Question About Mo Udall And 1976

[Lincoln Republican]

In 1976, Congressman Mo Udall of Arizona made a determined and almost successful run for the Democratic Presidential nomination.

Udall at the time had been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1961.

20th century Presidents, for the morst part, have been Governors or Senators.

Questions:

1.  If Udall had sereved as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1961 to 1969, had then run for Governor of Arizona in 1968, won the Governorship, and had served as a successful and high profile Governor from 1969, and was the sitting Governor of Arizona at the time he made a run for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1976, would Udall have defeated former Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia for the nomination?

2.  If successful in winning the nomination, would Governor Udall have gone on to defeat President Ford in the 1976 election?

Please discuss.

[gorkay]

1. It probably wouldn't have made much difference. I don't think the fact that Udall was "only" a Congressman had anything to do with his failure to get the nomination.

2. Quite probably. In fact, he may have won by a larger margin than Carter did. I believe just about any Democrat would have won in '76, and most of them would have won bigger than Carter.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Mo Udall would have won by a larger margin than Carter. Carter's dixie accent plus 'folksy' style was a handicap back then(if only it were still the case).

[Eraserhead]

Yes we get it. You want Mitt Romney to be elected.

[StateBoiler]

Mo Udall can be summed up by this quote I've heard attributed to him after he lost the presidential primary badly:

"The voters have spoken, the bastards!"

[gorkay]

I first heard that quote attributed to Dick Tuck after he lost a statewide race in California in the early sixties.