What if Hubert Humphrey was nominated in 1972 by the Democrats? Humphrey nearly won California, losing by 4.92%. Muskie didn't withdraw yet but obviously had no chance of winning and got 7.53% of the vote in California. Muskie withdraws, Humphrey squeaks out a win and wins all of California's 271 delegates, denying George McGovern a first-ballot majority. If McGovern loses just California's delegates, and that seems unlikely, as with the boost from a California win Humphrey would probably get more delegates, he is denied a first ballot majority at the 1972 Democratic convention with 1,458 votes, less than 50% of delegates. Note, there would likely be a bitter battle, as there was IOTL, over the Winner Take-All status of California's 271 delegates, except ITTL McGovern would be arguing for his own rules, or at least the 'spirit' of his reforms. What if the Anybody but McGovern movement denied McGovern a majority on the first ballot? Would they be able to unseat McGovern and nominate 1968 nominee Hubert Humphrey instead? So, Humphrey is nominated. Likely, McGovern's supporters would be very unhappy and see the nomination as having been stolen from them, especially since McGovern would still have had around a thousand more delegates than Humphrey(though Humphrey would have ITTL, as IOTL won the popular vote in the primaries). Nixonland by Rick Perlstein has good insight on the topic, and predicts that there would have been, unlike in 1968, 'riots inside the convention hall' as well as several other colorful phrases so Humphrey would have been hampered by a divided party. Also, while it is presumed that Humphrey would have been more electable than McGovern, and that is probably the case, in Nixonland it was mentioned that in a general election poll where Nixon beat McGovern 54-38, Humphrey did no better, though unfortunately it doesn't specify what his numbers were in that poll. Plus Nixon was very popular with the war wrapping up and the economy was doing well in 1972. How do you think Humphrey would do? What would be the effects of a Humphrey loss instead of a McGovern loss in 1972? How would the Democratic Party and US politics be altered? What if?