Ted Kennedy (D) vs. Ronald Reagan (R), 1976

[CPT MikeyMike]

Reagan/Schweiker: 377
Kennedy/Stevenson: 161

[CPT MikeyMike]

Kennedy/Carter: 50% PV, 276 EV
Reagan/Weicker: 49% PV, 262 EV

No logic AGAIN!

How does a Democrat win the New England states of VT, NH and ME? If JFK or Dukakis couldn't then Teddy couldn't. They were solid Republican until 1992.

Why would Reagan pick Weicker? Reagan correctly labeled Weicker as a "a no-good pompous fat head." Besides Reagan had already announced Schweiker would be his running mate prior to the convention.

[CPT MikeyMike]

[On your first point, I reason that by 1976, the GOP hold on those states was not resolute, and that the liberal Kennedy would be able to capture those states. 

Still poor reasoning. Still strong Republican states through 1988. Again JFK lost all three, Carter lost all three, Mondale lost all three and Dukakis lost all three. Teddy would have lost all three easily.

On your point about Weicker, Reagan decides that Weicker would do better hitting Kennedy's New England base than Schweiker would.

LOL...terrible selection. Weicker was a RINO X 1000. There were a lot of better Republicans in New England than Weicker such as Eliot Richardson. Plus Schweiker would have been key in Pennsylvania.

[CPT MikeyMike]

When JFK lost them, they were still solid, I will give you that.  In 1976, Carter was a conservative Southerner running against a Northeastern liberal, 1980, 1984, and 1988 were landslides, so I find it difficult to call them "solid" by that point.

It was solid until the Religous Right came into the picture - late 80s and early '90s.