George Wallace and the 1970 Alabama Democratic Primary for Governor

[Fuzzy Bear]

George Wallace's plan was to run for Governor in 1970.  His plan was to run his wife, Lurleen Wallace, for Governor in 1966, with him setting up an office across from her and being the actual Governor of Alabama (being limited to 1 term in 1962).  Everything was going well for George until Lurleen was found to have cancer; she died in early 1968 and Lt. Governor Albert Brewer became Governor.

Brewer, under Alabama's Constitution, WAS eligible to run for a full term.  He was Alabama's Democratic Governor while Wallace was running a 3rd party bid for President in 1968.  He wanted to run in 1972 and came to decide to run as a Democrat, but it wouldn't be good if he lost the Democratic Primary.

Brewer actually led the first primary, 42-40%.  Wallace came back to win the runoff 52-48%.  How popular Brewer actually was is in question.  Wallace certainly had his devotees, but Brewer had the covert help of the Nixon Administration, who saw Wallace as a threat to Nixon in 1972 and who saw the Wallace states as additions to the Nixon column that could put the race out of reach.

What would have happened if Brewer won the primary?  What would Wallace's future have been?  (He likely wouldn't have been shot and crippled in 1972.)  Would Wallace have run anyway in 1972?  Would he have run as a Democrat?  Would a 3rd party candidacy have looked like Wallace 1968 or Maddox 1976?  How would the Democratic Party's history, particularly in terms of sectional alignment and Presidential races, been altered by a Wallace loss for Governor in 1972?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

How much influence did Nixon have in Alabama, or was the "covert aid" purely monetary?

[Fuzzy Bear]

How much influence did Nixon have in Alabama, or was the "covert aid" purely monetary?

It was monetary aid and a degree of covert "boots on the ground".

Nixon never endorsed Brewer because he wanted the Wallace voters badly.

[Sumner 1868]

I know the margin was close, but I think Wallace was essentially unbeatable and that Brewer was lucky to have even broke forty-eight percent. What could Brewer have done with more Nixon cash anyway? Not much room for pivot against rhetoric like "Wake Up Alabama! Blacks vow to take over Alabama."

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

How much influence did Nixon have in Alabama, or was the "covert aid" purely monetary?

It was monetary aid and a degree of covert "boots on the ground".

Nixon never endorsed Brewer because he wanted the Wallace voters badly.

I also find it interesting just how much Nixon attempted to exert influence towards the outcomes in various Democratic primaries, especially in the South, over the course of his administration.