(D) Muskie/Lindsay: 166 EV
(R) Nixon/Agnew: 371 EV
POD: The Canuck letter is never published
1972:
The Muskie Campaign keeps itself together and manages to beat McGovern by a large margin. He then goes down and finishes a close second to George Wallace. McGovern finishes 5th and is a non-factor and the biggest liberal opposition is John Lindsay who finishes a healthy 3rd. The Humphrey campaign goes down with a disappointing 3rd in Wisconsin, finishing just 3 points ahead of John Lindsay and allowing Muskie to win by 15 points over Wallace. Humphrey with his loss in 68 and his poor showing in 1972 bows out and refuses to endorse anyone. Pennsylvania becomes a three way split with Lindsay, Wallace and Muskie each getting around 25% of the vote and the others breaking the remaining 25. Muskie wins Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia. Lindsay wins Massachusetts, Nebraska, Oregon and Rhode Island. Wallace wins The South, Michigan, Delaware, Maryland and Missouri. Muskie realizes that he isn't leading by enough to win on the first ballott and makes a backroom deal for Lindsay to drop out and endorse him.
Muskie/Lindsay is a stronger ticket then McGovern/Eagleton/Shriver but due to the strong econonmy, better relations with the PRC and the USSR and Kissenger's October suprise of "Peace is at Hand", Nixon/Agnew win by a strong mandate of 371 Electoral votes to 166 and a respectabalble 54 to 45% of the popular vote.