But why on earth would they nominate Bricker? I would expect them to hold another convention and elect someone more palatable to the easterners.
In 1944, Bricker, though considered somewhat on the conservative side, did not have quite the extreme right-wing/isolationist reputation he later got through the Bricker Amendment. (Incidentally, in the late 1940's, he was to vote for both the Marshall Plan and the North Atlantic Treaty--in the latter case, differing from Taft.) He was known primarily as an affable and politically successful governor of a major state: "
In 1938 he was elected Governor, Mr. Bricker became the state's first Republican to serve three consecutive gubernational terms. He attained national fame for transforming a $40 million deficit to a $75 million surplus in six years, despite increased budgets for education and welfare." http://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/23/o...republican-longtime-governor-and-senator.html
And Dewey in 1944 was considered a compromise, more-or-less centrist candidate, not the candidate of liberal internationalists--Willkie had that role. This is not to deny that even in 1944 there were ideological differences between Dewey and Bricker, but they should not be exaggerated.
Furthermore, in nominating Bricker as vice-president, the GOP had in effect said that he was fit to succeed Dewey if the latter were elected and died in office. So it would be hard for them to say he wasn't competent to become president, just because Dewey had died *before* the election.
All this is not necessarily to say that the Republican national committee (which I assume will make the choice) *will* choose Bricker, but I would not rule it out. My problem is that it's hard for me to see who they will choose instead. Warren had less than two years experience as governor, and might strike mainstream Republicans as too liberal. Stassen was pretty clearly waiting for 1948 (he had resigned the governorship of Minnesota and joined the Navy--probably figuring that in 1948, a veteran of the recent war would have a big advantage). Vandenberg had been at least as isolationist as Bricker before World War II, and was not to publicly repudiate isolationism until January 1945. I can't think of any easterners of Dewey's stature, except of course Willkie, who was obviously out for both political and health reasons.