Ford reluctantly agreed to run for office in 1976 , but first he had to counter a challenge for the Republican party nomination . Former Governor of California Ronald Reagan and the party 's conservative wing faulted Ford for failing to do more in South Vietnam , for signing the Helsinki Accords , and for negotiating to cede the Panama Canal . ( Negotiations for the canal continued under President Carter , who eventually signed the Torrijos – Carter Treaties . ) Reagan launched his campaign in autumn of 1975 and won numerous primaries , including North Carolina , Texas , Indiana , and California , but failed to get a majority of delegates ; Reagan withdrew from the race at the Republican Convention in Kansas City , Missouri . The conservative insurgency did lead to Ford dropping the more liberal Vice President Nelson Rockefeller in favor of U.S. Senator Bob Dole of Kansas
Republican Convention
1976 Republican National Convention
Gerald Ford