Did Reagan actually endorse Bush before the primaries were over? I thought he had waited until the nomination was sewn up.
No, Reagan did not endorse Bush until he had the nomination secured. However, Dole always kept his distance from Reagan. Kemp and Reagan were also not close. Bush could campaign on his 8 years of loyal service to Reagan.
Reagan was a great spokesman for conservatism. Perhaps his greatest failure was in not developing a truly conservative successor.