Ford kept Rocky in 76

[Elephant_trail]

In 1976,Ford picked Bob Dole senator from Kansas to be his running, refused to replace
Nelson
Rockefeller as number 2 on the ticket would the Reagan challenge in the primary be even stronger??

 

[Boland]

I believe he probably would’ve won if he had given Richard Nixon a specific pardon instead of a general one in addition to keeping Nelson Rockefeller as his running mate instead of picking Bob Dole.

 

[AndrewH]

Well he only picked Bob Dole at the RNC because of the primary’s, so no it wouldn’t have much of an effect on Reagan’s challenge - unless you’re talking about the chicanery at the RNC, which yes, it probably would’ve negated Reagan’s fumble with Schweiker and could’ve got him the nomination.

 

[Visigoethe]

Rockefeller represented everything the conservative insurgents hated about the Republican Party and most despised him more than any Democratic president. If he isn’t trampled at the convention he’ll still have ended up alienating the primary base of the party in return for a few points in New York (the rest of the Northeast and Tri-State area was already maxed out for Ford).