The Right Stuff: President John Glenn '76

This is a Scenario, that really hasn't been talked about on this board...But What if the newly-minted Freshman Senator from Ohio ran for President in1976? I could see a message being created of the mythos of the American Hero harking back to a simpler time, long before corruption crept into the federal Government. How would Glenn fare in the Democratic Primaries against Carter? Might it result in a brokered convention? If he is able to clinch the nomination, who might he pick for his running mate? Also how does he do against President Ford? Is he able to handle his first term alot better than Carter? Reagan vs. Glenn '80?
 
This is a Scenario, that really hasn't been talked about on this board...But What if the newly-minted Freshman Senator from Ohio ran for President in1976? I could see a message being created of the mythos of the American Hero harking back to a simpler time, long before corruption crept into the federal Government. How would Glenn fare in the Democratic Primaries against Carter? Might it result in a brokered convention? If he is able to clinch the nomination, who might he pick for his running mate? Also how does he do against President Ford? Is he able to handle his first term alot better than Carter? Reagan vs. Glenn '80?

After some casual research, I don't see any direct information showing Glenn wanted to be President. If he runs in 1976, I can see him running into problems proving he's experienced enough for the office. I can also see the Keating Five scandal--if it's not butterflied away--being exponentially bigger.
 
After some casual research, I don't see any direct information showing Glenn wanted to be President. If he runs in 1976, I can see him running into problems proving he's experienced enough for the office. I can also see the Keating Five scandal--if it's not butterflied away--being exponentially bigger.

Yeah...Most definatley the Keating Five scandal will probably be butterfiled away. However it may show how Glenn, will handle some of the pressing economic issues of that time(I can see him pushing for more deregulation alot simmilar to Carter's Stance). Glenn did show Interest in becoming Carter's VP at the convention in '76, so perhaps if he was more ambitious and declared his candidacy late in '75 and gathered a more competent campaign staff around him than he did in OTL, Im pretty sure he can win the nomination.
 
Glenn had another handicap: his wife had a speech impediment and stuttered. The way the media focuses on potential first ladies, many democrats feared she might have a negative impact.

But if he did get the VP nomination, he would have been in a better position in 1984, if other events were changed.

Suppose the assassination attempt on Reagan was a complete miss; no wounding. Reagan would not have received the sympathy votes pushed by constituents to support Reaganomics. His performance might have lagged and the democrats would have a better chance in 1984.
 
After some casual research, I don't see any direct information showing Glenn wanted to be President. If he runs in 1976, I can see him running into problems proving he's experienced enough for the office. I can also see the Keating Five scandal--if it's not butterflied away--being exponentially bigger.

Here's an old thread about a John Glenn presidential run. Glenn did historically run for the democratic nomination in 1984.
 
After some casual research, I don't see any direct information showing Glenn wanted to be President.

Read his autobiography, then. I don't remember the details, but he ran briefly in the 80s. He was forced to withdraw very early in the campaign, however, after suffering a serious injury that resulted from slipping in the shower. Its too bad that he had to withdraw. I think a Glenn presidencey could have been interesting.
 
I also read Glenn's book. I believe Glenn's shower injury happened in the sixties, forcing him to leave the space program. In 1984, he entered the campaign and eventually withdrew because his funding was too low and spread too thinly to maintain an effective campaign.
 

Xen

Banned
An interesting twist, what about a John Glenn/Jimmy Carter ticket going on to defeat a Ronald Reagan/Bob Dole ticket in 1976.

I wonder how Glenn would have handled some of the crisises that arose in the late 1970's? He might be able to stave off the Republican contender in 1980 and get a second term. I wonder who that Republican challenger would have been? Howard Baker perhaps?
 
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