WI: 1968, Humphrey picks Harris?

Not that I have a problem with Muskie, you understand, but apparently Humphrey was down to the last minute before picking his running mate. The final two were Senator Muskie from Maine and Senator Fred Harris from Oklahoma.

So what happens if Humphrey goes the other way and picks Senator Harris? I doubt the choice is really going to win him the election; VP picks rarely have all that great an impact on their ticket, including when it comes to winning their home state. Nevertheless, do you think this will help Humphrey win?

Further on down the line, supposing Humphrey loses in 1968, what are the effects on 1972 and Harris' career. IOTL he left the senate in '72 to run for president. Presumably he would do the same thing here, but as the frontrunner. He's going to be more well-liked by the anti-war left and he's a populist candidate, so pretty much the opposite of Muskie. He very well may preempt McGovern's candidacy.

And whether he wins or loses the nomination or the presidency, can you think of any long-term effects over the next decade and, maybe, further out?
 
President Harris '72 is a good bet. I could see him getting the nomination, certainly. Oh, and Humphrey loses Maine.
 
President Harris '72 is a good bet. I could see him getting the nomination, certainly. Oh, and Humphrey loses Maine.

The question is - what dirty tricks can Nixon pull on him? Is he clean? Muskie basically was, so they just made up the Canuck Letter.

Maybe Gary Hart works for Harris in '72 since he'd be an antiwar candidate but not single issue; he certainly knew the primary system better than others.
 
I think he was clean, but I really don't know that much about him. What I do know leads me to believe that he wasn't corrupt.

What made the Canuck Letter a big deal wasn't the "scandal" itself so much as Muskie's reaction to it. If Harris avoids getting snowflakes in his eyes, whatever they try to tar him with won't stick for very long.

The question of Hart was one of the long-lasting political implications that I had in mind. I'm not sure that Harris would pick Hart as his manager. This would have implications down the line for the primary process, particularly the weight given to the Iowa caucuses, as well as a most likely negative effect on Hart's career trajectory.

Am I wrong in thinking that Clinton also worked for McGovern, or was he just a party operative?

Would the convention be as chaotic? Who would Harris pick as the VP nominee if he got the nod?
 
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