The Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July is going to be the most watched since the 1976 showdown between Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, presidential historian Craig Shirley told
Newsmax TV on Tuesday.
"The elements are all there for it to end up like that," Shirley told "America Votes: 2016" host J.D. Hayworth. "It's certainly going to be the most dramatic convention since 1976 and the most-watched convention since '76.
At the contested convention in Kansas City, Missouri, Ford narrowly beat back a strong challenge from Reagan, the former California governor.
Ford and his running mate, Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, lost the race to President Jimmy Carter. Reagan won the White House four years later.
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The July convention will be held in Cleveland, Ohio at the Quicken Loan Arena.
Both Ted Cruz and John Kasich "are heavily invested now in this campaign," Shirley told Hayworth, "and the Republican establishment is heavily invested in this campaign.
"They're not going to pick up their ball and go home.
"They're going to fight [Donald] Trump tooth and nail, which means of course Trump is going to have to fight tooth and nail to get the nomination."
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