From January 6 to July 14, 1976, voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

in the

1976 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 2, 1976. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of former Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia Governor of Georgia, governor Jimmy ...

. The major candidates were incumbent President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

and former governor of California

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

. After a series of

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

s and

caucus A caucus is a group or meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to ...

es, neither secured a majority of the delegates before the convention. This was the last election in which the Republican nominee was undetermined at the start of the party's national convention.

Background

August 1974 – February 1975: The Ford presidency begins

Following the

Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the Presidency of Richard Nixon, administration of President Richard Nixon. The scandal began in 1972 and ultimately led to Resignation of Richard Nixon, Nix ...

and resignation of President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

, Vice President Gerald Ford was elevated to the presidency on August 9, 1974. Because Ford had been appointed vice president by Nixon following the resignation of Spiro Agnew from the position, he became the only president to assume office without having been previously elected president or vice president by the

Electoral College An electoral college is a body whose task is to elect a candidate to a particular office. It is mostly used in the political context for a constitutional body that appoints the head of state or government, and sometimes the upper parliament ...

. On September 8, Ford's first major act in office was to grant a full and unconditional pardon for any crimes Richard Nixon might have committed against the United States while president. Following his pardon of Nixon, Ford's approval ratings among the American public dropped precipitously. Within a week, his approval rating fell from 69% to 49%, the steepest decline in history. The economy was in dire condition upon Ford's elevation, marked by the worst peacetime inflation in American history and the highest interest rates in a century. The Dow Jones had declined 43 percent from October 1973 to September 1974. To combat inflation, Ford first proposed a tax increase and later, in response to Democratic calls for a permanent cut in taxes, a temporary moderate decrease. Reagan publicly criticized both proposals. Race and education divided public opinion, especially over issues such as forced integration and changes to public school curriculum. Political violence over education policy broke out in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in West Virginia, most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Kanawha County, West Virginia, Kanawha County and ...

. Abortion also became a nationally salient issue after the Supreme Court's ''

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected the right to have an ...

'' decision, which was handed down the year prior in 1973 and struck down state restrictions on abortion nationwide. In the 1974 midterm elections, the Democratic Party dramatically expanded its majorities in both the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

and

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. The elections were seen as a referendum on the Republican Party post-Watergate and on the political establishment more generally. Newly elected members of Congress became known as " Watergate Babies" and aggressively pursued procedural and oversight reforms. During this period,

concluded his second term in office as governor of California. His administration was marked by efforts to dismantle the

welfare state A welfare state is a form of government in which the State (polity), state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal oppor ...

and a high-profile crackdown on urban crime and left-wing dissent, especially at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. He also led an effort to enforce the state's

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

laws but was blocked by the

California Supreme Court The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sac ...

in the '' People v. Anderson'' decision. After Reagan left office in January 1975, he began hosting a national radio show and writing a national newspaper column.

March–July 1975: Conservatives revolt and Reagan rises

Conservative opposition to Ford within the Republican Party began to surface in December 1974, following his appointment of New York Governor

Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich "Rocky" Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was the 41st vice president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford. He was also the 49th governor of New York, serving from 1959 to 197 ...

as vice president. For more than a decade, Rockefeller had represented the party's liberal wing, and the appointment faced immediate criticism from right-wing senators

Jesse Helms Jesse Alexander Helms Jr. (October 18, 1921 – July 4, 2008) was an American politician. A leader in the Conservatism in the United States, conservative movement, he served as a senator from North Carolina from 1973 to 2003. As chairman of the ...

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...

and

John Tower John Goodwin Tower (September 29, 1925 – April 5, 1991) was an American politician and military veteran who represented Texas in the United States Senate from 1961 to 1985. He was the first Republican elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas si ...

, though Rockefeller's confirmation in the Senate was largely undeterred. Discontent reached a fever pitch at the second annual

Conservative Political Action Conference The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC ) is an annual political conference attended by Conservatism in the United States, conservative Activism, activists and officials from across the United States. CPAC is hosted by the American ...

in February. Speaking there, Reagan dismissed calls to seek the presidency on a third-party ticket: "Is it a third party that we need, or is it a new and revitalized second party, raising a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors which could make it unmistakably clear where we stand on all the issues troubling the people?" Speakers at CPAC also criticized Ford administration policy, Vice President Rockefeller, and First Lady

Betty Ford Elizabeth Anne Ford (; formerly Warren; April 8, 1918 – July 8, 2011) was First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977, as the wife of President Gerald Ford. As first lady, she was active in social policy, and set a precedent as a politi ...

