AHC: President Gregory Peck

Yes, yes, the usual route for this is to have him challenge Ronald Reagan in 1970 for the CA Governor's seat, but I wanted to see if anyone saw him getting into elected office earlier than that. Preferably he still makes his big 1962 films (To Kill a Mockingbird, Cape Fear, etc), but I'll take one where Moby Dick is his last film.
 

maverick

Banned
Well, if you go with the Reagan road, he can be President in 1976, or even in 1972, if he can avoid Nixon's ratfucking squad.

It'd be funny if he was nominated as a dark horse in 1972 over McGovern and the CREEP guys engage in massive facepalming while saying "we should have let Muskie take the nomination."

Now, for something that allows him to be President in 1968...
 

maverick

Banned
Here's a more organized scenario:

1. Gregory Peck runs for Governor in 1970 and wins;

2. His Governorship is more or less successful, or at least not troubled;

3. 1972 Primaries: Arthur Bremer shoots George McGovern rather than George Wallace; Wallace goes on to win two or three more states, perhaps taking enough votes from Henry Jackson to de-rail his nomination, while the left now lack a strong candidate, so a draft Gregory Peck campaign is started late in the primaries, but perhaps just in time to snatch California and some other states; Trapped between Wallace, Jackson and Humphrey and other favorite sons and unlikely candidates, Gregory Peck is nominated on the first or the second ballot, recruited by an ailing McGovern or Ted Kennedy.

Peck takes Sanford or Reubin Askew or Birch Bayh as a running mate (depending on how much leverage the conservatives and the party bosses have in the process, and who is willing to play second fiddle to a Liberal Hollywood star), and there might be a George Wallace retaliatory Third Party Run, which siphons votes away from Nixon.

4. Peck v Nixon v Wallace gives Peck a victory;

There are some holes in this scenario though, might need some patching up...
 
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