Better Richard Nixon (1960) Running Mate

Vice President Richard Nixon selected United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. as his running mate at the recommendation of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. While Lodge had foreign policy experience and stature as an ambassador, he lacked charisma. Conservatives also did not want a 'Yankee' on the Republican National Ticket. Before Nixon had selected Lodge, he considered conservative Congressman from Minnesota Walter Judd and moderate Senator from Kentucky Thruston Morton. While Nixon had won more states than his opponent, Senator John F. Kennedy, he lost by eighty-four electoral votes and the closely contested popular vote was won by Kennedy. According to most pundits, Nixon's Vice Presidential strategy was to try and win his opponent's home state but it proved ineffective. Who would have been a better Vice Presidential nominee for Nixon in 1960? Perhaps Nixon doesn't carry Main, Vermont, and New Hampshire without Lodge? (I understand the impact running mates have are minimal but, it seems as if Kennedy and Nixon did have a strategy in this election. Kennedy's worked (win Southern states) but Nixon's did not.)
 
What if another North Eastern politician, Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York, as his running mate?

IOTL Nixon had sought Rockefeller as his running mate, but the governor had no ambitions to be vice-president, what if he changed his mind and believed that he could influence his liberal ideas into the conservative Nixon campaign?
 
How about Andrew F. Schoeppel?

Former Governor of Kansas and current senator from Kansas. (At the time)

Might give him a bit of southern push, in as much that Kansas is southern. Certainly lacks any star power.

His death in 1962 might be an issue, but not a big one.
 
How about Andrew F. Schoeppel?

Former Governor of Kansas and current senator from Kansas. (At the time)

Might give him a bit of southern push, in as much that Kansas is southern. Certainly lacks any star power.

A problem I can see with Schoeppel is that in 1952, he broke his allegiance to Kansas when he supported Senator Robert A. Taft for president over Dwight D. Eisenhower.

His death in 1962 might be an issue, but not a big one.

Well with the Twenty-fifth Amendment not being adopted until February 10, 1967, this means that from January 21, 1962 (Schoeppel's Death) and January 20 1965 there would be no Vice President. Meaning it could push congress to bring the 25th Amendment around quicker, especially with the cold war still raging and the next two people in line for the presidency were Speaker of the House John McCormack, who was 71 years old, and Senate President pro tempore Carl Hayden, who was 86 years old.

Other candidates
- Former Governor of Massachusetts and Current Senator of Massachusetts, along side Democratic Senator and Nominee, John F. Kennedy
- Governor J. Caleb Boggs from Delaware
- Governor Robert Stafford of Vermon and a Northeastern Republican, considered as a liberal, or "Rockefeller" Republican.
- Senator Prescott Bush of Connecticut (father of President George H. W. Bush and the grandfather of President George W. Bush and Governor Jeb Bush)
- Senator Margaret Chase Smith, could be an unusual choice. Having served in congress since 1940 for Maine, a moderate Republican.
- Former Speaker of the House, Joseph William Martin, Jr. was a "compassionate conservative" who opposed the New Deal and supported the Conservative coalition of Republicans and southern Democrats, especially on opposing labor unions. Could lead to an interesting coalition with George Wallace?
 
United States Secretary of Treasury Robert B. Anderson.

Carries the double-whammy of being a Texan and allows Nixon to campaign harder on the strong Eisenhower economy.
 
Dark Horse

Nixon approaches Jerry Ford, who turns him down, but recommends a young businessman currently head of Bell and Howell named Chuck Percy. Percy had been involved in politics for some time, after graduating with a degree in economics from the University of Chicago. A 41 year old WW2 Navy vet, Percy had been named an Outstanding Young Man in America by the Jaycees in 1949 (along with Gerald Ford), and had helped to write Decisions for a Better America, which proposed a set of long-range goals for the Republican Party. A liberal Republican, Percy was feeling he had done all he could do at Bell and Howell, and was ready to move on, but to what? (OTL, he left B&H in 1964 and ran for office, so it's not pushing the envelope too much for him to go forth in 1960.)

At first, Nixon balked at Percy's lack of a political resume, but with insistence from Ford, Nixon talked to him. A half-hour courtesy chat extended to a four hour conference, with Nixon convinced Percy could help him against the "vigor" of the Kennedy machine.

Percy's initial plunge into political indigestion on the rubber-chicken circuit was not spectacular, as expected, but only a few weeks sufficed to let him find his ground. (OTL, Percy was renown as an ambitious go-getter who learned fast.)

Completely blowing away the ham-fisted LBJ in the very first Vice-Presidential debate in Paducah, Kentucky, the Kennedy machine realized they had a more dangerous opposing team than first presumed. In the election, Percy's contacts in Illinois managed to stymie the Dailey graveyard vote operation, and Nixon squeaked through the electoral College with 269 votes, his "visit all 50 states" paying off with pickups in Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, and Hawaii. (OTL, with close-enough votes, Percy could arguably have helped shift them.)
 
The Campaign Trail game offers a choice of Lodge, Rockefeller, Everett Dirkson, or Barry Goldwater. I didn't know that Nixon tried to get Rocky but was turned down. I don't think the game should offer a ticket that was historically unavailable. I agree the historic choice of Lodge doesn't make much sense, except as a sort of cut-rate substitute for Rockefeller.

I'm happy to say that I managed my Nixon-Dirkson ticket to a 32 state victory, though the popular vote margin was only 0.1%! But that game is somewhat random in its results. I took advantage of historical hindsight and avoided the debate.
 
The Campaign Trail game offers a choice of Lodge, Rockefeller, Everett Dirkson, or Barry Goldwater. I didn't know that Nixon tried to get Rocky but was turned down. I don't think the game should offer a ticket that was historically unavailable. I agree the historic choice of Lodge doesn't make much sense, except as a sort of cut-rate substitute for Rockefeller.

I'm happy to say that I managed my Nixon-Dirkson ticket to a 32 state victory, though the popular vote margin was only 0.1%! But that game is somewhat random in its results. I took advantage of historical hindsight and avoided the debate.

I played that game. At least the demo version. I'm bad at it apparently. I could not Ford re-elected in 76 no matter what. 4 tries, 3 different running mates nothing. Closest was a 280 to 258 electoral loss. I even failed to get Lincoln elected, but that's before 1900. I did try with Carter and won, with John Glenn as VP. It was close though.
 
Top