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Ronald Reagan 1976 presidential campaign

Campaign of Ronald Reagan for the election to President of the United States in 1976 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Ronald Reagan announced his candidacy for President of the United States on November 20, 1975. He won primaries in several states, but eventually lost the nomination to incumbent president Gerald Ford at the 1976 Republican National Convention.

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Background

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Reagan in 1976

When Time in November 1975 discussed possible running mates for incumbent President of the United States Gerald Ford, among them was Ronald Reagan. The magazine stated that the former Governor of California was the favorite of conservatives but "could enter a different race altogether", referring to possibly challenging Ford for the party's presidential nomination in 1976.[3]

Reagan did challenge Ford. He soon established himself as the conservative candidate with the support of like-minded organizations such as the Conservative Party of New York State[4] and the American Conservative Union, which became key components of his political base, while Ford was considered a more moderate Republican.[5]

Reagan had been viewed as a leading candidate for some time, and led a Gallup poll in October 1973 with 29% of the vote.[6] In polling in June 1975, Ford led Reagan by 41%-20% in a large field, or 61%-33% in a head-to-head matchup.[7]

At the height of the campaign, Reagan aide Edwin Meese conducted some research into the logistics of a presidential transition. Meese had conversations on the subject with people who had previously worked for Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.[8]

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Primaries

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Reagan's campaign relied on a strategy crafted by campaign manager John Sears of winning a few primaries early to damage the inevitability of Ford's likely nomination.[citation needed]

In the run-up to the New Hampshire primary, Ford attacked Reagan's plan to cut $90 billion from the federal budget, as well as Reagan's plans for Social Security.[9][10] Reagan's stump speeches included attacks on welfare queens, as well as other attacks on government welfare programs.[11][10] After a heated campaign, Reagan lost by 1317 votes, 54,824-53,507.[12]

Reagan would lose the next two competitive primaries, in Florida and Illinois. In Florida, Reagan lost 53%-47%[13] and in Illinois by 59%-40%.[14] Despite pressure to leave the race, Reagan pledged to stay in the race through the convention.[15]

The Texas campaign lent renewed hope to Reagan, when he swept all 96 delegates chosen in the May 1 primary, with four more awaiting at the state convention. Much of the credit for that victory came from the work of three co-chairmen, including Ernest Angelo, the mayor of Midland, and Ray Barnhart of Houston, whom Reagan as president would appoint in 1981 as director of the Federal Highway Administration.

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Endorsements

List of Ronald Reagan endorsements

All individuals are members or supporters of the Republican Party, unless otherwise stated.

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Convention

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Reagan and President Gerald Ford shake hands on the podium after Reagan narrowly lost the nomination at the 1976 Republican National Convention

However, as the GOP convention neared, Ford appeared close to victory. Acknowledging his party's moderate wing, Reagan chose moderate Senator Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania as his running mate if nominated. Nonetheless, Ford prevailed with 1,187 delegates to Reagan's 1,070.[21]

"Reagan's impromptu concession speech has been called a "defining moment of the Reagan Revolution."

There was no scheduled time slot for the runner-up to deliver a formal concession speech; however, when Ford and Reagan met on the dais after Ford's acceptance speech, the president insisted that the former governor accompany him to the podium to deliver a few remarks. Reagan gave an eloquent and stirring speech that overshadowed Ford's own acceptance address, despite being little more than five minutes long. Some delegates later stated that they left the convention wondering if they had voted for the wrong candidate.[22] A contemporary media account stated that if a motion to reconsider the nomination had been in order, it might have passed.[23]

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Republican primary results

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Republican presidential primary results:
Red indicates a win by Reagan, blue a win by Ford.
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Roll call vote for the presidential nomination by state delegations
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Republican National Convention

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Aftermath

Reagan campaigned for Ford in twenty states against the Democratic nominee, Jimmy Carter, who would win the general election.[27] However, in Washington state, a faithless elector gave Reagan one electoral vote instead of Ford.[28] In 1977, Ford told Lou Cannon that Reagan's primary challenge played a role in his own narrow loss to Carter.[27]

Notes

  1. Gerald Ford won primaries in 26 states plus the District of Columbia primary.

References

Bibliography

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