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Ronald Reagan

Presidency

Whom did Reagan defeat to win the 1980 Republican presidential nomination?

Reagan won the 1980 Republican presidential nomination over his future vice president George H. W. Bush. There were other contenders initially, including Bob Dole, U.S. senator from Kansas; Howard Baker, U.S. Senator from Tennessee; and John Anderson, a U.S. Representative from Illinois, who later ran as an independent. Bush won a few primaries, but Reagan dominated and the field had dropped out of the race by the time of the convention.