WI: President Happy Chandler

Happy Chandler thought he had a good shout at being Roosevelt's VP in 1944, but the support didn't appear. What happens if it had and he becomes President assuming Roosevelts death as in OTL.
 
In 1944 the African American vote in major northern states was crucial for FDR--much more than the southern vote, which was practically guaranteed for the Democrats in those days. (That's one reason James Byrnes was not chosen as VP.) Chandler, who had voted against the anti-lynching bill and the anti-poll-tax bill would have been a poor choice for that. Moreover, he disagreed with FDR's Europe-first strategy in World War II. Finally, he had lots of opposition in his own state: "the Kentucky delegation and Earle C. Clements in particular, refused to back his nomination." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Chandler

No, FDR is not going to approve Chandler. If there will be a Kentuckian on the ticket it will be Alben W. Barkley (despite his quarrel with FDR on the veto of the tax bill). But FDR rejected Barkley, allegedly because he was too old.
 
Couldn't Chandler run as a Republican against Truman after the war?

Right, and the Republicans are going to reject Dewey, Taft, Vandenberg, and Stassen (and Stassen in those days was anything but a joke) for a recently party-switched Kentucky ex-Governor and ex-Senator? Sure, they chose the ex-Democrat Willkie in 1940, but he had very important business and media backing, especially because he was the only internationalist in the race. Chandler is not going to have anything like that.
 
Or, he becomes Wallace's VP in 68, Wallace comes in 2nd and Hump comes in 1st. A coalition of Conservative Dems and Republicans elect Chandler VP and the house can't elect anyone. Chandler is made AP.

Wallace is very unlikely to reach second place in either the popular vote (where he was almost thirty points behind both Nixon and Humphrey) or the electoral. If Wallace had won *every* state where he got at least 25% of the vote in OTL (including FL where he finished twelve points behind Nixon) he would still have only 91 electoral votes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1968 For Nixon to get less than 91 electoral votes would require a near-collapse. And if Nixon somehow collapses, not all of his votes are going to Wallace by any means. Enough would go to Humphrey to almost assure Humphrey an electoral vote majority. To have Wallace win--or even get into second place in a no-electoral-majority election--you need a simultaneous collapse of both Nixon and Humphrey, which seems improbable.
 
Or, he becomes Wallace's VP in 68, Wallace comes in 2nd and Hump comes in 1st. A coalition of Conservative Dems and Republicans elect Chandler VP and the house can't elect anyone. Chandler is made AP.


By that time Chandler was best known for integrating baseball. Wallace selecting him as his running mate is ASB.
 
Wallace is very unlikely to reach second place in either the popular vote (where he was almost thirty points behind both Nixon and Humphrey) or the electoral. If Wallace had won *every* state where he got at least 25% of the vote in OTL (including FL where he finished twelve points behind Nixon) he would still have only 91 electoral votes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1968 For Nixon to get less than 91 electoral votes would require a near-collapse. And if Nixon somehow collapses, not all of his votes are going to Wallace by any means. Enough would go to Humphrey to almost assure Humphrey an electoral vote majority. To have Wallace win--or even get into second place in a no-electoral-majority election--you need a simultaneous collapse of both Nixon and Humphrey, which seems improbable.
Nixon could not run and be replaced by Romney or *gasps* Rockefeller
 
If Chandler becomes President, who becomes baseball's next commissioner and are they as eager to integrate as he was? Does Jackie Robinson get a chance or does it go to someone else?
 
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