What if Ford is elected in 1976 (as he should have been)....

[Liberalrocks]

People often overlook how close the election results were in 1976. As a democrat I would have voted for Ford (had I been alive). What would have happened if Gerald Ford had beaten Jimmy Carter (as he should have) and been elected to his own term?...Ford was a social moderate would a birth of the 'christian right' still occur?...How would he handle his term? How would the hostage crisis be handled?.Would Reagan still follow in 1980 or would we duck Ronald Reagan?

[NHI]

A Ford win in 1976 would lead to a Democratic victory in 1980, but The Reagan Republican Party which was born in 1980 would never have occurred. The Republican Party would not have picked up the mantle of Goldwater, for the nominee in '80 would have been Dole and probably Bush in '84. A very different Republican Party would exist today had Ford indeed won. Whether it would be better is hard to say...

[GPORTER]

I think Reagan might have run in 1984, but skip 1980. 1984 would be absolutely the last chance for Reagan to run for a first term as President though.

It might have looked like the following:

Gerald Ford (1974-1981)
Jimmy Carter (1981-1985)
Ronald Reagan (1985-1993)
Mario Cuomo (1993-2001)
Bill Clinton (2001-2005)
Rudy Giuliani (2005-2013)

[NHI]

I think Reagan might have run in 1984, but skip 1980. 1984 would be absolutely the last chance for Reagan to run for a first term as President though.

It might have looked like the following:

Gerald Ford (1974-1981)
Jimmy Carter (1981-1985)
Ronald Reagan (1985-1993)
Mario Cuomo (1993-2001)
Bill Clinton (2001-2005)
Rudy Giuliani (2005-2013)

This is very likely, though I only see Reagan serving one term under this scenario.

[tb78]

I think Reagan might have run in 1984, but skip 1980. 1984 would be absolutely the last chance for Reagan to run for a first term as President though.

It might have looked like the following:

Gerald Ford (1974-1981)
Jimmy Carter (1981-1985)
Ronald Reagan (1985-1993)
Mario Cuomo (1993-2001)
Bill Clinton (2001-2005)
Rudy Giuliani (2005-2013)

This is very likely, though I only see Reagan serving one term under this scenario.

I agree, Reagan would probably step down. My guess is that Howard Baker or Bob Dole would be the nominee and successor

[Jerseyrules]

Fan scenario:

Ford (1974-1981)
Kennedy (1981-1985) - sex scandals unearthed
Paul Laxalt or John Tower (1985-1993)
Ed Koch (1993-2001) (defeats Cuomo in 82 gubernatorial primary)
Ann Richards (2001-2005)
Rudy Giuliani (2005-2013)
John E. Bush (2013-present)

[NHI]

38. Gerald Ford: 1977-1981
39. Edward Kennedy: 1981-1985
40. Bob Dole: 1985-1993
41. Mario Cuomo: 1993-2001
42. Bill Clinton: 2001-2009
43. Jeb Bush: 2009- Present

[Deano1001]

Ford winning in 1976 gives you a long 8 years of GOP rule. Ford couldn't of won for re-election in 1984 because he served over two years as President after the resignation of Nixon.
Dole wins the nomination in 80' with the party backing, over Reagan but Reagan may get the VP spot to get a charismatic Republican.
For the Dem's side, I don't know if Kennedy can get over the Chappaquiddick incident that's on his resume. There was a large "Draft Muskie campaign" that year so that may gain some traction. In the end I'm going to throw the nomination behind Gary Hart. Mondale's party establishment support was his down fall, but in this 80' there is no easy establishment candidate. This leads to no Hart affair as well.

1980: Gary Hart (D-CO)/ Ernest Hollings (D-SC) over Bob Dole (R-KS)/ Ronald Reagan (R-CA)
1984: Gary Hart (D-CO)/ Ernest Hollings (D-SC) over Ronald Reagan (R-CA)/ Paul Laxalt (R-NV)
1988: George H.W Bush (R-TX)/ Jack Kemp (R-NY) over Al Gore (D-TN)/ Douglas Wilder (D-VA)
1992: Mario Cuomo (D-NY)/ Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX) over George H.W Bush (R-TX)/ Jack Kemp (R-NY)
1996: Mario Cuomo (D-NY)/ Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX) over Jack Kemp (R-NY)/ Alan Keyes (R-MY)
2000: Bill Clinton (D-AR)/ John Kerry (D-MA) over George W. Bush (R-TX)/ Richard Cheney (R-WY)
2004: Bill Clinton (D-AR)/ John Kerry (D-MA) over John McCain (R-AZ)/ Elizabeth Dole (R-NC)
2008: Mitt Romney (R-MA)/ Bobby Jindal (R-LA) over John Kerry (D-MA)/ Barrack Obama (D-IL)

Boom.

