Mini-Timeline - New History

[Maxwell]

1976 Primary Season - Republicans

A surprising and substantial win in New Hampshire for Reagan shakes up history for 1976, where Reagan at every step of the way outflanks President Ford with grassroots organization and sees the Republican Party shift right under his feet. The Ford campaign began falling apart with upset wins in Tennessee, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Florida.

Former Governor Ronald Reagan (R-CA)
President Gerald Ford (R-MI)

1976 Primary Season - Democrats

Carter’s gambit falls flat on its face in Iowa, as he flounders behind more well known contenders. Birch Bayh would win Iowa and Mo Udall would win New Hampshire - causing a split that needed a more moderate voice. Enter: Scoop Jackson, the candidate for the job. His large victory in Massachussets and narrow victory in Florida allowed a whole new world of events to occur. Leading him to build a narrow coalition of delegates that would allow him to win the nomination. Jackson had a strong mix of support - he had the support of labor unions, he bit into the support of liberals in a lot of states, and bit into some of Wallace's southern base with his stance on busing. Udall, Bayh, and Wallace remained strong throughout, hoping their momentum could eventually stop Jackson, but Jackson came away from the primaries with just enough delegates to take the thing away.



Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson (D-WA)
Congressman Mo Udall (D-AZ)
Senator Birch Bayh (D-IN)
Governor George Wallace (D-AL)
Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV)
Former Vice Presidential Candidate Sargent Shriver (D-MD) - beige
Senator Fred Harris (D-OK) - sickly green
Senator Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX) - Light blue

[Maxwell]

1976 General Election

Ford shows remarkable reluctance to endorse Reagan, and at the convention, gives a farewell speech that is completely unrelated to Reagan. Reagan never quite gained Ford's enthusiasm, but nevertheless Reagan began closing the gap between him and Jackson as soon as the convention started. Reagan picked a very moderate running mate in Senator Richard Schweikert, a name that angered some conservatives but ultimately proved to be a strong pick. Senator Jackson would take the opposite route - Jackson went with a fellow moderate in Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter. Carter was a little known name, but was viewed as a strong running-mate that could secure the South.

In the first Presidential debates since 1960, Reagan and Jackson slugged it out. Jackson demonized Reagan's conservatism as "dangerous" while Reagan ridiculed Jackson's beholdeness to labor. Ultimately, the debate was a draw even as many saw Reagan as more charismatic than Jackson.

The polls continued to tighten until the day Gerald Ford was asked if he would vote for Reagan in November. Ford, who had been rebounding in terms of popularity, told reporters that he didn't think Reagan or Jackson were qualified to be President, and would still have to think it over. Reagan's response to Ford was regarded as petty, and this alienated independents in the final few weeks and is believed to have halted Reagan's momentum. As a result, Senator Jackson scored a victory in November.

Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson (D-WA)/Fmr. Governor Jimmy Carter (D-GA) - 50.5%, 318 EV's
Fmr. Governor Ronald Reagan (R-CA)/Senator Richard Schweiker (R-PA) - 47.9%, 220 EV's