Gerald Ford 1976 presidential campaign explained

Committee:Gerald Ford for President 1976
Campaign:1976 Republican primaries
1976 U.S. presidential election
Candidate:Gerald Ford
38th President of the United States
(1974–1977)
Bob Dole
U.S. Senator from Kansas
(1969–1996)
Affiliation:Republican Party
Status:Announced: July 8, 1975
Official nominee: August 19, 1976
Lost election: November 2, 1976
Left office: January 20, 1977
Slogan:He's making us proud again

The 1976 presidential campaign of Gerald Ford was an unsuccessful election campaign for the 1976 United States presidential election by incumbent president Gerald Ford, who had taken office on August 9, 1974 upon the resignation of Richard Nixon. Ford and his running mate Senator Bob Dole were defeated by Democratic presidential nominee Jimmy Carter and vice presidential nominee Walter Mondale. Ford, a Republican president and former vice president under Nixon, launched his presidential bid on July 8, 1975,[1] and secured nomination for his election to a full term on August 19, 1976. He was challenged in the Republican primaries by former California governor Ronald Reagan from his campaign which was formally launched on November 20, 1975, received more than forty percent of the delegates in the Republican National Convention, but Ford got more votes than Reagan. Reagan would later be elected president in 1980.[2]

Ford's tenure marked America's fall into a dark period, with a stagnant economy and effects after the Vietnam War (or Vietnam syndrome). Ford pardoned Nixon in the Watergate scandal, which many people believe that Ford lost to his opponent Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election. In the Republican primaries, Ford received 1,121 delegates while needing 1,130 votes to win. Ronald Reagan was one of those who stood in the way of Ford winning the nomination with Reagan receiving 1,078 delegates, this was one of the most controversial primaries ever, as well as the difference in votes of delegates and popular votes.[3]

However, Ford still received the Republican nomination on August 19, 1976 to face Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter on November 2, 1976. Carter defeated Ford, receiving 297 electoral votes and 50.1% of the popular vote, this was also one of the most controversial presidential elections when there was a fight over states and votes.[4] Carter took office on January 20, 1977 and held power for four years before Reagan defeated him in 1980 and took office on January 20, 1981.

Ford joined his vice presidential running mate Bob Dole on the campaign trail.[5]

Background

Gerald Ford, born July 14, 1913 in Omaha, Nebraska, his maternal grandfather was Illinois politician and businessman Levi Addison Gardner and his paternal grandfather was banker and businessman Charles Henry King, Ford's parents separated Just sixteen days after his birth and his mother took the infant Ford to Oak Park, Illinois, Ford later said his biological father had a history of beating his mother.[6]

Ford attended the University of Michigan. Ford graduated from Michigan in 1935 with a Bachelor's degree in economics. He turned down offers from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. Instead, he took a job in September 1935 as a boxing coach and assistant football coach at Yale University and applied to its law school.[7]

Ford joined the United States Navy after the Imperial Japanese attacked on Pearl Harbor, some time later, Ford joined the U.S. House of Representatives, where he met President Lyndon Johnson in 1963. After the resignation of Spiro Agnew, he was confirmed to become Nixon's vice president in December 1973[8] until he ascended to the presidency on August 9, 1974 when Nixon resigned, becoming the only president in American history to have never been elected president or vice president.[9] [10] [11]

Nomination

1976 Republican primaries

See main article: 1976 Republican Party presidential primaries and 1976 Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection.

See also: Ronald Reagan 1976 presidential campaign and 1976 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary. Ford launched his campaign on July 8, 1975, after which he entered the Republican primaries, where his rival, Ronald Reagan, opened his campaign on November 20, 1975. Ford and Reagan faced each other intensely, with Ford ultimately receiving more votes than Reagan, even though the required number of votes was 1,130 votes. This is also one of the few times an incumbent president has lost state primaries, the most recent being when President Joe Biden lost to Jason Palmer in American Samoa after 44 years when President Jimmy Carter lost to Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts on March 4, 1980 and 11 states with Washington D.C..[12]

In 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. Reagan's stump speeches included attacks on welfare queens, as well as other attacks on government welfare programs, Reagan then lost the primaries with 1,317 delegates remaining.[13] [14] [15]

