Ronald Reagan 1976 presidential campaign

Ronald Reagan announced his candidacy for President of the United States on November 20, 1975. Reagan won primaries in several states, but eventually lost the nomination to incumbent president Gerald Ford at the 1976 Republican National Convention.

Ronald Reagan for President 1976
Campaign	1976 United States presidential election
Candidate	Ronald Reagan Governor of California (1967–1975)
Affiliation	Republican Party
Status	Announced November 20, 1975[1] Defeated August 18, 1976[2]
Key people	John Sears (campaign manager)

Background

In 1976, Reagan challenged incumbent President Gerald Ford in a bid to become the Republican Party's candidate for president. Reagan soon established himself as the conservative candidate with the support of like-minded organizations such as the Conservative Party of New York State[3] and the American Conservative Union, which became key components of his political base, while Ford was considered a more moderate Republican.[4]

Reagan had been viewed as a leading candidate for some time, and led a Gallup poll in October 1973 with 29% of the vote.[5] In polling in June 1975, Ford led Reagan by 41%-20% in a large field, or 61%-33% in a head-to-head matchup.[6]

Primaries

Reagan's campaign relied on a strategy crafted by campaign manager John Sears of winning a few primaries early to damage the inevitability of Ford's likely nomination.

In the run-up to the New Hampshire primary, Ford attacked Reagan's plan to cut $90 billion from the federal budget, as well as Reagan's plans for Social Security.[7][8] Reagan's stump speeches included attacks on welfare queens, as well as other attacks on government welfare programs.[9][8] After a heated campaign, Reagan lost by 1317 votes, 54,824-53,507.[10]

Reagan would lose the next two competitive primaries, in Florida and Illinois. In Florida, Reagan lost 53%-47%[11] and in Illinois by 59%-40%[12]. Despite pressure to leave the race, Reagan pledged to stay in the race through the convention.[13]

The Texas campaign lent renewed hope to Reagan, when he swept all 96 delegates chosen in the May 1 primary, with four more awaiting at the state convention. Much of the credit for that victory came from the work of three co-chairmen, including Ernest Angelo, the mayor of Midland, and Ray Barnhart of Houston, whom Reagan as President would appoint in 1981 as director of the Federal Highway Administration.

Convention

Reagan and President Gerald Ford shake hands on the podium after Reagan narrowly lost the nomination at the 1976 Republican National Convention

However, as the GOP convention neared, Ford appeared close to victory. Acknowledging his party's moderate wing, Reagan chose moderate Senator Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania as his running mate if nominated. Nonetheless, Ford prevailed with 1,187 delegates to Reagan's 1,070.[14] Ford would go on to lose the 1976 presidential election to the Democratic nominee, Jimmy Carter.

Reagan's concession speech emphasized the dangers of nuclear war and the threat posed by the Soviet Union.

Republican primary results

Republican presidential primary results:
Red indicates a win by Reagan, blue a win by Ford.

Roll call vote for the presidential nomination by state delegations

1976 Republican Party presidential primaries[15] * denotes incumbent
Party		Candidate	Aggregate votes	%	CW
	Republican	Gerald Ford*	5,529,899	53.29	27[lower-alpha 1]
		Ronald Reagan	4,760,222	45.88	240
		Others	44,626	0.43	00
		Unpledged	34,717	0.34	00

Republican National Convention

1976 Republican presidential nomination[16][17] * denotes incumbent
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Gerald Ford*	1,187	52.57
		Ronald Reagan	1,070	47.39
		Elliot Richardson	1	0.04

Further reading

• Troy, Gil; Schlesinger, Arthur M.; Israel, Fred L. (2012). History of American Presidential Elections, 1789–2008. 3 (4 ed.). New York City: Facts on File. ISBN 978-0-8160-8220-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Witcomer, Jules (1977). Marathon : the pursuit of the Presidency, 1972-1976. Viking Press. ISBN 0670454613.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Notes

1. Gerald Ford won primaries in 26 states plus the District of Columbia primary.

References

1. Witcomer 1977, p. 92
2. Witcomer 1977, pp. 501-2
3. Lynn, Frank (21 October 1975). "Conservative Party To Support Reagan Over Ford for 1976". The New York Times.
4. "Biography of Gerald R. Ford". The White House. Archived from the original on April 11, 2007. Retrieved March 29, 2007. Ford considered himself as "a moderate in domestic affairs, a conservative in fiscal affairs, and a dyed-in-the-wool internationalist in foreign affairs."
5. "Reagan Leads, Rockefeller Is 2d In Gallup Poll on '76 Nomination". The New York Times. 21 October 1973.
6. Witcomer 1977, p. 55
7. Times, James M. Naughton; Special to The New York (20 February 1976). "Ford Intensifies Attack on Reagan". The New York Times.
8. Witcomer 1977, pp. 373-397
9. "'Welfare Queen' Becomes Issue in Reagan Campaign". The New York Times. 15 February 1976.
10. Witcomer 1977, p. 396
11. Witcomer 1977, p. 403
12. Witcomer 1977, p. 408
13. "Reagan Will Stay in Race; Minimizes Florida Results". The New York Times. 11 March 1976.
14. "1976 New Hampshire presidential Primary, February 24, 1976 Republican Results". New Hampshire Political Library. Archived from the original on October 6, 2006. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
15. Troy, Schlesinger & Israel 2012, p. 1386.
16. "US President – R Convention (1976)". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
17. Troy, Schlesinger & Israel 2012, p. 1385.