Does a first term president automatically become that partys candidate for the next election or can the party choose someone else to run for the next term?
No, there is no automatic nomination by the parties for a sitting president. An incumbent president still has to go through their party’s nominating procedure and people are free to run against them. In recent years, for example: – in 1976, President Gerald Ford faced a tough primary battle with Ronald Reagan. Going into the convention most believed the race was actually too close to call. Ford was renominated but lost the general election. – in 1980, President Jimmy Carter had a bitter battle for the nomination with Ted Kennedy. Carter won a majority of the delegates but Kennedy refused to concede and tried to get the rules changed at the convention so delegates could vote for whomever they wanted. His effort failed, but in the general election so did Carter’s reelection bid. – in 1992, President George Bush fought off a challenge from Pat Buchanan. However, to help consolidate the base he moderated his views and let Buchanan give the keynote address at the convention. His plan eviden
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