The Supposed Reagan-Ford Ticket

With the death of Gerald Ford you have probably read or heard about how supposedly in 1980 there was a movement to put Gerald Ford on the Republican ticket with Ronald Reagan in what some had termed a “co-Presidency”. I don’t think Reagan ever really considered it seriously and I doubt that Gerald Ford ever really considered accepting if asked. However, there is an interesting story about what may have been the final nail in the coffin of the idea.

The story is told by Richard Allen (page 43 - PDF):

…with only one serious person coming up to see Reagan [at the 1980 Detroit Republican Convention to discuss the possible Reagan-Ford ticket]. That was [Bill] Simon [Secretary of the Treasury under both Nixon and Ford]. He was not really a challenger for the job [of VP], but his name had been mentioned, and he said to Reagan, “Take me out of it. If you don’t, and if you do this with Ford, you’ll be a whore.” I didn’t put that in [a newspaper article Allen wrote describing how the VP was chosen in 1980], out of respect for Bill Simon, but that’s precisely what he said, “You’ll be a whore, Ron,” and he looked at me and said, “and you know it too, don’t you, Dick Allen.” So I thanked Simon when he left, said he had done a very courageous thing, coming to take himself out of it and make sure that they didn’t pick Ford.

I’d be surprised if anyone brought up adding Ford to the ticket after that.