's public campaign in support of abortion and the

Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, United States Constitution that would explicitly prohibit sex discrimination. It is not currently a part of the Constitution, though its Ratifi ...

. In March, discussion of Reagan's presidential prospects began to grow following an appearance on ''The Tonight Show'' and a profile in ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

'' that called him "the most kinetic single presence in American political life." In defense, the administration drafted a letter of support for President Ford that received the signatures of 113 of 145 GOP representatives and 31 of 38 senators. Ford formally announced he would run for re-election on July 8. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 1974

More than any domestic issue in 1975, foreign policy drove a wedge between the president and his conservative critics. Following the American evacuation of Saigon and the collapse of South Vietnam, these criticisms grew vociferous. On his radio show, Reagan compared the withdrawal from Saigon to the

Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–194 ...

and warned that it would "tempt the Soviet Union as it once tempted Hitler and the military rulers of Japan." While Ford regained some support from conservatives following the rescue of the SS Mayaguez in Cambodia, he soon drew the ire of the party's right wing with a series of foreign policy moves designed to improve relations with the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. First, President Ford refused to meet with Soviet dissident

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn. (11 December 1918 – 3 August 2008) was a Soviet and Russian author and Soviet dissidents, dissident who helped to raise global awareness of political repression in the Soviet Union, especially the Gulag pris ...

on his visit to the United States on June 21. In response, Reagan publicly criticized Ford by name for the first time in his national newspaper column, contrasting the popular Solzhenitsyn to other guests the President had entertained in the White House, "the Strawberry Queen of West Virginia and the Maid of Cotton." The day after this column ran, Senator Paul Laxalt announced the formation of a committee named "Friends of Ronald Reagan," organized for the purpose of drafting Reagan to run for president. Ford followed the Solzhenitsyn affair with an overseas trip to Eastern Europe, where he signed the

Helsinki Accords The Helsinki Final Act, also known as Helsinki Accords or Helsinki Declaration, was the document signed at the closing meeting of the third phase of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) held in Helsinki, Finland, betwee ...

, a treaty establishing that the current boundaries of Eastern European nations were "inviolable by force." Conservatives and anti-communists harshly criticized Ford for capitulating to Soviet demands and formally recognizing the Eastern bloc. ''The Wall Street Journal'' called the Helsinki agreement the "new

Yalta Yalta (: ) is a resort town, resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crime ...

." By late August, Ford's approval rating was 34%. On September 5 in Sacramento, Ford survived the first of two attempts on his life by lone assassins. A second attempt followed on September 21. Neither assassin struck Ford.

September–December 1975: Reagan enters the race

In September, Reagan began to actively campaign in key early states. He stumped in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

for Louis Wyman in the special election for Senate and began to assemble a campaign staff led by campaign manager John Sears. He secured the endorsement of New Hampshire's conservative governor Meldrim Thomson Jr. and state party chairman, as well as support from moderate former governor Hugh Gregg. On November 4, Vice President

announced he would not seek nomination as Ford's running mate in 1976. That same day, Ford fired Secretary of Defense

James R. Schlesinger James Rodney Schlesinger (February 15, 1929 – March 27, 2014) was an American economist and statesman who was best known for serving as Secretary of Defense from 1973 to 1975 under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Prior to becom ...

, whose critical comments on the Helsinki summit had been leaked to the press earlier in the fall. That week, Ford traveled to Massachusetts and pledged to campaign in every primary in the nation. On November 20, Ronald Reagan officially announced his campaign for president.

Campaign

Ford narrowly defeated Reagan in the

New Hampshire primary The New Hampshire presidential primary is the first in a series of nationwide party primary elections and the second party contest, the first being the Iowa caucuses, held in the United States every four years as part of the process of cho ...

