Let's say Harding lives, weathering Teapot Dome with significant damage, but, because he wasn't personally involved, a Republican congress won't impeach him. Although it's pretty contentious, he gets re-nominated, although not before pissing off several other prominent Republicans. Then, (let's just assume Harding stopped paying the child support for some reason) the Nan Britton scandal breaks, and Harding and the purported child have the same blood group. An effort to have a second convention fails by just a few votes, and many Republicans splinter off on a separate but non-progressive ticket. Meanwhile, the Democratic Convention goes a bit differently, and McAdoo emerges with the nomination by an agonizingly small margin, still after scores of ballots. Shortly afterwards, a Klan scandal, not D.C Stephenson-level but still pretty big, breaks, and McAdoo signally fails to distance himself from it in a meaningful way. For the eastern Wets, this is the last straw, and Smith runs on his own ticket. As for the Progressive party, all this infighting in both camps benefits them greatly, with Hiram Johnson and Borah endorsing la Follette, and many dry but liberal northern democrats switching to it. On election day, all five parties get electoral votes, and Smith's razor-thin winning of New York state ensures that no one gets a majority. With the election going to the house, Harding is removed from real contention, but the Republican opposition fragments, while the other parties are too numerous to act as deciding factors. Eventually, Coolidge becomes Acting President.
Is this plausible?
Is this plausible?
Last edited: