Why didn't Ford pick Reagan as VP in 1976?
       |           

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?
March 19, 2024, 06:08:36 AM
News: Election Simulator 2.0 Released. Senate/Gubernatorial maps, proportional electoral votes, and more - Read more

  Talk Elections
  Presidential Elections - Analysis and Discussion
  U.S. Presidential Election Results (Moderator: Dereich)
  Why didn't Ford pick Reagan as VP in 1976?
« previous next »
Pages: [1]
Author Topic: Why didn't Ford pick Reagan as VP in 1976?  (Read 3200 times)
President Johnson
Atlas Star
*****
Posts: 28,451
Germany


Political Matrix
E: -3.23, S: -4.70


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« on: March 17, 2016, 02:51:49 PM »
« edited: March 17, 2016, 02:53:31 PM by President Johnson »

Why didn't Ford pick Reagan as his running mate in 1976? I'm sure the gipper would have accepted such an offer. But did Ford refuse just because of the hard fought primaries? Reagan himself would also have been in a stronger position for 1980 (in the perspective of 1976).

I think a Ford/Reagan ticket would have won the election. Reagan would have cut into Carter's support in the south.

In Ford's position, I would have done so. Reagan helps to win the election, and who cares afterwards? The Vice President only has that amount of power as you, as president, want him to have.

This may have been, I think, the result: (I switched several southern states plus Ohio while Carter wins New Jersey)



President Gerald Ford (R-MI)/Former Governor Ronald Reagan (R-CA): 317 EV. (50.77%)
Former Governor Jimmy Carter (D-GA)/Senator Walter Mondale (D-MN): 221 EV. (48.25%)

Logged
RogueBeaver
Atlas Star
*****
Posts: 20,058
Canada
Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1 on: March 17, 2016, 03:23:10 PM »

Because neither man wanted it.
Logged
MIKESOWELL
Jr. Member
***
Posts: 535
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #2 on: March 17, 2016, 10:16:15 PM »

What RogueBeaver said. Reagan was not interested in the vice-presidency, and Ford did not want Reagan as well. Both men, I suspect especially Ford, did not like one another at that time, after such a hotly contested primary battle. Ford resented the fact that Reagan and those that backed him (the conservative wing of the party, which was growing in power) saw him as illegitimate, due to the unique path of his ascent.
Logged
Del Tachi
Republican95
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 17,665
United States


Political Matrix
E: 0.52, S: 1.46

P P P

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #3 on: March 18, 2016, 09:08:12 AM »

Also, Reagan as Ford's VP would not have made any difference in the South.  Carter would have still swept the South even with Reagan on the GOP ticket.  Even against Reagan, the South was one of Carter's strongest regions in 1980. 
Logged
Podgy the Bear
mollybecky
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 2,963


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #4 on: March 19, 2016, 08:04:27 PM »

Not sure that Reagan as Ford's running mate would have swung that many states in the South to the Republicans.  Southern pride in Carter was big in 1976.  He won several rural counties in Mississippi and Alabama where Nixon took 80-90% of the vote in 1972--and they returned to the Republican majorities in 1980 and thereafter.  And in Cobb County, Georgia (suburban Atlanta), Carter won nearly 60% of the vote where Nixon won close to 90% in 1972.

Even though on the surface Reagan would have been a stronger running mate than Bob Dole, it was clear that Ford and Reagan did not like each other in 1976 (that did change later) and the chemistry between them would have been difficult.  But Reagan did say later that he would have accepted the VP spot if Ford had offered it.

Logged
Sir Mohamed
MohamedChalid
Atlas Star
*****
Posts: 22,349
United States



Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2016, 09:41:30 AM »

I also asked this myself when I first read the, pretty interesting, story of the 1976 election. I think either Reagan or Rockefeller would have been stronger running mates than Dole was. Reagan probably the strongest. Reagan, I believe, would have accepted the offer, but would have insisted to play an active role in the administration. Something that Ford knew in advantage and that he likely didn’t want. Ford was most likely not amused by the idea of putting a man on the ticket, who attacked him hard during the primary season and almost stole him the nomination.

But yeah, I’d like to know, whether Ford would have won with Reagan as VP. And a Reagan/Ford ticket in 1980 would also have been very exciting.
Logged
sg0508
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 2,053
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #6 on: March 27, 2016, 01:24:02 PM »

I've read that Reagan would not have accepted, and there was too much animosity between them generated from the primary. 

The choice of Dole though hurt the GOP ticket that year, but Ford was in a tough spot given the strength of the conservative wing.  Had Rockefeller been the VP choice, I think the Republicans pull that race out in November. Ironically, they may have won the industrial states of NY, PA and OH (although far from guaranteed) at the expense of losing former and current GOP strongholds in the Plains.
Logged
rbt48
Jr. Member
***
Posts: 1,060


WWW Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #7 on: March 27, 2016, 03:41:13 PM »

My recollection is that Reagan asked Ford not to offer him the nomination.  Clearly, there was some animosity between them as the primaries had been hard fought battles.  The Reagan delegates carried on with lengthy demonstrations that nearly pushed Ford's acceptance speech out of prime time TV.

Ironically, in 1980, rumors were widespread (and swept through the convention) that Reagan was offering Ford the VP slot.  This came to a quick end when Reagan went on TV to announce that he had chosen his main primary foe, G H W Bush, as his running mate.
Logged
Blair
Blair2015
Atlas Politician
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,811
United Kingdom


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #8 on: March 27, 2016, 04:28:29 PM »

Yeah, the whistlestop podcasts by John Dickerson cover this fairly extensively- Ford absolutely hated Reagan, and thought his 'houlier than thou' attitude was damaging for the Republican Brand. Reagan in '76 was running on the sole premise that Ford was not a real republican
Logged
Sumner 1868
tara gilesbie
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 6,053
United States
Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #9 on: April 01, 2016, 01:05:47 PM »

Because he would have sunk the ticket. For example, did you know that in 1976, polls showed Reagan leading Carter by only three points in Utah? A state where Ford beat Carter 62-33!

That should say how well regarded Reagan was among Americans in 1976.
Logged
Pages: [1]  
« previous next »
Jump to:  


Login with username, password and session length

Terms of Service - DMCA Agent and Policy - Privacy Policy and Cookies

Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines

Page created in 0.039 seconds with 12 queries.