, and then won the Florida and Illinois primaries by comfortable margins. During the first six contests, Reagan followed the "eleventh commandment" he used during his initial campaign for governor of California: "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican." By the North Carolina primary, Reagan's campaign was nearly out of money, and it was widely believed that another defeat would force him to quit the race. But with the help of U.S. Senator

's powerful political organization, Reagan upset Ford. Reagan had abandoned the approach of invoking the commandment and beat Ford 52% to 46%, regaining momentum. Reagan then had a string of impressive victories, including Texas, where he won all delegates at stake in its first binding primary. Four other delegates chosen at the Texas state convention went to Reagan and the state shut out its U.S. senator, John G. Tower, who had been named to manage the Ford campaign on the convention floor. Ford bounced back to win his home state of Michigan, and from there, the two candidates engaged in an increasingly bitter nip-and-tuck contest for delegates. By the time the party's convention opened in August 1976, the race was still too close to call. Reagan was the first candidate to win a presidential primary against an incumbent actively running for reelection since

Estes Kefauver Carey Estes Kefauver ( ; July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1939 to 1949 and in the U.S. Senate from 1949 until h ...

defeated

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

in the 1952 New Hampshire Democratic primary. Former Texas governor

John Connally John Bowden Connally Jr. (February 27, 1917June 15, 1993) was an American politician who served as the 39th governor of Texas from 1963 to 1969 and as the 61st United States secretary of the treasury from 1971 to 1972. He began his career as a Hi ...

speculated that Reagan's attacks weakened Ford in the general election against his opponent and eventual successor,

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

Schedule and results

} , - !Nevada
47,749 !18 , 5
, style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 13
, – ,
, - !Oregon
298,535 !31 , style="background:#86bae0;" , 17
, 13
,
, – , - !Tennessee
242,543 !43 , style="background:#86bae0;" , 21
, style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 22
,
,
, - !May 29 !Virginia
district convention !3 (of 51) , – , – , – , style="background:#808080;" , 3 , - ! rowspan="3" , June 1 !Montana
89,779 !0 (of 20) ,
, style="background:#ee9f9f;" , , – ,
, - !Rhode Island
14,352 !19 , style="background:#86bae0;" , 19
,
, – ,
, - !South Dakota
84,077 !20 , 9
, style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 11
, – ,
, - ! rowspan="2" , June 5 !Colorado
district convention !3 (of 31) , – , style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 3 , – , – , - !Louisiana
convention !17 (of 41) , – , style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 14 , – , 3 , - !June 6 !Virginia
convention !21 (of 51) , – , style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 17 , – , 4 , - ! rowspan="3" , June 8 !California
2,450,511 !167 ,
, style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 167
,
, – , - !New Jersey
242,122 !67 , style="background:#86bae0;" ,
, – , – , style="background:#808080;", 67
, - , - !Ohio
965,416 !97 , style="background:#86bae0;" , 91
, 6
, – , – , - !June 12 !Missouri
convention !19 (of 49) , 1 , style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 18 , – , – , - ! rowspan="5" , June 19 !Colorado
district convention !3 (of 31) , – , style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 3 , – , – , - !Delaware
convention !17 , – , – , – , style="background:#808080;", 17 , - !Iowa
convention !36 , style="background:#86bae0;" , 19 , 17 , – , – , - !Texas
convention !4 (of 100) , – , style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 4 , – , – , - !Washington
convention !38 , 7 , style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 31 , – , – , - ! rowspan="4" , June 26 !Idaho
convention !4 (of 21) , – , style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 4 , – , – , - !Minnesota
convention !18 (of 42) , style="background:#86bae0;" , 17 , 1 , – , – , - !Montana
convention !20 , 6 , style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 14 , – , – , - !New Mexico
convention !21 , – , style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 21 , – , – , - !July 8 !North Dakota
convention !18 , – , – , – , style="background:#808080;", 18 , - !July 9 !Colorado
district conventions !9 (of 31) , 3 , style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 5 , – , 1 , - !July 10 !Colorado
convention !16 (of 31) , 1 , style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 15 , – , – , - !rowspan="2" , July 17 !Connecticut
convention !35 , style="background:#86bae0;" , 35 , – , – , – , - !Utah
convention !20 , – , style="background:#ee9f9f;" , 20 , – , – , - ! colspan="3" , 2,259 delegates
10,831,604 votes !727
!933
!0
!566
, - ! colspan="3" , Estimated Delegate Count !1,121
(49.24%) !1,078
(47.72%) !0
(0.00%) !60
(2.66%)

Candidates

This was the last time during the 20th century (and the last time to date) that a primary season had ended without a presumptive nominee.

