My First TL: The Sinister 60s and 70s

Here goes: My attempt to make a timeline;) Sort of inspired by the recent RFK Renewed TL.

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POD

The POD of this TL is that Richard Nixon seeks the Republican Nomination not in 1968, but 1964. Lyndon Johnson, having assumed the presidency after the assassination of JFK in 1963, is seeking another term as president. Nixon had been defeated by JFK in 1960, so how would he deal with his main opponent, Barry Goldwater? And could he defeat Lyndon Johnson in the general election? If so, what would happen?

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PART ONE: THE PRIMARIES OF THE 1964 ELECTION

December 1 1963: Richard Nixon, former 1960 Republican nominee, announces his candidacy to run for president in 1964. He has two main opponents for the nomination: Henry Cabot Lodge, the Republican vice presidential nominee of 1960 and Nixon's running mate and Ambassador to South Vietnam, and Senator from Arizona Barry Goldwater. Nixon announces his candidacy in his hometown of Yarba Linda, California. "I will be traveling to Iowa to campaign for the primary in January next year."

January 3 1964: The Democratic and Republican caucuses are held. For the Democratic Caucuses, there are two main opponents: President Johnson, and a challenger and segregationist, George Wallace. Narrowly, Wallace wins the Iowa Caucus. The three opponents come in close, but on January 4, it is announced that Nixon won the Iowa Primary. The next Democratic primary is in New Hampshire, but for the Republicans, the next primary is in Wyoming.

January 5 1964: Without any campaigning, the Wyoming caucus is held. Lodge wins only 2% of the vote there, and Nixon comes in a close second, with Goldwater winning. Goldwater won 52% and Nixon wins 46%. So far, Lodge has won no primaries or caucuses, while Nixon and Goldwater have won one each. The same day, Richard Nixon flies to New Hampshire, to campaign.

January 6: Lodge and Goldwater arrive in New Hampshire.

January 8: The New Hampshire primaries are held for Democrats and Republicans. In the Democratic Primary, President Johnson wins in a landslide against George Wallace. Johnson is slightly in the lead against Wallace. In the Republican Primary, it is Richard Nixon who wins 79% of the vote. Goldwater wins 15%, and Lodge wins 6%. The Democratic and Republican candidates depart for Michigan, where the Michigan Primaries will be held on January 15.

January 15: The Michigan Primaries are held. Johnson wins 100% of the Democratic vote (needless to say, Wallace wins 0%), and Nixon wins 90% of the Republican vote. The next primaries are split: On January 19, the Democratic Nevada Primaries are held, and the Republican South Carolina Primary is also held.

January 17: Henry Lodge states that "there is no way 1964 will be my year," and that "I give up the election and submit my delegates to - as well as endorse - the man I was a running mate for, Richard Nixon."

January 19: President Johnson wins the Nevada Primaries, and in South Carolina, Barry Goldwater wins with 78% against former Vice President Nixon. Nixon suspends his campaign for three days, before flying to Florida to prepare for the primary on January 29.

January 26: The Democratic South Carolina Primary is held. It is a close election, because both George Wallace and Lyndon Johnson are southerners. However, only narrowly, Wallace wins South Carolina, giving him hope that he can still catch up with President Johnson.

January 29: The Republican and Democratic Florida Primaries are held. In the Democratic Party, Lyndon Johnson defeats George Wallace 82% to 18%, while Nixon wins 99% to Goldwater's 1% (1% had gone to Henry Lodge, but since his delegates had been promised to Nixon, it was counted amongst Richard Nixon's delegates).

January 30: Richard Nixon announces that, until Super Tuesday on February 5, he would be going all over the country, with no rest, campaigning for the states that would vote on Super Tuesday.

February 2 1964: The Republican Maine Primaries are held. Maine, in the GOP, is won by Barry Goldwater, with 57% to Nixon's 42%. So far, the Democrats expect President Johnson to be nominated to run for election, due to the fact that George Wallace has only won a few states and Johnson has won most of the states, most of those being decisive states as well. For the Republicans, former-Vice President Nixon is in the lead, but if Goldwater tried extremely hard, he could end up with the nomination.



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Now, I will stop, so as not to make this a super long post. How will Super Tuesday turn out? Will George Wallace ever give up? Will Goldwater make a comeback and defeat Nixon for the Republican Nomination? Wait and find out!
 
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