Would this fictional politician do better or worse than Jimmy Carter in 1976 as the Dem nominee?

[Blow by blow, the passion dies]

Hercules Taffs (born 1920), WWII veteran and Governor of Tennessee since 1970. As Governor, he implemented free textbooks for public schools, decreased the state property tax, championed small businesses, expanded Medicaid, repealed the state's right-to-work law and cracked down on riots and disorder.

Taffs narrowly defeated Jerry Brown and Mo Udall for the Democratic nomination on a populist platform that promised "real, positive and immediate" change for the American people, and relentlessly fighting corruption at all levels. He also supported expanding Medicare to cover every American, a small business tax credit, hawkish foreign policies, repealing the Taft-Hartley Act, middle-class tax cuts, energy independence, creating a Department of Education, limited steps on gun control, and higher government spending together with lower interest rates. Walter Mondale was his running mate.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Hercules Taffs (born 1920), WWII veteran and Governor of Tennessee since 1970. As Governor, he implemented free textbooks for public schools, decreased the state property tax, championed small businesses, expanded Medicaid, repealed the state's right-to-work law and cracked down on riots and disorder.

Taffs narrowly defeated Jerry Brown and Mo Udall for the Democratic nomination on a populist platform that promised "real, positive and immediate" change for the American people, and relentlessly fighting corruption at all levels. He also supported expanding Medicare to cover every American, a small business tax credit, hawkish foreign policies, repealing the Taft-Hartley Act, middle-class tax cuts, energy independence, creating a Department of Education, limited steps on gun control, and higher government spending together with lower interest rates. Walter Mondale was his running mate.

He'd have lost most of the South.

He might have won MI, CA, and NJ.

He'd have lost the Deep South, FL, and VA.  AR, TX, TN, and NC would all be tough.

[Vice President Christian Man]

Sounds like a decent candidate. Fuzzy generally knows more about the South as he lives here, but I disagree with him losing the South. Perhaps a few states like Texas and Florida might be closer and he could outright lose Mississippi, but I think him being a Southern governor would get him across the finish line across most of the region, while he'd win some of the other states Fuzzy mentioned, although Michigan would be tough because that was President Ford's homestate.

[Fuzzy Bear]

The candidate sounds like a fictional version of Ned McWhorter

[Blow by blow, the passion dies]

Who at the time, was Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Who at the time, was Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives

Ned McWherter. He later became governor in 1987.

[Blow by blow, the passion dies]

I looked him up