Nominee

Eliminated at convention

Candidates who declined to run

File:Nelson Rockefeller.jpg,

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...

File:Spiro Agnew.jpg,

Spiro Agnew Spiro Theodore Agnew (; November 9, 1918 – September 17, 1996) was the 39th vice president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1973. He is the second of two vice presidents to resign, the first being John C. ...

, former

File:Elliot Richardson.png,

Elliot Richardson Elliot Lee Richardson (July 20, 1920December 31, 1999) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. As a member of the cabinets of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford between 1970 and 1977, Richardson is one of two men in United States history ...

, former

U.S. Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The attorney general acts as the principal legal advisor to the president of the ...

and Ambassador to the United Kingdom File:John Connally.jpg,

, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury File:Howard Baker photo.jpg,

Howard Baker Howard Henry Baker Jr. (November 15, 1925 June 26, 2014) was an American politician, diplomat and photographer who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 1967 to 1985. During his tenure, he rose to the rank of Senate Minority Le ...

, Senator from

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

File:James L. Buckley (cropped).jpg, James L. Buckley, Senator from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

File:Edward brooke senator.jpg,

Edward Brooke Edward William Brooke III (October 26, 1919 – January 3, 2015) was an American lawyer and Republican Party politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1967 to 1979. He was the first African American elected to t ...

, Senator from

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

File:Charlesmathiasjr.jpg,

Charles Mathias Charles McCurdy Mathias Jr. (July 24, 1922 – January 25, 2010) was an American politician and attorney from the U.S. state of Maryland. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served in both chambers of the Unit ...

, Senator from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

File:Sen. Charles Percy.jpg, Charles Percy, Senator from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

File:John Bertrand Conlan.jpg, John Conlan, Representative from

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

Endorsements

;Federal Officials *

;Former Federal Officials * Earl Butz former

United States Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments The department includes several organi ...

(1971–1976) *

former

United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

(1971–1972) *

Rogers Morton Rogers Clark Ballard Morton (September 19, 1914 – April 19, 1979) was an American politician who served as the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Commerce during the administrations of presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, ...

former

Counselor to the President Counselor to the President is a title used by high-ranking political advisors to the president of the United States and senior members of the White House Office. The current officeholders are Alina Habba and Peter Navarro. The position should no ...

(1976) ;Senators *

(R-TN) * Dewey F. Bartlett (R-OK) *

Henry Bellmon Henry Louis Bellmon (September 3, 1921 – September 29, 2009) was an American Republican politician from the U.S. State of Oklahoma. A member of the Oklahoma Legislature, he went on to become both the 18th and 23rd governor of Oklahoma, mai ...

(R-OK) * James L. Buckley (C-NY) * Clifford Case (R-NJ) * Carl Curtis (R-NE) *

Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Party leaders of the United States Senate, Republican Leader of th ...

(R-KS) * Robert P. Griffin (R-MI) *

Mark Hatfield Mark Odom Hatfield (July 12, 1922 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Factions in the Republican Party (United States)#Moderates, moderate Republican Party (United States), Republican, he se ...

(R-OR) * Roman Hruska (R-NE) * Jacob Javits (R-NY) * Paul Laxalt (R-NV) *

Bob Packwood Robert William Packwood (born September 11, 1932) is an American retired lawyer and politician from Oregon who served as a member of the United States Senate from 1969 to 1995. He resigned from the U.S. Senate under threat of expulsion, in 1995 ...

(R-OR) * James B. Pearson (R-KS) * Charles H. Percy (R-IL) * Richard Schweiker (R-PA) * Robert Taft Jr. (R-OH) *

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Before his 49 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South ...

