Would Nixon still run? Would he still be the nominee? Or would another Republican be nominated?
Nixon's run is something that is fickle, because Nixon lead so many political lives. Jeffrey Frank feels that Nixon legitimately had no intention of running after losing the race for California governor in 1962. He would have been an elder Republican statesman, would have given speeches, but would do no more. And it was the Kennedy assassination that began his consideration for running again for the presidency. He very well could run in this 1968. Were he not to, I no longer feel it would be Nelson Rockefeller. Rockefeller had imploded in 1964 as a result of his divorce, offsetting internal Republican fighting that paved the way for Goldwater. He was the arch Eastern Establishment Republican, and it rubbed many Republican voters the wrong way. In this alternate landscape, he many have a greater chance than in the actual 1968. However, it very well may be Ronald Reagan, who had managed to convince more moderate Republicans such as former president Eisenhower that he was acceptable. Or it could even be someone like George Romney, if he managed to avoid being so gaffe prone. That is an impossibility, but he could perhaps avoid saying something crippling, and would therefore be a more acceptable iteration of someone like Nelson Rockefeller.