Nixon picks Finch in 1968. Finch does not run in 1976. Who is the GOP nominee?

[Lincoln Republican]

In 1968, Richard Nixon's first choice for Vice President was his friend Robert Finch, Lieutenant Governor of California.  Finch was not interested, and declined, and Nixon picked Spiro Agnew.

Suppose Nixon had been successful in persuading Finch to be his Vice Presidential running mate.  They go on to win the 1968 election, as Nixon did in real life.  They go on to win the 1972 election by a landslide, as Nixon did in real life.

President Nixon resigns the Presidency in 1974 over the Watergate scandal, as in real life, and Vice President Finch becomes President.  President Finch serves the remainder of the term, but does not run for President in 1976.  Finch picks Nelson Rockefeller for Vice President for the remainder of the term, as Ford did in real life.

Question

Who do you think the Republicans would nominate for President and Vice President in 1976?

How would the election go between your Republican ticket and the Democratic ticket of Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale?

Please discuss, using maps if you like.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Reagan/Tower: 50% PV, 278 EV
Carter/Mondale: 49% PV, 260 EV

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Winfield, I believe had Richard Nixon indeed selected close associate and then Lieutenant Governor of California Robert Finch as his running mate in 1968, and thus succeeded President Nixon due to the Watergate Scandal in August 1974, I doubt that Finch would have selected Nelson Rockefeller as his Vice President.

I believe that Finch would have taken the route that Nixon took in RL 1973 upon the resignation and would have selected House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford of Michigan. I simply cannot see Finch selecting Rockefeller as his running mate, as Finch's selection would cause controversy between the Rockefeller and conservative wings of the Republican Party. Not to mention I doubt that the Congress would allow Rockefeller to become the new Vice President, alas they would prefer Gerald Ford, who was the "only" acceptable choice for the Vice Presidency as stated by the Democratic dominated Congress in 1973. That's my two cents on the matter. 

[cmt]

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I actually think that in 1976 Reagan would have been a weaker candidate than President Ford.  Yes, Reagan would have done better in the South, but he had a reputation then for being a strong conservative and John Tower would have been another strong conservative, so no moderate on the ticket.  I think a Reagan/Tower ticket in 1976 would have scared away moderate independents and republicans in the NE and MW that Ford was able to win.  You have to recall that against a socially moderate Ford, Carter lost states like CT, ME, VT, NJ, OR, WA, IA and IL by narrow margins.  A Carter/Mondale ticket in '76 would have really exploited the conservative nature of the GOP ticket and would have made headway.  Reagan, unlike Ford, also would not have had the advantage of incumbancy. 

I think Carter would pick up CT, ME, VT, NJ, IA, WA, OR, and MI (it was Ford's homestate, but Carter in '76 did well there).  I would give Reagan/Tower: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and very narrowly Ohio, becuz they would have run better in Southern Ohio than Ford did.  In the end a Carter victory with 331 electoral votes to 207 for Reagan.  (Frankly, I don't see Reagan picking somebody like Tower, he didn't need help with the conservative base, he more likely would have picked somebody like Michigan Governor Miliken who was a moderate--or who he actually picked Richard Schweiker of PA).

[Kaine for Senate '18]

I actually think that in 1976 Reagan would have been a weaker candidate than President Ford.  Yes, Reagan would have done better in the South, but he had a reputation then for being a strong conservative and John Tower would have been another strong conservative, so no moderate on the ticket.  I think a Reagan/Tower ticket in 1976 would have scared away moderate independents and republicans in the NE and MW that Ford was able to win.  You have to recall that against a socially moderate Ford, Carter lost states like CT, ME, VT, NJ, OR, WA, IA and IL by narrow margins.  A Carter/Mondale ticket in '76 would have really exploited the conservative nature of the GOP ticket and would have made headway.  Reagan, unlike Ford, also would not have had the advantage of incumbancy. 

I think Carter would pick up CT, ME, VT, NJ, IA, WA, OR, and MI (it was Ford's homestate, but Carter in '76 did well there).  I would give Reagan/Tower: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and very narrowly Ohio, becuz they would have run better in Southern Ohio than Ford did.  In the end a Carter victory with 331 electoral votes to 207 for Reagan.  (Frankly, I don't see Reagan picking somebody like Tower, he didn't need help with the conservative base, he more likely would have picked somebody like Michigan Governor Miliken who was a moderate--or who he actually picked Richard Schweiker of PA).

Please fix your original post.