The only person Ronald Reagan trailed in any poll leading up to 1980 was (strangely) Gerald Ford.
There's an oft-repeated refrain here at FR that goes something like - "Look how unpopular Reagan was during the 1980 primary campaign, yada, yada, yada".
It's not true. Reagan was always one of the two frontrunners along with Ford, and once Ford was unequivocal in his decision to not run, Reagan never had even a moment of competition.
I can’t find any pre primary polling from the day strangely enough on line. I have a different view of 1979. Baker and Bush were strong until the Primaries which were a sweep for Reagan. The Ford hype at the time was a media fabrication because he said he wasn’t going to run. Remember all the BS at the convention from Cronkite on Reagan/Ford? Much like the Christie hype today. You are most likely right, but I am not the only one who had that impression of the early part of that election cycle before the states voted.
Found this fun spot when digging to confirm my fuzzy memories that I didn’t remember.
http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1980/pres-ford