IOTL, Raymond Lee Harvey, now remembered as an unemployed, mentally ill drifter, was arrested by the Secret Service on May 5, 1979 carrying a starter pistol with only blanks, 10 minutes before Carter was scheduled to give a speech in Los Angeles. After investigating the claims of a conspiracy to kill Carter, the police ultimately found little evidence and Harvey, along with a man known as Osvaldo Espinoza Ortiz, were released without charge.
But what if Harvey hadn't been stopped, and the conspiracy turned out to be true? Harvey alleged that he was only one man in a four man operation, and that he was intended only to shoot blanks as a distraction. What if he had succeeded on his end, and the other men were successful in assassinating Carter? How would VP Walter Mondale adjust to the Presidency? Would he have a chance at winning in 1980?