To his credit, President Ford did request Americans to elect him with their hearts. The problem with him was that he was ultimately a Washington insider that made some mistakes in the minds of some of the people, most notably being the pardon of former President Richard Nixon though I would argue the selection of Bob Dole over Ronald Reagan might have hurt him too.
Still, the 1976 election was close with New York's 41 electoral votes being the tipping point between a Carter Presidency and Gerald Ford's full term as President.
To his credit, President Ford did request Americans to elect him with their hearts. The problem with him was that he was ultimately a Washington insider that made some mistakes in the minds of some of the people, most notably being the pardon of former President Richard Nixon though I would argue the selection of Bob Dole over Ronald Reagan might have hurt him too.
Still, the 1976 election was close with New York's 41 electoral votes being the tipping point between a Carter Presidency and Gerald Ford's full term as President.