The Storyteller
Banned
In late-1973, Spiro Agnew resigned as US Vice President over charges of Tax Evasion and Corruption during his earlier tenure as Governor of Maryland. He was succeeded as VP by House Minority Leader Gerald Ford, who went on to become President a year later after Nixon's own resignation before losing the Presidency to Jimmy Carter in 1976.
While I've seen quite a few threads about alternate Nixon running mates in 1968, I haven't seen much discussion concerning alternatives to Ford in 1973. Part of this may be due to Ford being seen as the ideal candidate at the time (moderate, well-liked by both parties, easily confirmed by Congress, etc), but I can't help but wonder who else could have potentially stepped into Agnew's (and Nixon's) shoes.
So, for the sake of argument, let's say that for whatever reason, Gerald Ford isn't an option for the position of Vice President in 1973 (early retirement, illness, cosmic anvil to the head or just straight refusal). Who else could have become Vice President?
Could recently Democrat-turned-Republican and Nixon's allegedly preferred successor, John Connally, somehow become VP, despite a Democrat-controlled Congress likely refusing to confirm him?
How about someone like John Volpe or Robert Finch, both supposedly high up on Nixon's 1968 VP shortlist? Or would previous association with Nixon damage their chances?
Or is there another potential candidate with the same credentials as Ford? (Senate Minority Leader instead of the House Leader, perhaps?)
Thoughts?
While I've seen quite a few threads about alternate Nixon running mates in 1968, I haven't seen much discussion concerning alternatives to Ford in 1973. Part of this may be due to Ford being seen as the ideal candidate at the time (moderate, well-liked by both parties, easily confirmed by Congress, etc), but I can't help but wonder who else could have potentially stepped into Agnew's (and Nixon's) shoes.
So, for the sake of argument, let's say that for whatever reason, Gerald Ford isn't an option for the position of Vice President in 1973 (early retirement, illness, cosmic anvil to the head or just straight refusal). Who else could have become Vice President?
Could recently Democrat-turned-Republican and Nixon's allegedly preferred successor, John Connally, somehow become VP, despite a Democrat-controlled Congress likely refusing to confirm him?
How about someone like John Volpe or Robert Finch, both supposedly high up on Nixon's 1968 VP shortlist? Or would previous association with Nixon damage their chances?
Or is there another potential candidate with the same credentials as Ford? (Senate Minority Leader instead of the House Leader, perhaps?)
Thoughts?
