I have a question for this thread. If Truman moved even further to the left on Civil Rights in this election, is it possible that J. Strom Thurmond switches allegiance to the GOP this year and runs with Nixon as the VP?
I could see the switch happening sooner, but I highly doubt Nixon would add him on the ticket. And depending on how RN wants to be perceived on civil rights, Thurmond could join him on the stump in the South.
I doubt it. There was still a lot of uncertainty in 1952 of how a Republican, especially down the ballot, would fare in the South. 1964 Strom Thurmond had the benefit of hindsight regarding the GOP's performance in South Carolina in the 1952 and 1960 presidential elections, and the 1962 senate election. Though its important to note that in 1952 Thurmond had already effectively abandoned the national Democratic Party when he endorsed the Eisenhower/Nixon ticket over Stevenson/Sparkman.
