1968: Goldwater (R) vs McGovern (D)

[Pink Panther]

In 1968, Sen. Barry Goldwater comes back and is re-nominated by the GOP, running on a "saviour" figure after being ignored in 1964. Meanwhile, Dems nominate Sen. George McGovern, who runs on a similar program as in 1972. Everything else is the same.

Discuss with maps.

[Agonized-Statism]

Senator George McGovern (D-SD) / Senator Fred Harris (D-OK)
Fmr. Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) / Fmr. Governor William Scranton (R-PA) ✓
Fmr. Governor George Wallace (AI-AL) / General Curtis LeMay (AI-CA)

This is a tough one, but I guess if Goldwater made it through the primaries, he would have moderated enough to be the "reasonable" choice. A larger part of organized labor might actually defect to Wallace.

[Kingpoleon]

[The Houstonian]

What happens next?

[Alben Barkley]

What happens next?

CHAOS! I think Wallace wins AR/TN/NC at minimum in this scenario too by the way, but regardless, the election goes to the House. Which was controlled by Dems at the time, but some Southern Dixiecrat delegations may refuse to vote for McGovern without squeezing some serious concessions out of him. And if he refuses to give them, not hard at all to see them handing the presidency to Goldwater. Even easier to see them vote for him than Nixon.