There were about seven candidates at the start in 1980.
Nobody made any headway but Reagan and Bush (and Anderson), so the others exited early on.
That was one of many signs that the party was more united behind Reagan in 1980 than it is behind Trump now.
The bottom line is that a majority of primary voters cast their ballot for Reagan in 1980.
No candidate got a majority in the primaries this time (there may be some caucus votes in the totals, but I don't think that changes the overall picture).
I'm not putting Donald Trump down. I'm just suggesting we tone down the exaggerated claims and flawed comparisons.
OK, then the argument doesn't hold as much water. Still a considerable amount inasmuch Trumps message will reverberate maybe more than any political figure in the history of the USA. The Reagan revolution came about from what he earned while in office. His impact became truth. Had he lost somehow youd be hard pressed to find him in a footnote. If Trump loses youll never hear the end of it. This is Washington crossing the Delaware yet again. These times very much as desperate as then insofar the original concept is at risk of death.