ABSTRACT
The Clash of the Titans contains the biggest question mark of all the scenarios. In every example since 1976, the incumbent president or vice president has won, and the winner was known well in advance of any primaries. Of all the incumbent presidents who have ever sought reelection, Gerald Ford had the weakest claim to his party's nomination. Ford had reached the presidency without ever having run on a national ticket. In October 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned under investigation for accepting bribes and kickbacks. In 1976, Jimmy Carter had won the presidency by campaigning as an outsider. The peanut farmer and former Georgia governor promised to clean up the ethical swamp of Washington in the wake of Watergate. He had won the Democratic nomination by going straight to the Democratic voters and, in the end, the party leaders had to accept him.
