1976 without Roe v. Wade

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Ford and Carter were both as non-committal and ambiguous on abortion as they could be in order to try and keep their coalitions together.  You could easily believe whichever candidate you liked more for other reasons was more pro-life/pro-choice than the other, so it's hard to see it making a net difference.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Come to think of it, there is one significant way Roe v Wade probably made a difference:

Without it, the pro-life movement isn't so energized to help Bob Dole get re-elected in his close Senate race in 1974.   Thus he wouldn't be Ford's VP candidate.   Whoever Ford picks instead could have an impact on the result.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Come to think of it, there is one significant way Roe v Wade probably made a difference:

Without it, the pro-life movement isn't so energized to help Bob Dole get re-elected in his close Senate race in 1974.   Thus he wouldn't be Ford's VP candidate.   Whoever Ford picks instead could have an impact on the result.

Interesting. If Bob Dole lost re-election, it is possible that Gerald Ford would have kept Nelson Rockefeller on board as his running mate. A Ford-Rockefeller would have definitely lost Virginia and Oklahoma, but would have had a strong chance at picking up New York and Wisconsin, which would have secured Gerald Ford a narrow victory.

I expect Ford would still try to pick a VP that conservatives would feel okay about.