1976 Republican National Convention

See main article: 1976 Republican National Convention. After defeating their strongest opponents, Ford and Vice President Bob Dole were nominated at the Republican National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, where Reagan criticized Ford for his signing of the Helsinki Accords and indirectly blamed him for the fall of Saigon in April 1975. The Convention voted, Ford received 1,187 votes and Reagan received 1,070 votes, another candidate, Elliot Richardson, received only 1 vote, this was one of the biggest controversies at the Republican convention about choosing a presidential candidate in a time of crisis.[16] For the vice presidential candidate, Bob Dole received 1,921 votes, with an overwhelming margin of 85.04%. Ronald Reagan was also in this, but he only received 27 votes, the third lowest after Jesse Helms when he received 103 votes, the remaining candidates received less than 25 votes.[17] Reagan then delivered a speech that caused a stir, eclipsing Ford's own acceptance speech, despite being just over five minutes long. Some delegates later said they left the convention wondering if they had voted for the wrong candidate. Reagan's concession speech spoke of the dangers of nuclear war and the threat from the Soviet Union.[18] [19]

Main competitor

See main article: , 1976 Democratic National Convention and 1976 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection.

See also: Jimmy Carter 1976 presidential campaign. Jimmy Carter, a member of the Democratic Party as well as former Governor of Georgia and a peanut farmer, announced his 1976 presidential campaign on December 12, 1974, after which he participated in the presidential primaries of the Democratic Party and won 1,130 delegates, he then chose Walter Mondale as vice president at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, where he won the nomination to face Ford in the 1976 general election and would be inaugurated on January 20, 1977.

Endorsements

Here are the lists of Ford supporters in the presidential primaries:

Federal Officials
Former Federal Officials
Senators
Former Senators
Representatives
Former Representatives
Governors
Former Governors
Lieutenant Governors
Attorney Generals
Mayors
Former Mayor
Individuals
Baseball
Basketball
Football
Actors and Actresses
Musicians

Polling

In Republican primaries:

Before August 1974

Poll sourcePublicationSample size!
Gallup[92] March 30 – April 2, 197370035%1%15%––8%20%11%5%6%
Gallup[93] August 30, 1973?22%11%10%––7%22%13%6%9%
–12%12%––8%32%16%9%11%
Gallup[94] Oct. 6–8, 1973356–3%16%––14%29%19%6%8%
GallupJanuary 4–7, 1974377–5%9%24%–8%20%18%8%8%
–7%11%––11%26%25%10%10%
GallupJuly 21, 1974?–5%5%27%16%4%16%12%8%7%

August 1974 – December 1975

Poll sourcePublicationSample size!
Gallup[95] Feb. 28 – March 3, 19753304%–34%17%3%22%10%7%3%
Gallup[96] [97] June 27–30, 19753754%2%41%13%4%20%5%6%5%
GallupAug. 15–18, 19753483%3%45%11%4%19%7%5%3%
GallupOct. 17–20, 19753392%1%48%7%2%25%5%2%5%
Gallup[98] Nov. 21–24, 19753522%1%32%10%3%40%6%5%1%

Head-to-head polling

Poll sourcePublicationSample size!
Gallup[99] June 27–30, 197537561%33%6%
Gallup[100] Dec. 12–15, 1975?45%45%10%

Election day

See main article: 1976 United States presidential election. On November 2, 1976, Ford lost the election to Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter. Carter won 297 electoral votes and 50.1% of the popular vote while Ford only received 240 electoral votes and 48.0% of the popular vote. However, Carter carried 23 states with Washington DC while Ford carried 27 states, this is one of the elections where the presidential candidate defeated the incumbent president in a narrow margin.[101] Reagan got 1 vote from Washington by Mike Padden.[102]

Before the election, both Ford and Carter also debated three times in Philadelphia, San Francisco and Williamsburg from September 23 to October 22, 1976. This is the second debate since 1960, after 16 years.[103]

The vice presidential debate also began at the Alley Theater in Houston, Texas, when Bob Dole faced off against Walter Mondale.[104]

Results

Sources: (popular votes)

(Electoral votes)

Aftermath

Carter became president on January 20, 1977 and served one term in office until January 20, 1981, after Reagan defeated Carter in the 1980 U.S. presidential election.[105]

