The Nation: Sears: reagan's High-Roller

During an airborne poker game aboard a 1968 Nixon campaign flight, the Electra shuddered, then dived—suddenly and steeply. A pot of greenbacks and a few coins went sailing down the aisle; little of it was ever retrieved. It was one of the few times when John Sears did not win at poker. Sears is currently playing for infinitely higher stakes as Ronald Reagan's campaign manager. Thus, when the Californian's presidential hopes took a nosedive last month, Gambler Sears was forced to try to salvage the situation. By persuading Reagan to announce that Pennsylvania...

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