All will be revealed in good time, of course... To give a bit of a sneak peek into the Republican primaries in 1980, though Reagan is expected to be far and away the frontrunner (and as a result, many would-be candidates are sitting this year out), he is not the only candidate gearing up for the race. Other Republicans interested in mounting a bid for the nomination include:
1. Bob Dole - Moderate to conservative Senator from Kansas and the Senate Minority leader for the past several years, Dole will (probably) make for a pretty lackluster candidate compared to Reagan. He's not nearly as charismatic, for one thing. What Dole
does have, is connections in Washington, and a unique strategy. He hopes to appeal to the more moderate wing of the party and sell himself as a champion of compromise compared to the more openly right-wing Reagan. How that will fare in a party primary, rather than a general election... Only time will tell. There's something of an "electability" argument that Dole will try to make.
2. Al Haig - An interesting one, and also a longshot. Alexander Haig is, ITTL, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, as of May 1979. Having previously served in the Korean War, then as an aide to Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, then again as a battalion commander in Cambodia, General Haig has won a number of medals, becoming a highly decorated officer. He later served in the Romney and Bush administrations, even becoming National Security Advisor for a time under the latter. Another case of "bipartisan credential" flexing, Haig will try to mount a foreign policy-centered campaign, talking about "winning" the Cold War.
3. Richard M. Nixon - I know, I know. You must be thinking: "Lincoln, have you gone mad?! Nixon's been out of elected office for nearly twenty years! He failed to win the GOP primary in '68 against Romney, then had a pretty lackluster turn as Secretary of State before being unceremoniously sacked by President Bush after the fiasco where Nixon and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger tried to stage a coup in Chile without the President's knowledge or consent." And... yeah, that's all true. But Nixon ITTL has grown increasingly paranoid and increasingly isolated. He's extremely bitter for all the "mistreatment" he feels he's received at the hands of "elitists" like Bush and the Kennedys. Old Tricky Dicky will be 67 years old in 1980. A couple years younger than Reagan, even. If there's even a chance that he might be able to win the nomination, or even influence the outcome at the convention, he might just be deluded enough to try.
I repeat, all three of these other candidates are considered long shots by most in the political world. Reagan
should have this thing sewn up, right?
. A question, @President_Lincoln: Will the Udall administration create legislation or law that would increase government investment in vocational/trade schools? Something that would encourage and support young people in going into blue-collar jobs to help America sustain a healthy number of blue-collar workers?