This was the only modern presidential election in which both presidential candidates and both vice presidential candidates were still alive 30 years after the election, until Ford's death in 2006. And three of the four were still alive after 44 years, until Walter Mondale's death in April 2021. After Bob Dole's death in December 2021, Carter was the only candidate most alive.[106] [107] [108]

Ford and Carter both lived post-presidency for more than 25 years. Ford died in 2006 due to his worsening arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease and diffuse arteriosclerosis, Carter attended his funeral.[109]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum • Gerald Ford officially announced his candidacy for... . 2024-04-27 . Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum . en.
  2. Web site: 2020-10-14 . How Ronald Reagan's 1976 Convention Battle Fueled His 1980 Landslide . 2024-04-27 . HISTORY . en.
  3. Web site: Enten . Harry . 2016-07-14 . What The 1976 GOP Primary Tells Us About 2016's . 2024-04-27 . FiveThirtyEight . en-US.
  4. Web site: What can you tell me about the 1976 presidential election? . 2024-04-27 . www.cliffsnotes.com.
  5. Web site: Remembering Bob Dole: Reliving the 1976 Vice Presidential Announcement KRSL.com . 2024-04-27 . www.krsl.com . en.
  6. Web site: Gerald R. Ford Biography - Gerald R. Ford Foundation . 2024-04-27 . en-US.
  7. Web site: Growing Up Grand- High School . 2024-04-27 . www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov.
  8. Web site: Gerald Ford's unique role in American history - National Constitution Center . 2024-04-27 . National Constitution Center – constitutioncenter.org . en.
  9. Web site: Naval Service of Gerald R. Ford in World War II . 2024-04-27 . www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov.
  10. Web site: 2016-10-04 . Gerald Ford: Life Before the Presidency Miller Center . 2024-04-27 . millercenter.org . en.
  11. Web site: 2023-11-18 . Gerald Ford: Unelected . 2024-04-27 . Voice of America . en.
  12. Web site: Reporter . James Bickerton US News . 2024-03-06 . Joe Biden is first incumbent president to lose a primary in 44 years . 2024-04-27 . Newsweek . en.
  13. News: Times . James M. Naughton; Special to The New York . 1976-02-20 . FORD INTENSIFIES ATTACK ON REAGAN . 2024-04-27 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  14. Book: Witcover, Jules . Marathon : the pursuit of the Presidency, 1972-1976 . 1977 . New York : Viking Press . Internet Archive . 978-0-670-45461-7.
  15. News: 1976-02-15 . 'Welfare Queen' Becomes Issue in Reagan Campaign . 2024-04-27 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  16. Web site: Our Campaigns - US President - R Convention Race - Aug 16, 1976 . 2024-04-27 . www.ourcampaigns.com.
  17. Web site: Our Campaigns - US Vice President - R Convention Race - Aug 16, 1976 . 2024-04-27 . www.ourcampaigns.com.
  18. Reagan's Impromptu Speech at 1976 GOP Convention . en . 2024-04-27 . www.youtube.com.
  19. Web site: The Times-News - Google News Archive Search . 2024-04-27 . news.google.com.
  20. Web site: Remarks Upon Arrival at the 1976 Republican National Convention Headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. 15 August 1976.
  21. Web site: Remarks in Columbus at the Annual Meeting of the Ohio Governor's Conference on Aging. 26 May 1976.
  22. Web site: Remarks at Opening Ceremonies for the Texas State Fair in Dallas. 9 October 1976.
  23. Web site: Remarks at a President Ford Committee Campaign Debate Party in San Francisco. 6 October 1976.
  24. Web site: Remarks in Lawton, Oklahoma. 8 October 1976.
  25. Web site: Remarks in New City, New York. 13 October 1976.
  26. Web site: Remarks in Paramus, New Jersey. 13 October 1976.
  27. Web site: Remarks in Chicago, Illinois. 26 October 1976.
  28. Web site: Remarks in Livonia, Michigan. 1 November 1976.
