Carter/Church 1976

[Glass Onion]

Apparently Jimmy Carter came reasonably close to choosing Frank Church as his running mate. Let's say he does so. And for the sake of argument, let's say Carter/Church defeats Ford/Dole in the general election. What impact does this have? What kind of impact can Vice President Church have, if any, and conversely, what is the effect of removing Walter Mondale from the Carter administration? Does Church die sooner? Does it mean that Gary Hart is nominated in 1984, given that, at best, Church is not going to be in any condition to seek the nomination by January of 1984. If the Vice President is out of the running, is there anyone likely to block Hart's path to the nomination?