(R-SC) *

(R-TX) *

Lowell Weicker Lowell Palmer Weicker Jr. (; May 16, 1931 – June 28, 2023) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the 85th Governor of Connecticut. Weicker unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for presi ...

(R-CT) ;Former Senators *

George Aiken George David Aiken (August 20, 1892 – November 19, 1984) was an American politician and horticulturist. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 64th governor of Vermont (1937–1941) before serving in the United States Senate for 34 ye ...

(R-VT) * Gordon Allott (R-CO) * Wallace F. Bennett (R-UT) * J. Caleb Boggs (R-DE) * John W. Bricker (R-OH) *

Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (July 5, 1902 – February 27, 1985) was an American diplomat and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate and served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations in the administration of Pre ...

(R-MA) * Harry P. Cain (R-WA) * Homer Capehart (R-IN) * Frank Carlson (R-KS) * Marlow Cook (R-KY) *

John Sherman Cooper John Sherman Cooper (August 23, 1901 – February 21, 1991) was an American politician, jurist, and diplomat from the United States. He served three non-consecutive, partial terms in the United States Senate before being elected to two fu ...

(R-KY) * Norris Cotton (R-NH) * Homer S. Ferguson (R-MI) * Leonard B. Jordan (R-ID) * Thomas Kuchel (R-CA) * Frank Lausche (D-OH) * Jack Miller (R-IA) * Thruston Morton (R-KY) *

George Murphy George Lloyd Murphy (July 4, 1902 – May 3, 1992) was an American actor and politician. Murphy was a song-and-dance leading man in many big-budget Hollywood musicals from 1930 to 1952. He was the president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1944 to ...

(R-CA) *

Leverett Saltonstall Leverett Atholville Saltonstall (September 1, 1892June 17, 1979) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He served three two-year terms as the List of Governors of Massachusetts, 55th Governor of Massachusetts, and for more th ...

(R-MA) * Milward Simpson (R-WY) ;Representatives *

John B. Anderson John Bayard Anderson (February 15, 1922 – December 3, 2017) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Illinois's 16th congressional district from 1961 to 1981. A member of ...

(R-IL) * Bill Archer (R-TX) *

John M. Ashbrook John Milan Ashbrook (September 21, 1928 – April 24, 1982) was an American politician and newspaper publisher. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the United States House of Representatives from Ohio from 1961 until his death.

(R-OH) * Skip Bafalis (R-FL) * Alphonzo E. Bell Jr. (R-CA) * Edward G. Biester Jr. (R-PA) * William Broomfield (R-MI) * Bud Brown (R-OH) * Jim Broyhill (R-NC) * John Hall Buchanan Jr. (R-AL) * Al Cederberg (R-MI) * Clair Burgener (R-CA) * Donald D. Clancy (R-OH) * Don Clausen (R-CA) * James Colgate Cleveland (R-NH) * Thad Cochran (R-MS) * Barber Conable (R-NY) * Lawrence Coughlin (R-PA) * Phil Crane (R-IL) * Samuel L. Devine (R-OH) * William L. Dickinson (R-AL) * Jack Edwards (R-AL) * Millicent Fenwick (R-NJ) * Paul Findley (R-IL) * Edwin B. Forsythe (R-NJ) * Bill Frenzel (R-MN) * Louis Frey Jr. (R-FL) * Marvin Esch (R-MI) *

Benjamin Gilman Benjamin Arthur Gilman (December 6, 1922 – December 17, 2016) was an American politician and Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Middletown, New York, from January 3, 1973, to January 3, 2003. Early life Gil ...

(R-NY) * Barry Goldwater Jr. (R-CA) * Bill Gradison (R-OH) *

Chuck Grassley Charles Ernest Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is an American politician serving as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate since 2025, a role he also held from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Re ...

(R-IA) * Tennyson Guyer (R-OH) * Tom Hagedorn (R-MI) * Bill Harsha (R-OH) * Elwood Hillis (R-IN) * Frank Horton (R-NY) *

Guy Vander Jagt Guy Adrian Vander Jagt ( ; August 26, 1931 – June 22, 2007) was a Republican politician from Michigan. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Vander Jagt was desc ...

