1976: Udall/Bentsen the Democratic ticket

[darklordoftech]

What if Mo Udall won the Democratic nomination and picked Lloyd Bentsen as his running mate?

[Politician]

Udall/Bentsen: 334 EVs
Ford/Dole: 204 EVs

[Fuzzy Bear]

Udall/Bentsen (D) 274 EV
Ford/Dole (R)  264 EV

Udall's campaign would have been markedly different than Carter's campaign.  It would have been dependent on a "California Strategy" which, I believe, would have been successful.  I believe Texas would have carried for the ticket, but I believe the rest of the South would have went for Ford.

While Udall would have had the disadvantage of being more liberal than Ford, he was running in the Watergate year.  What would NOT have happened was a 33 point Udall lead dissipate due to the candidate being perceived as "wishy-washy", a perception of Carter that stuck.  Carter's lead dissipated because as time went on, people compared Carter's conservative style to the liberal posture of the National Democratic Party and conclude that the candidate was trying to keep his true intentions of how he would govern a secret from either his conservative supporters or his liberal supporters.  Ford, at least, could be trusted to be conservative because it would be conservative votes that would have to elect him.

[Mr. Smith]

Ford/Dole 51%
Udall/Bentsen 48%

Strongest D: Rhode Island
Strongest R: Nebraska
Bellwether: Ohio
Tipping Point: Wisconsin
Closest: Pennsylvania

Unlike the please-everybody outsider Carter, Udall would lack that outsider box needed and he'd still have a problem with black turnout just because of The Church...nevermind that he left The Church over said issue. And without familiarity with The South, he probably wouldn't get the King endorsement so readily either.

So that costs him a lot of The South that he needs, even with Bentsen on the ticket.

And he likely loses The Midwest to moderate, reasonable Ford too, with only Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio actually being close...and Minnesota being almost last called his way.

[Lechasseur]

Ford/Dole 51%
Udall/Bentsen 48%

Strongest D: Rhode Island
Strongest R: Nebraska
Bellwether: Ohio
Tipping Point: Wisconsin
Closest: Pennsylvania

Unlike the please-everybody outsider Carter, Udall would lack that outsider box needed and he'd still have a problem with black turnout just because of The Church...nevermind that he left The Church over said issue. And without familiarity with The South, he probably wouldn't get the King endorsement so readily either.

So that costs him a lot of The South that he needs, even with Bentsen on the ticket.

And he likely loses The Midwest to moderate, reasonable Ford too, with only Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio actually being close...and Minnesota being almost last called his way.

I think Ford sweeps the South except for Texas and West Virginia, but otherwise I agree with this map.