Just in Case you didnt know:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_Rights_Party
What if, in 1948, The rogue States Rights Democratic Party, led by Strom Thurmond, didn't simply remain a political faction in the Democratic Party, and instead remained a successful third party in the South.
I think even LBJ supported the Thurmond ticket. (Johnson was against the Truman Civil Rights Plank in 1948)
Lets say most Southern Senators and Congressmen desert the Democrats to become Dixiecrats.
How would the GOP and Democrats evolve with a Southern Party?
How would elections from 1952 to 2008(?) play out with a Southern Third Party?
Might the SRDP take the White House eventually, or at least Congress? Where could it expand its voter base into?
Might the Democrats or Republicans die out?