(R-MI) * John Jarman (R-OK) * Tom Kindness (R-OH) * Del Latta (R-OH) *

Trent Lott Chester Trent Lott Sr. (born October 9, 1941) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, author, and politician who represented Mississippi in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1989 and in the United States Senate from 1989 to 2007. ...

(R-MS) * Ed Madigan (R-IL) * Robert McClory (R-IL) *

Pete McCloskey Paul Norton "Pete" McCloskey Jr. (September 29, 1927 – May 8, 2024) was an American politician who represented San Mateo County, California, as a Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1983. Born in Loma Linda, Californi ...

(R-CA) * Stewart McKinney (R-CT) * Charles Adams Mosher (R-OH) * Henson Moore (R-LA) *

Carlos Moorhead Carlos John Moorhead (May 5, 1922 – November 23, 2011) was an American lawyer and politician who served twelve terms as a United States Congressman from California from 1973 to 1997. Early life and education Born in Long Beach, he att ...

(R-CA) * John T. Myers (R-IN) *

Ron Paul Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977, and again from 1979 to 1985, as well as for Texas' ...

(R-TX) * Joel Pritchard (R-WA) * Al Quie (R-MN) * Jimmy Quillen (R-TN) * Ralph Regula (R-OH) * Matthew J. Rinaldo (R-NJ) * J. Kenneth Robinson (R-VA) *

John H. Rousselot John Harbin Rousselot (November 1, 1927 – May 11, 2003) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from southern California. Although the territory he represented was generally the same, in eastern Los Angeles County ...

(R-CA) * Ronald A. Sarasin (R-CT) * Dick Schulze (R-PA) *

Keith Sebelius Keith George Sebelius (September 10, 1916 – August 5, 1982) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican. He became active in politics following World War II and was later appointed to ...

(R-KS) *

Bud Shuster Elmer Greinert "Bud" Shuster ( ; January 23, 1932 – April 19, 2023) was an American politician who represented Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican from 1973 to 2001. He was ...

(R-PA) * Gene Snyder (R-KY) * Floyd Spence (R-SC) * J. William Stanton (R-OH) * Tom Steed (D-OK) * Alan Steelman (R-TX) *

Dave Treen David Conner Treen Sr. (July 16, 1928 – October 29, 2009) was an American politician and attorney at law (United States), attorney from Louisiana. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Treen served as United State ...

(R-LA) * Richard Vander Veen (R-MI) * Charles W. Whalen Jr. (R-OH) *

Charles E. Wiggins Charles Edward Wiggins (December 3, 1927 – March 2, 2000) was a United States representative from California, and later a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He was initially elected to Cali ...

(R-CA) * Bob Wilson (R-CA) * Chalmers Wylie (R-OH) *

Bill Young William, Will, Bill or Billy Young may refer to: Arts and entertainment * William Young (composer) (died 1662), English composer and viola da gambist * William Young (architect) (1843–1900), Scottish architect, designer of Glasgow City Chambe ...

(R-FL) ;Former Representatives * E. Ross Adair (R-IN) *

Glenn Andrews Arthur Glenn Andrews (January 15, 1909 – September 25, 2008) was an American politician and a United States representative from Alabama. Biography Andrews was born in Anniston in Calhoun County in North Alabama, a son of Roger Lee Andrews ...

(R-AL) * William Hanes Ayres (R-OH) * LaMar Baker (R-TN) * James F. Battin (R-MT) * Page Belcher (R-OK) * E. Y. Berry (R-SD) * Jackson Edward Betts (R-OH) * Benjamin B. Blackburn (R-GA) * Frances P. Bolton (R-OH) * William G. Bray (R-IN) *

Donald G. Brotzman Donald Glenn Brotzman (June 28, 1922 – September 15, 2004) was a U.S. Representative from Colorado. As of 2025, he remains the last republican to have represented Colorado's 2nd district in the House of Representatives. History Brotzman was bo ...

(R-CO) *

Joel Broyhill Joel Thomas Broyhill (November 4, 1919 – September 24, 2006) was an American politician aligned with the Republican Party who served as a Congressman from Virginia for 11 terms, from 1953 to 1974. He represented Virginia's 10th congress ...

