Allan Shivers as first Dixiecrat party switcher?

Given his role in Republicanization through the Shivercrat movement, how realistic would it be for him to be the first switcher instead of Strom Thurmond? His racial baggage is minimal- apparently he was an agnostic "could teach it flat or teach it round" on that subject. IOTL he supported Republicans after 1960 but never switched parties. Could he have a high profile in the GOP?
 
Byrnes is too old to ever hold office again as a Republican. If Shivers manages his final term a bit better- IOTL he was caught up in some shady insurance scandals- then he can be a viable gubernatorial or Senate candidate down the line.
 
I dunno... what about a scenario where Taft wins the Republican nomination, either in 1948 or 1952? Apparently he planned on campaigning in the South on an anti-Civil Rights platform (from a state's rights standpoint). Perhaps instead of running third party in '48, Thurmond and maybe a couple others decide to switch to the GOP in solidarity (obviously echoing what Thurmond did upon Goldwater's nomination in 1964 in real life).
 
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