to his former rival's home state during his single term in office, but he visited Arizona several times in his post-presidential life.

The big picture: Carter, the nation's longest-living former president died at age 100 on Sunday afternoon.

Flashback: Carter came to metro Phoenix for book signings and speaking engagements over the past four decades.

• The Carter Center, the former president's nonprofit that works to advance democracy internationally, established a bipartisan network in Arizona in 2022 to counter disinformation about election fraud.

What they're saying: Former U.S. Sen. Dennis DeConcini of Tucson, who was first elected the same year Carter became president, recalled to KGUN9 in 2023 that the two Democrats butted heads on key issues, including the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977.

• “Even if you were having a little disagreement with him, he was genuine," DeConcini said of Carter.

Of note: In 2017, Carter received the O'Connor Justice Prize, named after one of Arizona's most influential politicians — former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

• The honor recognizes exemplary leadership in rule-of-law initiatives.

1 funny thing: Saturday Night Live parodied both Carter and O'Connor in a 2006 sketch.

• The two discussed U.S.-Iraq relations with Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees before he hilariously threatened to "murder (O'Connor) on national television" and "shove a bottle inside (Carter) and kick it until it breaks."

1 baseball thing: We found a photo of Carter watching his beloved Atlanta Braves during Game 3 of the National League Championship Series in 2001.

• The Diamondbacks won that game and the series, setting the stage for the team's historic World Series run.