WI: Nixon Runs for Senate after 1960

Delta Force

Banned
What if Richard Nixon had decided to wait things out following his loss to build support for a return to the Senate in 1964 (information on 1964 Senate race here) instead of running for Governor of California?
 
Nixon had to run for something in 1962 to re-establish himself in California politics and be a plausible presidential candidate in 1964 in case JFK should prove vulnerable. And he wasn't going to challenge Thomas Kuchel, who, even if he was too liberal a Republican for Nixon's taste, was still popular. (Kuchel easily defeated two right-wing opponents in the GOP primary--one was Howard Jarvis--and won the general election easily.)

To ask Nixon in 1961-2 to wait until 1968 ignores that six or seven years is a very long time in politics. All sorts of things can happen that can derail one's hoped-for future candidacy.
 

Deleted member 9338

Running and winning in 1964 is possible, and sets him up for a long and distinguished career in the Senate. Not sure how well he would be able to work his campaign with Goldwater.
 
Put yourself in Nixon's shoes in 1961-62 when he has to decide on whether to run for state office in 1962 (with the possibility of running for the presidency in 1964) or wait until 1964 to run for the Senate, presumably against Clair Engle--who AFAIK was popular and who didn't get the brain tumor that would kill him until 1963. And even if Nixon thinks in 1961-2 he can beat Engle in 1964, a presidential race in 1968 is still so far away, and plenty of younger men may emerge by then.
 
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