The Republicans experienced a contested convention that ultimately nominated incumbent President Gerald Ford , who had succeeded to the presidency in 1974 after the resignation of Richard Nixon due to the latter 's involvement in the Watergate scandal . With the Republicans badly divided , and with Ford facing questions over his competence as president , polls taken in August 1976 showed Carter with a 15-point lead . In the general election campaign , Carter continued to promote a centrist agenda , seeking to define new Democratic positions in the aftermath of the tumultuous 1960s . Above all , Carter attacked the political system , defining himself as an " outsider " who would reform Washington in the post-Watergate era . In response , Ford attacked Carter 's supposed " fuzziness " , arguing that Carter had taken vague stances on major issues . Carter and President Ford faced off in three televised debates during the 1976 election , the first such debates since 1960 . Ford was generally viewed as the winner of the first debate , but he made a major gaffe in the second debate when he stated there was " no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe . " The gaffe put an end to Ford 's late momentum , and Carter helped his own campaign with a strong performance in the third debate . Polls taken just before election day showed a very close race
contested convention
1976 Republican National Convention
Presidency of Jimmy Carter