FAMOUS HIGHLIGHTS AT GOP CONVENTIONS

The Republican convention of 1976 in Kansas City was the last that took place without the nominee’s already having been decided in the primaries. Incumbent President Gerald Ford and former California Gov. Ronald Reagan had waged a fierce battle in the primaries, but neither had won enough delegates for nomination by the time of the August convention. Both men came to town early to win over uncommitted delegates. In an effort to placate moderate and liberal Republicans, Reagan chose moderate Pennsylvania Sen. Richard Schwiecker as his running mate; the tactic didn’t work, however, and Ford locked up the nomination. But Reagan had established himself in the eyes of many as being the “heart of the Republican Party” and became the nominee in waiting, winning the Republican nomination and the White House in 1980.