As David and others have said, Lyndon Johnson would be immediately favored by the Democratic Party as Kennedy's replacement for the choice of their electors, and given they'd have a period of seven to eight days in which to communicate this, I don't doubt they'd be able to apply the correct amount of pressure to ensure just about all of them would follow through; obviously there could still be a number of defections, some might in protest still cast their votes for Kennedy or some other figure, but I doubt such a movement would be organized enough to come close to denying Johnson a majority. The Unpledged electors of Alabama and Mississippi were opposed even to Johnson's Vice Presidential candidacy, and so I doubt that there would be any change in their stance with him as the Presidential nominee, but given how they fell flat in their attempts to convince Southern Democratic electors to bolt with them I don't see them making any more headway.
The only question then would be the Vice Presidential nomination, and those who had supported Kennedy throughout would probably be given the right to name the candidate for that position. There is a greater risk of splintering here between the Democratic electors, but the impact in turn would be lessened given only the top two candidates would advance to the election in Congress should one not attain a majority; while casting their votes against whomever the DNC candidate may be could rightfully be seen as futile, it could also be said that there would be little risk given the significant margin by which the Democrats held the Senate and the guarantee of a Democratic candidate advancing. Minnesota for example could well throw their electors to Governor Orville Freeman in a show of loyalty, after having failed to find traction within the Kennedy camp for his nomination at the Convention earlier that Summer.
Now looking at the New York Times, there were a list of speculated candidates for the Vice-Presidential nomination for when Kennedy won the nod; it isn't a firm definitive answer as to who they might have favored under these circumstances, but it at least gives some sort of idea who they might "potentially" have leaned towards. The listed are as follows, from here:
Ultimately, given the way things were trending, I'd think it would come down to either Symington or Jackson, with the advantage going to Jackson. While Symington certainly had the strong support of establishment figures historically, I don't feel as if they'd necessarily still be true if Lyndon Johnson were in Kennedy's place. Jackson seems a much better fit as a "stand-in" Kennedy as it were, was supporter of Kennedy from the beginning and had been a favorite within the Kennedy camp as a secondary choice should Johnson have declined the Vice Presidential nomination.
So, Johnson/Jackson going into 1961.
The only question then would be the Vice Presidential nomination, and those who had supported Kennedy throughout would probably be given the right to name the candidate for that position. There is a greater risk of splintering here between the Democratic electors, but the impact in turn would be lessened given only the top two candidates would advance to the election in Congress should one not attain a majority; while casting their votes against whomever the DNC candidate may be could rightfully be seen as futile, it could also be said that there would be little risk given the significant margin by which the Democrats held the Senate and the guarantee of a Democratic candidate advancing. Minnesota for example could well throw their electors to Governor Orville Freeman in a show of loyalty, after having failed to find traction within the Kennedy camp for his nomination at the Convention earlier that Summer.
Now looking at the New York Times, there were a list of speculated candidates for the Vice-Presidential nomination for when Kennedy won the nod; it isn't a firm definitive answer as to who they might have favored under these circumstances, but it at least gives some sort of idea who they might "potentially" have leaned towards. The listed are as follows, from here:
- Senator Stuart Symington of Missouri
- Senator Henry Jackson of Washington
- Senator Clair Engle of California
- Governor Herschel Loveless of Iowa
- Governor George Docking of Kansas
- Adlai Stevenson of Illinois
- Governor Robert Meyner of New Jersey
Ultimately, given the way things were trending, I'd think it would come down to either Symington or Jackson, with the advantage going to Jackson. While Symington certainly had the strong support of establishment figures historically, I don't feel as if they'd necessarily still be true if Lyndon Johnson were in Kennedy's place. Jackson seems a much better fit as a "stand-in" Kennedy as it were, was supporter of Kennedy from the beginning and had been a favorite within the Kennedy camp as a secondary choice should Johnson have declined the Vice Presidential nomination.
So, Johnson/Jackson going into 1961.