The 1976 Republican National Convention was the culmination of a six-month struggle for what one national TV news reporter deemed “the soul of the Republican Party.” ...

The magic number needed to capture the Republican presidential nomination in 1976 was 1,130 delegates, and Ronald Reagan was oh so close as the national convention prepared to convene.

FILE - Clarke Reed, who was chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party from 1966-76, discusses the contested 1976 Republican National Convention in Greenville, Miss., on April 6, 2016. (AP Photo ...

Clarke Reed, who was chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party from 1966-76, discusses the contested 1976 Republican National Convention in Greenville, Miss., on April 6, 2016.

During the 1976 Republican National Convention, delegates were closely divided between President Gerald Ford and former California Gov. Ronald Reagan. Reed united the Mississippi delegation behind ...

During the 1976 Republican National Convention, delegates were closely divided between President Gerald Ford and former California Gov. Ronald Reagan.

Clarke Reed, a Mississippi businessman who developed the Republican Party in his home state and across the South starting in the 1960s, died Sunday at his home in Greenville, Mississippi. He was 96.

During the 1976 Republican National Convention, delegates were closely divided between President Gerald Ford and former California Gov. Ronald Reagan.

Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Clarke Reed, a Mississippi businessman who developed the Republican Party in his home state and across the South starting in the 1960s, died Sunday at his ...

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Clarke Reed, a Mississippi businessman who developed the Republican Party in his home state and across the South starting in the 1960s, died Sunday at his home in ...