LBJ dies of a heart attack in 1960. Who does JFK pick?

After the Democrats nominate the JFK-LBJ ticket, Senator Lyndon Baines Johnson suffers a heart attack while campaigning in the south and dies shortly after.

Now, Senator Kennedy must choose a new running mate. In OTL, he would have selected Senator Stuart Symington of Missouri as his running mate but was unsure if Symington would have helped Kennedy in the South.

Or JFK believes he definitely needs a Southerner to balance the ticket. The following choices are:

1. J. William Fulbright - Pros: Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and an internationalist. Cons: opposition to Civil Rights

2. George Smathers - Senator from Florida and personal friend of JFK
Pros: although not born in the South, can deliver Florida to JFK. Cons: conservative voting record including opposition to Civil Rights, defeated Claude Pepper in 1946

3. Ralph Yarborough - junior Senator from Texas (until LBJ's death)
Pros: more liberal/progressive/populist pro-labor voting record. Cons: hated by the conservative Democrats in Texas (can he deliver Texas for JFK?)

Also, if Yarborough is elected Vice President, the Governor of Texas will have to appoint his successor months after appointing LBJ's successor (who will have to run in a special election and if victorious, the regular election in November). This means that Texas will have 2 freshman Senators with no seniority.
 
LBJ played a very important role in delivering Texas and the rest of the South to the Democrats, so unless the sympathy vote can make up the difference (depends on when in the election season LBJ dies) we might end up with a Nixon presidency eight years early.
 
LBJ carried Texas (note: not stolen, despite the dead voting), yes, but his impact in the rest of the South was minimal.

Also, JFK can win without winning Texas—as long as Daley still steals Illinois. A tight margin though.

Smathers is probably too conservative (think Civil Rights) though possible and Yarborough was very popular in Texas (despite being liberal—think prairie populist) and is also possible. Symington doesn't bring Texas, Florida, or the South; but remains a reasonable choice.

Honestly, you could probably pick who you want out of a fairly wide group of people.
 
I've read that Kennedy's first choice was Missouri senator Stuart Symington; the choice of Johnson was more one of expediency than anything else in an effort to make some inroads in the south, where Kennedy was distrusted as (1) a Yankee, and (2) a Catholic, not necessarily in that order.
 
Top