I don’t question Ford’s honor, but he absolutely wasn’t cut from conservative cloth. ‘76 was the cusp of the Reagan revolution and Fred was AWOL.
As opposed to which candidate? The others NEVER arrived.
Is this really the best you can do?
In ‘76, I thought Reagan to be too conservative.
In ‘80, I got out of a sickbed to go vote for him!
Who knows what would have happened had he been nominated in ‘76?
But, one thing is for sure...the Republican Party was gravely damaged by the Nixon administration.
Reagan may not have been able to win the election in ‘76.
Yes, the cusp, but not quite there yet.