Question about "Anybody but.../#Never..." candidacies

[Crumpets]

In 1836, the Whig Party tried the interesting strategy of running several regional candidates in various states to try to deny the notorious MVB a majority in the EC. Obviously, it didn't work out too well for them, but could the Never Trump and Never Clinton movement try something similar, say by putting Sasse the ballot in NE, Romney in UT, Graham in SC, maybe some hard-core TYT types in some blue states, and just try to pry as many EC votes away from the two main candidates as possible?

It wouldn't work, but might it be a better idea than just trying to get a sacrificial lamb to lose and deliver the election to Clinton?

[LLR]

The Republican party is not that well organized, and they'd lose many states anyhow.

There are also very few Dems willing to run against Hillary.

[SteveRogers]

It's probably a better plan than running a Sasse-type nationwide, but it would never work. The main difference between such a plan and what the Whigs did in 1836 would be that the Whigs were banking on each of their candidates beating Van Burn in a on-on-one contest in each of their states, whereas here Republicans would be running their insurgent candidates in three-way races against both Trump and Hillary. It's much more likely that in each case Trump and #NeverTrump would split the vote and give those states to Hillary. It's also worth noting that the candidates who were only on the ballot in a state or two would not be let into the debates.

[Crumpets]

HA! Liz Mair follows my Atlas posts.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/05/never-trump-liz-mair-independent-candidate