Gerald Ford assassinated in 1975

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

If Reagan is knocked out of the running in 1980 for losing in 1976, then Connolly has to be considered the front-runner fro the GOP nomination in 1980.  He probably still loses the nomination by using an old-fashioned national strategy instead of concentrating on the early States, but I imagine the $11 million he spends gets him more than the 1 delegate he got in OTL.