  29. Web site: Remarks in Portland, Oregon. 25 October 1976.
  30. Web site: Remarks at a President Ford Committee Volunteers Reception in Lincoln. 8 May 1976.
  31. Web site: Remarks at a Picnic Honoring Senator Robert Dole in Russell, Kansas. 20 August 1976.
  32. Web site: Remarks iDuring an Illinois Whitlestop Tour. 16 October 1976.
  33. Web site: Remarks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 27 October 1976.
  34. Web site: Remarks at a Rally in Cincinnati, Ohio. 28 October 1976.
  35. Web site: Remarks in Columbia, South Carolina. 23 October 1976.
  36. Web site: Remarks to President Ford Committee Volunteers in Abilene. 30 April 1976.
  37. Web site: Remarks at the Connecticut State Republican Convention in Hartford. 16 July 1976.
  38. Web site: The original documents are located in Box 7, folder "Campaign – Letters of support from Former Members of Congress" of the John Marsh Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. . 1976.
  39. Web site: February 7, 1976 . Remarks at a Chamber of Commerce Dinner in Nashua, New Hampshire . 2024-04-28 . en.
  40. Web site: Remarks on Departure From Akron, Ohio. 1 November 1976.
  41. Web site: Remarks in Rockford, Illinois. 11 March 1976.
  42. Web site: Remarks at a Rally in Houston, Texas. 29 October 1976.
  43. Web site: Remarks at the Ohio State Capitol in Columbus. 1 November 1976.
  44. Web site: Remarks in Tampa, Florida. 29 February 1976.
  45. Web site: Remarks in San Jose, California. 25 May 1976.
  46. Web site: Remarks in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. 30 October 1976.
  47. Web site: Remarks at a Public Rally in Birmingham, Michigan. 12 May 1976.
  48. Web site: Remarks at the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh. 23 October 1976.
  49. Web site: Remarks in Mobile, Alabama. 26 September 1976.
  50. Web site: Remarks at a Bicentennial Celebration in Saginaw, Michigan. 16 May 1976.
  51. Web site: Remarks in La Mesa, California. 24 October 1976.
  52. Web site: Remarks in Gulfport, Mississippi. 26 September 1976.
  53. Web site: Remarks on Departure From Rochester, New York. 31 October 1976.
  54. Web site: Remarks in Northbrook, Illinois. 26 October 1976.
  55. Web site: Remarks at a Reception for Bergen County Business and Civic Leaders in Paterson, New Jersey. 6 June 1976.
  56. Web site: Remarks at the Chanute Community Foundation Reception in Rantoul, Illinois. 6 March 1976.
  57. Web site: Remarks at a Republican Party Leadership Rally in Minneapolis. 19 August 1976.
  58. Web site: Remarks Upon Arrival at Van Nuys, California. 26 May 1976.
  59. Web site: Remarks at Iowa State University in Ames. 15 October 1976.
  60. Web site: Remarks in Findlay, Ohio. 7 June 1976.
  61. Web site: Remarks in Indianapolis, Indiana. 28 October 1976.
  62. Web site: Remarks at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. 15 September 1976.
  63. Web site: Remarks in Bay St. Louis, Missouri. 26 September 1976.
  64. Web site: Remarks Aboard the SS Natchez During a Trip Along the Mississippi River in Louisiana. 25 September 1976.
  65. Web site: Remarks at the "Days of the Verdugos" Festival in Glendale, California. 8 October 1976.
  66. Web site: Remarks in Seattle, Washington. 25 October 1976.
  67. Web site: Remarks at Dedication Ceremonies for the Commerce Square Fountain in Memphis. 14 May 1976.
  68. Web site: Remarks in Richmond, Virginia. 23 October 1976.
  69. Web site: Remarks to Employees of the Rockwell International Corporation in Hawthorne, California. 7 October 1976.
  70. Web site: Remarks in Devon, Pennsylvania. 27 October 1976.
  71. Web site: Remarks on Arrival at Grand Rapids, Michigan. 15 May 1976.
  72. Web site: Remarks in Dayton, Ohio. 7 June 1976.
  73. Web site: Remarks in Fountain Valley. 24 October 1976.
