KKK David C. Stephenson, 3rd Party Candidate, 1932

[pbrower2a]

In real life, David C. Stephenson, a charismatic Klan leader savagely raped a woman who subsequently killed herself. After that he was convicted of second-degree murder and had a long prison term. The 1920's KKK melted down as a political force after its brightest star became a moral black hole, and it was unable to exploit the economic distress of the Great Depression.

Suppose that he either didn't commit the murder or (like a scary analogue in Germany, initials A.H.) got away with it. The Klan had been throwing support  to Republican candidates in the North and Democratic candidates in the South as it thought appropriate. The Klan remains a political force even if it refrains from street violence in electoral campaigns.

These are the points to consider:

1. Herbert Hoover trounces Al Smith in 1928. Hoover has a moral compass, and even though the Klan gave some backhanded support for him with its "Keep the Pope Out of the White House" campaign, Hoover believes (rightly) that he was elected without the need for Klan support. He offends the Klan by ordering J. Edgar Hoover investigate lynchings and by refusing to promote legislation that would disenfranchise all Jews, Catholics, and blacks nationwide.

2. The Stock Market Crash happens in the autumn of 1929 as in reality, and  Hoover handles the ensuing meltdown as ineptly as in reality.

3. Hoover and FDR win their respective Party nominations. FDR  draws the ire of the Klan for reputed Jewish ancestry and throws back his ire in his own inimitable way. Stephenson proclaims "a Pox on Both Your Houses" and forms his "National Party" that gets the support of the still-strong Klan.

4. Remember -- in those days, colored people (then the polite term) did not vote in any Southern state.

Can FDR win without selling out to the Klan?

[Verily]

FDR still wins a landslide.

Indiana and Ohio might flip to Hoover as the Klan candidate acts as a spoiler for Roosevelt in the northern states where the Klan was strongest. Might happen in NJ, too, but I suspect Roosevelt's support here was mostly Catholic and so the Klan candidate would hurt Hoover more than Roosevelt in NJ. (The Klan was also strong in NJ.)

The Deep South states vote for the Klan candidate, although one or more state Democratic parties might remain in Roosevelt's control (as the Georgia and Arkansas Democrats remained under Truman's control in 1948 and handed him a solid victory in the states; compare to the results in 1968).

But none of that changes an ultimately resounding mandate for Roosevelt. He wins an enormous EC margin, and, while his popular vote is just below 50%, his margin over Hoover is still about 14 points, not far off from the real-history 18-point victory. The Klan takes 7% nationwide.

Also note that the separation of the Klan from the Democrats means that the Socialists have more difficulty making headway in the NYC area and in the West, and Norman Thomas only barely breaks 1% instead of his actual 2.2% (leftist groups being more inclined to trust a Roosevelt who obviously bucks the powerful Klan).

[The Mikado]

Suppose that he either didn't commit the murder or (like a scary analogue in Germany, initials A.H.) got away with it.

Just a side note...it's never really been proven that Hitler was responsible for his niece's death.

[Dancing with Myself]

I think the KKK would win the whole south, which takes away Fr's ev's. Roosevelt still wins.

[Хahar 🤔]

I think the KKK would win the whole south, which takes away Fr's ev's. Roosevelt still wins.

Stephenson was from Indiana.

[Dancing with Myself]

I think the KKK would win the whole south, which takes away Fr's ev's. Roosevelt still wins.

Stephenson was from Indiana.

Back in the old Days, the KKK used to control the whole south. I believe that he would win the south, but i would doubt he would win Indiana.

[Scam of God]

I think the KKK would win the whole south, which takes away Fr's ev's. Roosevelt still wins.

Stephenson was from Indiana.

Back in the old Days, the KKK used to control the whole south. I believe that he would win the south, but i would doubt he would win Indiana.

Indiana was the most heavily KKK-infested State north of the Mason-Dixon line.

[Хahar 🤔]

It was probably the most heavily KKK-infested state, period.

[pbrower2a]

I would like to revive this line.

[MATTROSE94]

Maybe something like this:

Governor Franklin Roosevelt (D-NY)/House Speaker John Garner (D-TX): 361 EV (51%)
President Herbert Hoover (R-IA)/Vice President Charles Curtis (R-KS): 128 EV (37%)
David C. Stevenson (National Party-IN)/Senator Ellison "Cotton Ed" Smith (National Party-SC): 42 EV (9%)
Others: 0 EV (3%)

[bagelman]

Maybe something like this:

Seems to be a reasonable result, although unless it's because I don't understand machine politics, I don't get how MS and SC are easy KKK wins but GA, FL, LA all vote overwhelming Democratic as normal.