Undertaken in conjunction with the 1976 presidential election, this study examined perceptions of Gerald R. Ford against conceptualizations of the ideal political candidate. Questionnaires were administered to 321 undergraduates (both Republicans and Democrats) in order to measure perceived credibility and homophily of the ideal candidate and of Ford. Results indicate that it is more important to a member of either party that a candidate appear to possess certain qualities than to be perceived as similar in beliefs, attitudes, background, or personality. Democrats and Republicans vary only slightly in their perceptions of the ideal candidate. Republicans perceived Ford as more credible and more similar to themselves on attitude-belief items. Democrats apparently did not see Ford as being similar to themselves in any respect, although they rated him highly on experience, character, and intelligence. Republicans saw Ford as deviating from the ideal on only a few credibility items, while Democrats perceived deviation on several credibility and homophily items. Neither party saw Ford as matching the ideal in terms of poise, reliability, justice, responsibility, or competence. (Recommendations for further research and tables of findings are included.) (DF)