Lyndon Johnson has a fatal heart attack in 1968

I realize that there is another active thread about Johnson's premature death. However, that thread deals with the effect of his death in the immediate aftermath of Kennedy's assassination and the resulting succession issues that might arise. This idea is after Johnson's Presidency for better or worse had more or less been established.

Johnson, from what I've heard had something of a weak heart. He had suffered a heart attack in 1957, and would die of one in 1973. And between 1967-1968 Johnson had a fair amount of pressure on him. So let's say his heart gives out sometime during this time period. He dies, Vice President Humphrey becomes President.

With Johnson dead, and Humphrey President do Kennedy and McCarthy contest Humphrey's nomination.

How does President Humphrey do against Richard Nixon in the fall campaign presuming he's nominated?

How would Humphrey's policies between Johnson's death and January 20th 1969 compare with Johnson's?

I realize that I asked this question before in a more novelistic fashion. Since that time new posters have come who might have some insight into this scenario.
 
When exactly does Johnson die? If HHH assumes the presidency due to Johnson's death there will not be a primary challenge. IOTL both RFK and McCarthy professed to be ready to toss their delegates to Humphrey to prevent the other's nomination. But as you can guess, that was their ego talking, not their rational political brains. For RFK at least, that works out well for him. He doesn't run in '68. If Nixon wins, as is still quite likely given how messed up the country was at the time, then he bides his time till '76. If Humphrey wins, HHH loses to Reagan in '72, and '76 or '80 are still on the table.
 
When exactly does Johnson die? If HHH assumes the presidency due to Johnson's death there will not be a primary challenge. IOTL both RFK and McCarthy professed to be ready to toss their delegates to Humphrey to prevent the other's nomination. But as you can guess, that was their ego talking, not their rational political brains. For RFK at least, that works out well for him. He doesn't run in '68. If Nixon wins, as is still quite likely given how messed up the country was at the time, then he bides his time till '76. If Humphrey wins, HHH loses to Reagan in '72, and '76 or '80 are still on the table.

The original concept was that he died shortly before the time he left the Presidential race in 1968 IOTL, so sometime in mid-late March. After the 12th but before that famous speech in which he declared he wouldn't run. Maybe something like March 25th 1968? Or would it make more sense for Johnson to have a heart attack earlier than that?

McCarthy was from everything I've read something of a stubborn individual not prone to pragmatism, I think he'd probably continue to oppose President Humphrey as he did President Johnson despite the fact that Humphrey, for a few months at least is probably within a grace period. McCarthy ends up looking like an idiot. My instinct is that Kennedy as you note stays out of the race. Though I guess it's possible that he might campaign for Humphrey. Though perhaps Kennedy loathed Humphrey to the extent that a token amount of speeches is out of the question , I wouldn't know.

Also, I believe that the twenty fifth amendment was ratified in 1967, so Humphrey will have an opportunity to select a Vice President. Who might he select? Would he still choose Muskie in March/April 1968? What sort of pressures would Humphrey be under in terms of selecting a new Vice President?
 
"Something of a stubborn individual" is a gross understatement. Johnson can have a heart attack at any time, he was greatly fearful of dying in office, or worse being incapacitated like Wilson. Humphrey would not select Terry Sanford because Sanford refused IOTL, but perhaps Carl Sanders, a borderline Old/New Southerner who was Carter's predecessor in Georgia. I had him as RFK's VP in TID.

Bobby did not loathe Hubert, they had a decent relationship. He did think Humphrey a spineless tool of LBJ and a political coward, but on a personal level they were OK with each other. He would not openly campaign for Humphrey because it would be seen as a tacit endorsement. If he did it would be speaking in platitudes. Keep in mind that he was fighting a one-man ideological battle at the time which was somewhat overshadowed by the war. That battle wouldn't be won for another quarter-century of course, but everything has to start somewhere.
 
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