He llied. He tried to make it sound as though he wasn’t involved in politics at the time. HE WAS RUNNING FOR A SENATE SEAT when he said he didn’t want a return to the Reagan era. Does anyone seriously believe he didn’t know who Reagan was at the time?
While the question was his closeness to Reagan politically
He answered the question as if he was asked if he had met Reagan, walked with him and knew him personally by saying "Of course The Speaker was closer to Reagan back then because he was The Speaker."
He's a snake and he's trying to hide his differences between his political beliefs and those of Reagan.
And you are right about what he said in the debate between him and Kennedy. In the video when Kennedy tried to compare him (Romney) to Reaganism, you could see the look on Rommey's face. He was offended to be compared to Reagan.
Romney is further from Reagan than John McCain.
All we have to do is remember Romney's answer to the question: "What have you ever done for the conservative movement?"
He said he got married and started a business. Period.