Let's say, for whatever reason, though I'm sure exact divergences can be found, Jimmy Carter stays out of the 1976 Presidential election entirely. I'm not asking for him to be defeated in the primary. I am asking what might happen if he never enters the race in the first place. Without his presence, how does the 1976 Democratic Primary season turn out, and who would be the nominee in Carter's place? Note, I am not asking who would be the most interesting nominee, or necessarily who would be the best general election candidate or even who would make the best President. I am asking who would be in the most advantageous position to win the Democratic nomination in this timeline.
As an additional question, would said candidate have defeated Ford? If so, how, if at all, would his Presidency have differed from Carter's historical term?