WI: Nixon Runs in 52'

In the OTL, Eisenhower was very reluctant to run for POTUS. It took a lot of persuasion from his GOP friends to convince him to run. Nixon on the other hand, always seemed to have large political ambitions. Seizing the opportunity, what if he decides to run in Ike's place in 1952? Who would be his running mate? Who would verse him? Would he even win?
 
Nixon was a bit underqualified in 1952 - plus the conservative wing was led by Robert Taft.

I could see Taft winning the nomination in Eisenhower's absence, though the establishment might rally around someone like Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
 
My round-a-bout path:

Without an Eisenhower candidacy my first question would be whether Dewey runs or not. I see no reason he could not run since his attempt in 1944 could be seen as a "good of the party" run and not a defeat, yet his upset in 1948 must have created serious doubts about his potential as a victor.

My next question is how strongly the Party in that era would seek a "balanced" ticket. From what I have read Nixon was regarded as a moderate to liberal yet had good relations in conservative circles. Thus he might be the "moderate" VP to run with Taft (or the "conservative" to strengthen Dewey, especially if Dewey is seen as needing a heavier handed campaigner as it seems Ike was so he got Nixon).

Assuming Dewey runs and given how close the nomination contest was between Taft and Eisenhower one could see Nixon as the VP for the closely victorious Taft, unless I am missing something, and this might strengthen the call for Nixon to give him some better appeal, i.e. younger, West Coaster, socially "liberal", etc., and assuming the general election puts Taft into office and he dies from illness as he did, Nixon becomes the 35th President of the United States on July 31, 1953 some 193 days after the swearing in on January 20 at 40 years old.

So there is Nixon in '52!
 
My round-a-bout path:

Without an Eisenhower candidacy my first question would be whether Dewey runs or not. I see no reason he could not run since his attempt in 1944 could be seen as a "good of the party" run and not a defeat, yet his upset in 1948 must have created serious doubts about his potential as a victor.

My next question is how strongly the Party in that era would seek a "balanced" ticket. From what I have read Nixon was regarded as a moderate to liberal yet had good relations in conservative circles. Thus he might be the "moderate" VP to run with Taft (or the "conservative" to strengthen Dewey, especially if Dewey is seen as needing a heavier handed campaigner as it seems Ike was so he got Nixon).

Assuming Dewey runs and given how close the nomination contest was between Taft and Eisenhower one could see Nixon as the VP for the closely victorious Taft, unless I am missing something, and this might strengthen the call for Nixon to give him some better appeal, i.e. younger, West Coaster, socially "liberal", etc., and assuming the general election puts Taft into office and he dies from illness as he did, Nixon becomes the 35th President of the United States on July 31, 1953 some 193 days after the swearing in on January 20 at 40 years old.

So there is Nixon in '52!

Expand on this idea and explain to me how you feel the economy/culture would be affected.
 
Expand on this idea and explain to me how you feel the economy/culture would be affected.

Sadly my depth on Nixon is not enough to delve past gross generalizations, but my read is that his personality took a real turn after his later defeats, in 1952 he may have been more like Ike. Assuming his relative youth and coming to power from the VP slot after Taft's death, I suspect the establishment would have more influence to moderate Nixon's isolationism, besides the era was not the Seventies. So I assume he keeps up a generally conservative agenda as Taft won on, back sliding on those issues he knows are not popular, pursues re-election on a more moderate platform, perhaps to "unite" the GOP and then has a second Term not unlike Eisenhower. He pursue what were then more liberal policies akin to Ike and watches the rise of JFK towards 1960 as the generation shift begins to pass him. All told I see a possibility for the GOP to stay this progressive course through the Sixties. My question is the Earl Warren nomination to the Supreme Court. That would occur early in his first term. If Nixon does not become his enemy in the 1952 primary contest does he nominate him. If they became enemies then who does Nixon nominate? And that unravels a lot of our modern jurisprudence.
 
If Eisenhower doesn't run in 1952, Taft will almost certainly get the nomination--after all, he almost did so against the enormously popular Ike. Taft may well go for a California senator as his running mate--but it would probably be Knowland, not Nixon.
 
Nixon mict stay in obscurity the rest of his political career.

Probably not. He wasn't even too obscure when he ran in 1952, which is part of the reason a Senator of two years got up jumped to the Vice Presidency...

And whoever said it, Nixon wasn't an isolationist ever. At least to the best of my knowledge, but I'm all but certain he was never an isolationist.
 
If ike never picked Nixon .hexwould stay in the Senate in ,50s dewy or Taft runs in 52

A Dewey candidacy would be absolutely hopeless in 1952 after what happened in 1944 and especially 1948. Now I know that Bryan lost in 1896 and 1900 and managed to get nominated in 1908. But (1) Dewey hardly had the warm and even fanatical support that Bryan did--there was a joke that "you have to know Dewey really well to dislike him", which of course was not strictly true--"many people disliked Dewey at first glance, which was what made the remark amusing" https://books.google.com/books?id=kGxOZwInn2MC&pg=PA98 (2) even Bryan had to wait eight years after 1900.
 
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