Gerald Ford, who had never entered a national election, succeeded to both the vice presidency and the presidency without having received a single vote. "Our long national nightmare is over," he intoned on the day of his ascension to the presidency. It fell to him, then, to lead a weary nation following the deluge of cynicism brought about by Watergate. A combative Congress did little to ensure legislative successes, and a turbulent economy further dampened the Ford administration's hopes to win over an increasingly cynical public. Learn more with this resource from American Experience: "The Presidents."