1976 is seen as having set Reagan up for the 1980 election. However, what if it hadn't? Reagan was quite old by 1980, and already had a long career behind him. He had tried and failed to win the 1968 nomination, tried and failed to become Nixon's vice president, and tried and failed to become the nominee in 1976. What if 1976 was the final opportunity Reagan took to run, deciding instead to stay out of the race for politics after that loss?