[Deano1001]

38. Gerald Ford: 1977-1981
39. Edward Kennedy: 1981-1985
40. Bob Dole: 1985-1993
41. Mario Cuomo: 1993-2001
42. Bill Clinton: 2001-2009
43. Jeb Bush: 2009- Present

Great minds think alike.

[GPORTER]

I think Reagan might have run in 1984, but skip 1980. 1984 would be absolutely the last chance for Reagan to run for a first term as President though.

It might have looked like the following:

Gerald Ford (1974-1981)
Jimmy Carter (1981-1985)
Ronald Reagan (1985-1993)
Mario Cuomo (1993-2001)
Bill Clinton (2001-2005)
Rudy Giuliani (2005-2013)

This is very likely, though I only see Reagan serving one term under this scenario.

That might be. Bush could still be the vice president too possibly.

[Jerseyrules]

Ford winning in 1976 gives you a long 8 years of GOP rule.

To be fair, 12 years if you count Nixon (I don't )

[Jerseyrules]

I think Reagan might have run in 1984, but skip 1980. 1984 would be absolutely the last chance for Reagan to run for a first term as President though.

It might have looked like the following:

Gerald Ford (1974-1981)
Jimmy Carter (1981-1985)
Ronald Reagan (1985-1993)
Mario Cuomo (1993-2001)
Bill Clinton (2001-2005)
Rudy Giuliani (2005-2013)

This is very likely, though I only see Reagan serving one term under this scenario.

That might be. Bush could still be the vice president too possibly.

Connally?

[GPORTER]

And if Carter had run again in 1980, I think Mondale would have been a strong surogate for the Carter campaign, but Frank Church would have been the vice presidential running mate for Carter. It would be smart for Church's career, because it saves him from a tough senate race that year.

[GPORTER]

And I even have a scenario where Carter wins very narrowly in 1980 under this scenario. Anyone agree with that?

[Deano1001]

Meh, I don't know how an already-ran candidate would be accepted by the Dem's that year. I'll agree that he could run, but I doubt he can win.

[Indy Prez]

It would have been the best thing for America. Teddy Kennedy could have won in a landslide in 1980, 84 and possibly Cuomo in 88. Very likely twenty years of Dem rule would follow.

[GPORTER]

Meh, I don't know how an already-ran candidate would be accepted by the Dem's that year. I'll agree that he could run, but I doubt he can win.

Thats why it would be so narrow. How would the scandals affect a Kennedy 1980 run?

[CathKhan]

It would have been the best thing for America. Teddy Kennedy could have won in a landslide in 1980, 84 and possibly Cuomo in 88. Very likely twenty years of Dem rule would follow.

Whoa! Sixteen at best for the Democrats. While Democrats might like to relegate Ford to Hoover like status, I doubt it'd be actually like that. I say the Dems get the twelve years that the Republicans got in OTL. I'm just wondering who could be their savior. Ted Kennedy is the usual choice. Others could be Henry M Jackson and Jerry Brown.

[rbt48]

Meh, I don't know how an already-ran candidate would be accepted by the Dem's that year. I'll agree that he could run, but I doubt he can win.

Yes, Carter in 1980 would have him running 6 years after leaving the Georgia statehouse.  Hard to envision him getting the nomination when out of office so long.

[Jerseyrules]

Meh, I don't know how an already-ran candidate would be accepted by the Dem's that year. I'll agree that he could run, but I doubt he can win.

Yes, Carter in 1980 would have him running 6 years after leaving the Georgia statehouse.  Hard to envision him getting the nomination when out of office so long.

I like Carter personally, and think he'd be okay as a peacetime President, but was too nice to be POTUS when he was.  His ideal time period is 1990s, as a New Democrat; as a libertarian Republican, I don't buy into the whole "far-left lunatic Carter" B.S., although I do believe he was a weak and ineffectual president during his time in office.