(R-VA) * D. Emmert Brumbaugh (R-PA) * Hamer Budge (R-ID) *

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

(R-TX) * John W. Byrnes (R-WI) * Bo Callaway (R-GA) * John Newbold Camp (R-OK) * John Chenoweth (R-CO) * Harold Collier (R-IL) * William M. Colmer (D-MS) * William Sheldrick Conover (R-PA) * Sam Coon (R-OR) * William C. Cramer (R-FL) * Paul W. Cronin (R-MA) * Glenn Cunningham (R-NE) * Glenn R. Davis (R-WI) * John R. Dellenback (R-OR) * Robert V. Denney (R-NE) * David W. Dennis (R-IN) * Edwin Durno (R-OR) * Charles H. Elston (R-OH) * Hamilton Fish III (R-NY) * O. C. Fisher (D-TX) * Harold V. Froelich, (R-WI) * Ed Foreman (R-NM) * Ezekiel C. Gathings (D-AR) * Edith Green (D-OR) * Ezekiel C. Gathings (D-AR) * George A. Goodling (R-PA) * James R. Grover Jr. (R-NY) * Charles Gubser (R-CA) * G. Elliott Hagan (D-GA) * Leonard W. Hall (R-NY) * Charles Halleck (R-IN) * Seymour Halpern (R-NY) * Orval Hansen (R-ID) * Robert P. Hanrahan (R-IL) * William Henry Harrison III (R-WY) * R. James Harvey (R-MI) * Jeffrey P. Hillelson (R-MO) * Patrick J. Hillings (R-CA) * Lawrence Hogan (R-MD) * Joseph F. Holt (R-CA) * Craig Hosmer (R-CA) * Robert J. Huber (R-MI) * William H. Hudnut III (R-IN) * John E. Hunt (R-NJ) * Charles R. Jonas (R-NC) * Walter Judd (R-MN)Robert Kean Robert Winthrop Kean (September 28, 1893 – September 21, 1980) was an American Republican Party politician from the state of New Jersey. Kean represented parts of Essex County, New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives from 1 ...

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. *

Pete Wilson Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American attorney and politician who served as governor of California from 1991 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Wilson previously served as a United S ...

Mayor of

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

;Former Mayor *

Richard Lugar Richard Green Lugar ( ; April 4, 1932 – April 28, 2019) was an American politician who served as a United States Senate, United States Senator from Indiana from 1977 to 2013. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republ ...

Mayor of

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

;Individuals *

Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. Nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He was known for ...

boxer * Johnny Grant radio personality * S. I. Hayakawa President of

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is ...

Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (; born January 21, 1940), nicknamed "the Golden Bear", is an American retired professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greate ...

golfer ;Baseball *

Andy Etchebarren Andrew Auguste Etchebarren (June 20, 1943 – October 5, 2019) was an American people, American professional baseball player and minor league Manager (baseball), manager. He played for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball as a catcher in and then ...

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

catcher * Bill Freehan

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

catcher *

Joe Garagiola Joseph Henry Garagiola Sr. (February 12, 1926 – March 23, 2016) was an American professional baseball catcher, and later a radio and television personality with a varied career. He played nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the ...

former

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

catcher *

Steve Garvey Steven Patrick Garvey (born December 22, 1948) is an American former professional Major League Baseball player who played first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres from 1969 to 1987. Garvey began his major league career wit ...

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

first baseman * Ken Griffey Sr.

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

outfielder * Ted Kluszewski

coach *

Pete Rose Peter Edward Rose Sr. (April 14, 1941 – September 30, 2024), nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a member of ...

infielder *

Don Sutton Donald Howard Sutton (April 2, 1945 – January 19, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sutton won a total of 324 games, pitched 58 s ...

pitcher ;Basketball * Johnny Orr

Michigan Wolverines men's basketball The Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team is the College basketball, intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in NCAA Division I, Division I of the Nationa ...

head coach ;Football *

Lance Alworth Lance Dwight Alworth (born August 3, 1940), nicknamed "Bambi", is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL), and the Dal ...

former

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

wide receiver *

Bear Bryant Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of ...

