What if George McGovern wins in 1972 and unseats Nixon? Lets say Watergate is unable to be covered up by Nixon for as long as it was and is more quickly linked to Nixon. What would a McGovern Presidency look like? Would he pull out of Vietnam? His loss had a pronounced effect on the Democrats, how much of an effect would his victory have?
McGovern 1972 win?
- Thread starter ThatOneGuy
- Start date
McGovern won’t win, it will be like the 1990 Louisiana election where people know Nixon is a crook but won’t vote for a radical socialist.
1) McGovern could have won under a perfect storm of conditions. This would have required McGovern winning the nomination earlier and taking more steps to unite his coalition and reassure moderates. Wallace running as a third party would also be necessary to split the vote of the right. This combined with a better running mate and Watergate unraveling more quickly could be just enough.
2) McGovern was not a socialist.
Agnew's scandals coming out earlier would also help McGovern's chances.
McGovern's only chance is that Nixon dies in office, and President Agnew is exposed for tax fraud. Since Carl Albert does not really want to be president, he might appoint McGovern as VP, then resign, while still running for his House seat.