But in 1980, Reagan never fell as low as Walker is now. A June 1979 Washington Post poll found Reagan lapping the field, with 43 percent support to just 16 percent for then-fast-fading former Texas governor John Connolly. A September 1979 poll, which asked voters how they’d lean if former president Ford entered the race, found Reagan at 29 percent and Ford at just 21 percent.
Metaphorically likening yourself to Reagan can only take you so far.