As a result , the major party presidential nominating convention has lost almost all of its old drama . The last attempt to release delegates from their candidates came at the 1980 Democratic National Convention , when Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts sought votes of delegates held by incumbent President Jimmy Carter . The last major party convention whose outcome was in doubt was the 1976 Republican National Convention , when former California Governor Ronald Reagan nearly won the nomination away from the incumbent President , Gerald Ford
1976 Republican National Convention
1976 Republican National Convention
United States presidential nominating convention