Contenders for Agnew's Job

Speculation on a possible successor to Vice President Agnew raises the question of how much weight President Nixon places on his choice of a stand-in vice president.

Nixon could use this opportunity to try to handpick his own 1976 successor, but some political analysts predict he will choose a figure who is "above politic," and who would exit from the political arena at the end of Nixon's terms.

Speculation has not yet focused on a specific leader for the post, but Republicans across the country yesterday cited as strong possibilities New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, Sen. Barry M. Goldwater (R-Ariz) Sen. Charles H. Percy (R-Ill.), John B. Connally, former Governor of Texas and a new face in the Republican party, and California Governor Ronald Reagan.