Nixon thought about picking then-MA Gov. John Volpe, a left-wing Republican, as his running mate in 1968 (he wanted an ethnic on the ticket). Obviously, had he picked him, MA still would not have voted for him. Curiously, in picking the Greek ethnic Gov. Agnew from Maryland, he didn’t help him there, either, as Humphrey still carried the state that year. It wouldn’t have mattered who Nixon ran with in ‘72, since as soon as the Dems picked McGovern, it was all over.
Thanks for the info! Volpe became
Nixon’s secy of Transportation so
Lt Gov Frank Sargent became governor.
If Nixon had picked Volpe as his running mate, Gerald Ford would never have been President—Volpe would have succeeded when Nixon resigned. Whether he would have been able to win the 1976 election, who knows?