what crisis hurt jimmy carter politically at the end of his administration?

The crisis that hurt Jimmy Carter politically at the end of his administration was the Iran hostage crisis. From November 4, 1979, Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage, holding them for 444 days, through the 1980 election and until after Carter left office. The prolonged standoff, along with a failed rescue mission in April 1980 that killed eight U.S. servicemen, created a powerful image of presidential weakness and national humiliation in the eyes of many voters. This crisis, combined with economic troubles like inflation and recession, gravely undermined Carter’s public support and was a major factor in his loss to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 election.