  74. Web site: Remarks in Sarasota, Florida. 29 February 1976.
  75. Web site: Remarks at a President Ford Committee Leadership and Delegate Reception in Birmingham. 3 May 1976.
  76. Web site: Remarks in Pascagoula, Mississippi. 26 September 1976.
  77. Web site: Remarks in Medford, Oregon. 22 May 1976.
  78. Web site: Remarks in Union, New Jersey. 13 October 1976.
  79. Web site: Remarks on Arrival at Amarillo, Texas. 10 April 1976.
  80. Web site: Remarks in St. Louis, Missouri. 16 October 1976.
  81. Web site: Remarks to President Ford Committee Volunteers in Milwaukee. 2 April 1976.
  82. Web site: Benjamin Travis Laney Jr. (1896–1977) . January 19, 2024.
  83. Web site: Remarks in Biloxi, Mississippi. 26 September 1976.
  84. Web site: Remarks to the New York Delegation at the 1976 Republican National Convention in Kansas City. 18 August 1976.
  85. Web site: Remarks in St. Louis, Missouri. 29 October 1976.
  86. Web site: Remarks at the International Council of Shopping Centers Convention in Las Vegas. 24 May 1976.
  87. Web site: Remarks in Hauppauge, New York. 31 October 1976.
  88. Web site: Remarks in Hempstead, New York. 31 October 1976.
  89. Web site: Remarks at a Rally in Dallas, Texas. 29 April 1976.
  90. Book: Critchlow, Donald. When Hollywood was right : how movie stars, studio moguls, and big business remade American politics. 2013. New York : Cambridge University Press. 978-0-521-19918-6 . Internet Archive.
  91. Web site: Ford made brief stop in 1976. December 31, 2006.
  92. News: April 29, 1973 . AGNEW REMAINS TOP G.O.P. CHOICE: Little Damage Seen 35% in Gallup Poll Support Him for President in '76 . The New York Times . 41.
  93. News: Gallup . George . August 30, 1973 . GALLUP POLL: Agnew is losing support . 29.
  94. News: October 21, 1973 . Reagan Leads, Rockefeller Is 2d In Gallup Poll on '76 Nomination . The New York Times . 54.
  95. News: Gallup . George . March 28, 1975 . Ford, Reagan Top GOP Picks in '76 . The Hartford Courant . 20.
  96. News: Gallup . George . July 14, 1975 . Ford Support Up As 1976 Hopeful . The Hartford Courant . 5.
  97. News: Gallup . George . September 7, 1975 . Ford Widens Lead Over Rest of Field . The Washington Post . A11.
  98. News: December 12, 1975 . Gallup: Reagan Passes Ford . Newsday . 6.
  99. News: Gallup . George . July 14, 1975 . Ford Support Up As 1976 Hopeful . The Hartford Courant . 5.
  100. News: Apple . R.W. . January 11, 1976 . G.O.P. Seems Evenly Split Over Ford-Reagan Contest . The New York Times . 1.
  101. Web site: 1976 The American Presidency Project . 2024-04-27 . www.presidency.ucsb.edu.
  102. Web site: 2016-12-17 . Electoral College wasn't done deal in 1976. Will it be in 2016? . 2024-04-28 . AP News . en.
  103. Web site: AllPolitics - 1976 Debates Overview . 2024-04-27 . edition.cnn.com.
  104. Miller . Arthur H. . MacKuen . Michael . 1979 . Learning About the Candidates: The 1976 Presidential Debates . The Public Opinion Quarterly . 43 . 3 . 326–346 . 10.1086/268525 . 2748228 . 0033-362X.
  105. Web site: Reagan Elected President Order of the Arrow, Boy Scouts of America . 2024-04-27 . oa-bsa.org . en.
  106. News: Naughton . James M. . Clymer . Adam . 2006-12-27 . Gerald Ford, 38th President, Dies at 93 . 2024-04-27 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  107. News: 2021-04-20 . Former US Vice-President Walter Mondale dies aged 93 . 2024-04-27 . en-GB.
  108. Web site: 2021-12-05 . Bob Dole, WWII hero and former Republican presidential nominee, dies at 98 . 2024-04-27 . NBC News . en.
  109. News: August 10, 2007 . Carter, Rumsfeld give final salute to Ford . dead . 2024-05-01 . . 2021-05-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210516080419/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ford-funeral-idUSN0233068120070102 .

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