You are pushing on a string...there was a clearer definition between candidates back then. We have now two “anti-establishment” candidates who really are not very dissimilar (except in some minds) on the policies they present. Both have conservative stances on the most important issues. If you took Trump and Cruz vs the rest you would see an even greater gap than Reagan had.
“Both have conservative stances on the most important issues.”
Right. Now it’s a question of who is most likely not to bend from those stances.