AH Challenge: Martin Luther King Jr, President of the USA

Not sure if this has been done before, but could it have been possible that Martin Luther King Jr could have become the President of the United States? Obviously, the POD would be that somehow, MLK is not assassinated, but what would have to happen from there for him to be qualified to become president?
 
Pretty easy, actually. Have MLK be Bobby Kennedy's Vice-President, have Kennedy elected in 1968 and have two terms. Kennedy and MLK change the civil rights movement, which gains MLK much more respect. He's elected in a landslide in 1976, and wins two terms himself, retiring very well respected in 1984.
 
MLK isn't assasinated and he slowly becomes involved in politics. He becomes a state representative, a state senator, a representative and finally the Governor of Georgia in 1990. So in 1996 he is nominated by the Republicans [I think King was a Republican but I'm not sure] and he wins the election.
 

JohnJacques

Banned
MLK isn't assasinated and he slowly becomes involved in politics. He becomes a state representative, a state senator, a representative and finally the Governor of Georgia in 1990. So in 1996 he is nominated by the Republicans [I think King was a Republican but I'm not sure] and he wins the election.

He wouldn't stay with the Republicans if they absorbed the Dixiecrats- which they are bound to do after LBJ signs the Civil Rights Axt.

Besides which, AFAIK, he wasn't a partisan at all. And his later advocacy after Civil Rights certainly suggests an affinity for the Left.
 
He wouldn't stay with the Republicans if they absorbed the Dixiecrats- which they are bound to do after LBJ signs the Civil Rights Axt.

Besides which, AFAIK, he wasn't a partisan at all. And his later advocacy after Civil Rights certainly suggests an affinity for the Left.

Then what if MLK runs as an independent promising to override the partisan bickering because he belives both parties are just using Civil Rights issues to get votes?
 

JohnJacques

Banned
I don't think he was an electoral politics type of guy. And any independent run would hurt the people who actually favor policies good for the black community.
 
There are two reason why King would not and should not have been President.

Firstly he was essentially a moral leader and not interested in formal power.

Secondly he was a Pacifist. I have huge respect for that position and have come near to it myself but for a President to be a Pacifist and not a total hypocrite you would need a revolution in America requiring huge numbers of ASBs.
 
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