WI: Gov. John Connally runs for Senate in 1966

Apparently Texas Governor John Connally has thought about challenging Republican Senator John Tower for reelection during the 1966 cycle. What would have happened if he had actually gone through with it and ran against Tower for the Senate seat?​
 
I think he would win and be a good LBJ ally in the Senate, but Connally doesn't seem like he would be a good Senator... better than Tower, though.
 
I can't see there being much of a difference, outside of Nixon's re-election campaign in 1972. Senator Connally would be running for re-election that same year, and even though he would endorse President Nixon over McGovern, he would be up against a tough challenger who could potentially beat him with Nixon's landslide-victory-coattails. A Bush vs. Connally Senate campaign would be epic IMO.:D
 
I can't see there being much of a difference, outside of Nixon's re-election campaign in 1972. Senator Connally would be running for re-election that same year, and even though he would endorse President Nixon over McGovern, he would be up against a tough challenger who could potentially beat him with Nixon's landslide-victory-coattails. A Bush vs. Connally Senate campaign would be epic IMO.:D

Bush would have been finished by this point as a political force if Connally is not brought into the Nixon Administration; a one term Representative and two time Senate loser, he was that era's Dino Rossi. However, let us say there are some additional butterflies that allow for different results.

At the time there was talk of replacing Agnew with Connally; Haldeman's plan was to convince Conservative Investors to buy a new network, and then have Spiro run it, thus removing him from the Vice Presidency. Nixon would then choose Connally as his running mate at the Republican Convention.

The plan as you can guess never went through, but let us say it did. Bush likely as before get a position within the Nixon and later Connally Administrations, Agnew becomes a prominent Conservative Talk Show Host in the United States, and John Tower probably is a Senator again (unless Yarborough tries to take his seat back, in which case he probably wins). American faith in the President is going to fall apart after Connally pardons Nixon and then is put on trial for bribery.​
 
A Bush-Connally contest would be that era's version of Perry v. KBH. Connally would slam Bush as a sissy Easterner/TINO (Texan In Name Only) infected with DC-itis, while being a perennial loser to boot. Connally wins easily and Bush's political career is finished.
 
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