Alabama Crimson Tide football The Alabama Crimson Tide football program represents the University of Alabama (variously Alabama, UA, or Bama) in the sport of American football. The Alabama Crimson Tide, Crimson Tide competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the Nat ...

head coach *

Woody Hayes Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes (February 14, 1913 – March 12, 1987) was an American college football coach and player. He served as the head football coach at Denison University from 1946 to 1948, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio from 1949 to 195 ...

Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing Ohio State University in the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State has played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, since 1 ...

head coach * Ron Kramer former

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

end *

Tom Landry Thomas Wade Landry ( ; September 11, 1924 – February 12, 2000) was an American professional football coach, player, and World War II veteran. Regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, he was the first head coach of the Dallas ...

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

head coach ;Actors and Actresses *

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

Chuck Connors Kevin Joseph "Chuck" Connors (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992) was an American actor and professional basketball and baseball player. He is one of only 13 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have played in both Majo ...

* Bob Dornan *

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006), known as Glenn Ford, was a Canadian-born American actor. He was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of th ...

Zsa Zsa Gabor Zsa Zsa Gabor ( , ; born Sári Gábor ; February 6, 1917 – December 18, 2016) was a Hungarian Americans, Hungarian-American socialite and actress. Her sisters were socialites and actresses Eva Gabor and Magda Gabor. Gabor competed in the ...

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

Peter Graves Peter Graves (born Peter Duesler Aurness; March 18, 1926 – March 14, 2010) was an American actor who portrayed Jim Phelps in the television series ''Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series), Mission: Impossible'' from 1967 to 1973 and in its reviv ...

* Jayne Meadows *

Ed Nelson Edwin Stafford Nelson (December 21, 1928 – August 9, 2014) was an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Michael Rossi in the television series ''Peyton Place (TV series), Peyton Place''. Nelson appeared in episodes of many TV p ...

Hugh O'Brian Hugh O'Brian (born Hugh Charles Krampe; April 19, 1925 – September 5, 2016) was an American actor and humanitarian, best known for his starring roles in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC Western (genre), Western television series ' ...

* Dale Robertson *

Wayne Rogers William Wayne McMillan Rogers III (April 7, 1933 – December 31, 2015) was an American actor, known for playing the role of Captain "Trapper" John McIntyre in the CBS television series '' M*A*S*H'' and as Dr. Charley Michaels on '' House Call ...

* Forrest Tucker *John Wayne ;Musicians *Pearl Bailey singer *Sonny Bono singer *Roy Clark guitarist *Ella Fitzgerald singer *Lionel Hampton vibraphonist *Al Hirt trumpeter *Rod McKuen singer

Polling

National polling

Before August 1974

August 1974 – December 1975

Head-to-head polling

Convention

1976RepublicanPresidentialNominationVotePathed

The 1976 Republican National Convention was held in Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City. As the convention began, Ford was seen as having a slight lead in delegate votes, but fewer than the 1,130 he needed to win. Reagan and Ford competed for the votes of individual delegates and state delegations. In a bid to woo moderate Northern Republicans, Reagan shocked the convention by announcing that if he won the nomination, Senator Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania, from the northern liberal wing of the party, would be his running mate. The move backfired, however, as few moderates switched to Reagan while many conservative delegates were outraged. The key state of Mississippi, which Reagan needed, narrowly voted for Ford; it was believed that Reagan's choice of Schweiker led Clarke Reed, Mississippi's chairman, to switch to Ford. Ford then narrowly won the nomination on the first ballot. He chose Senator Robert Dole of Kansas as his running mate. After giving his acceptance speech, Ford asked Reagan to say a few words to the convention.

Results

Convention tally:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 1976 1976 United States Republican presidential primaries, Gerald Ford Ronald Reagan

Background

August 1974 – February 1975: The Ford presidency begins

March–July 1975: Conservatives revolt and Reagan rises

September–December 1975: Reagan enters the race

Campaign

Schedule and results

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated at convention

Candidates who declined to run

Endorsements

Polling

National polling

Before August 1974

August 1974 – December 1975

Head-to-head polling

Convention

Results

See also

References