’76 a window into ugliness of a GOP contested convention
Clarke Reed and Billy Mounger still sound like they want to spit when they talk about each other — 40 years after the contested Republican National Convention where the Mississippi delegation split between President Gerald Ford and smooth-talking Ronald Reagan.
As the GOP stares down the possibility of a contested convention this summer if neither Donald Trump nor Ted Cruz wins enough delegates to secure the presidential nomination, that bitter fight in 1976 provides a window into just how ugly things could get.
Reed, who first supported Reagan but ultimately backed Ford, and Mounger, who stuck with Reagan, were once close friends who traveled to GOP functions together. The rift created by that chaotic, high-pressure convention was never repaired.
AP BigStory
4/28/16
