WI: Reagan picks Rumsfeld as his running mate

That was not the case. Reagan was considering a number of VPs, most notably Former President Gerald Ford. It wasn't until negotiations with Ford fell through at the last minute that he even considered choosing Bush as his running mate. Reagan had such an overwhelming lead in delegates that he did not need Bush to win the nomination.

This is true, but Reagan's hand wasn't completely free either. If he picked someone as conservative as himself to be his VP, he'd alienate some moderate republicans and a number of "Reagan Democrats" that voted for him in OTL. He still would've won the election, but I think he'd have a much tougher time doing it.

With that said, supposedly, according to some, Ford would've recommended Rummy to Reagan had he had his number at hand but since he didn't, Ford recommended Bush.
 
Top