Wilentz traces the start of the Reagan era to the Watergate scandal , which ended the presidency of Richard Nixon and created an opening for a new Republican leader . Along with the Watergate scandal , the assassination of John F. Kennedy , the Vietnam War , and poor economic conditions created widespread public alienation from political leaders in the mid-1970s . A mass movement of population from the cities to the suburbs led to the creation of a new group of voters less attached to New Deal economic policies and machine politics . Reagan and other conservatives successfully presented conservative ideas as an alternative to a public that had grown disillusioned with New Deal liberalism . Reagan 's charisma and speaking skills helped him frame conservatism as an optimistic , forward-looking vision for the country . Reagan challenged Nixon 's successor , incumbent President Gerald Ford , in the 1976 Republican presidential primaries . Ford defeated Reagan to win the presidential nomination at the 1976 Republican National Convention , but he lost in the general election to the Democratic nominee , Jimmy Carter
1976 Republican National Convention
1976 Republican National Convention
Reagan Era