In the 1970 California Gubernatorial Election, Ronald Reagan was reelected over Democratic Speaker of the California Assembly, Jesse "Big Daddy" Unruh. However, in his victory, Reagan actually lost ground compared to 1966, where he initially was elected with some 57% of the popular vote, a number that had shrunk to 53% in 1970.
My question is, what if Reagan had managed to lose reelection, or Speaker Unruh had run a better campaign, and the Gipper had been denied reelection. What would be the long-term effects of this POD, and how would Unruh perform as a Governor of one of America's largest states?
How likely is this scenario at all?