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[[File:1976 Republican National Convention.jpg|right|thumb|325px|Reagan and Ford at the 1976 Republican National Convention]][[Vice President of the United States of America|Vice President]] [[Gerald Ford]] assumed the office of the [[Presidency]] in the midst of an extremely difficult domestic and international situation when President [[Richard Nixon]] resigned. Ford is credited with restoring dignity and trust back to the White House, but having been President less than 2 years and having pardoned Richard Nixon which upset a large percentage of a confused populace, Ford had an uphill battle to win an election for President in his own right.  In the primary he narrowly defeated California governor [[Ronald Reagan]], a contest that went all the way to the election floor between Ford was declared the winner.  The Democrats nominated political-unknown [[Jimmy Carter]], Governor of [[Georgia]] and peanut farmer, who easily won his party's nomination.  Ford campaigned on his success in his short term in the White House, while Carter campaigned based on the discontent fostered by what is known as the [[Vietnam syndrome]] and [[Misery index]] -- an index that would later come back to haunt him in the [[United States presidential election, 1980|1980 election]].  Carter basically told the people to believe in him while being short on specifics as to what that meant other than restoring America's place in the world.

[[File:1976 Republican National Convention.jpg|right|thumb|325px|Reagan and Ford at the 1976 Republican National Convention]][[Vice President of the United States of America|Vice President]] [[Gerald Ford]] assumed the office of the [[Presidency]] in the midst of an extremely difficult domestic and international situation when President [[Richard Nixon]] resigned. Ford is credited with restoring dignity and trust back to the White House, but having been President less than 2 years and having pardoned Richard Nixon which upset a large percentage of a confused populace, Ford had an uphill battle to win an election for President in his own right.   

The live televised [[Presidential Debates]] also played an important part in the election.  Ford looked better in the first debate, but lost his support in the second due to a perceived gaffe he made about Eastern Europe -- which would prove to be true less than 15 years later.  In the final outcome, Carter narrowly beat Ford in the election.<ref>  [[Encyclopedia of Presidents, Gerald Ford]], by Paul P. Sipiera, Children's Press, 1989, pp. 82-83.  </ref>  <ref>  [[Encyclopedia of Presidents, James Carter]], by Linda R. Wade, Children's Press, 1989, pp. 53, 56-57.</ref>  Ford had been way behind in the polls and his return to make it a tight race was considered very impressive.   

 

 

The live televised [[Presidential Debates]] also played an important part in the election - the first between presidential candidates since the Kennedy-Nixon debates of 1960.  Ford looked better in the first debate, but lost his support in the second due to a perceived gaffe he made about Eastern Europe -- which would prove to be true less than 15 years later.   

 

In the final outcome, Carter narrowly beat Ford in the election.<ref>  [[Encyclopedia of Presidents, Gerald Ford]], by Paul P. Sipiera, Children's Press, 1989, pp. 82-83.  </ref>  <ref>  [[Encyclopedia of Presidents, James Carter]], by Linda R. Wade, Children's Press, 1989, pp. 53, 56-57.</ref>  Ford had been way behind in the polls and his return to make it a tight race was considered very impressive.   

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