Replies

The problem with Agnew is that he was already damaged going to DC in the first place. When he held lower office in MD, he was apparently doing the same things that had been done by his predecessors and others (having the wheels “greased”, so to speak), but because he was the VP and the likely 1976 Presidential nominee (he swamped Gov. Reagan in a head-to-head matchup) that was simply regarded as unacceptable — especially as a Republican. Had he never risen above MD Governor, it’s highly unlikely any of the charges would ever have been brought.

I generally thought Agnew a bit of an oddity. He actually switched parties twice (!) and was basically a liberal. He started out a Republican but became a Dem in his 30s (that partly might’ve been because where he lived, there was no local GOP to speak of). When the Dem political machine he served under dropped him from an appointment, he angrily switched back to the GOP (not an ideological switch but one of a fit of pique — this was exactly how Arlen Specter became a Republican in the ‘60s, acting against the reigning Philly Dem machine). Agnew was elected Governor as a liberal Republican. The Conservative was the Dem nominee, George Mahoney, a Wallaceite (he probably would’ve been similar to Lester Maddox in GA, who also ran in the same 1966 election). Had a 3rd party liberal Dem not run as an Indy, Mahoney probably would’ve won on the strength of the Dem party in the state (although it is also possible that the Indy took crucial liberal votes away from Agnew, whom barely prevailed).

Agnew was still not considered a Conservative even in ‘68, at best, a “moderate” (aside from the issue of demanding accountability from local Black leaders in not fanning rioting and violence that dreadful year, which got him pegged as a “racist reactionary” despite the fact he had enacted the singlemost liberal pro-civil rights legislation as Governor. That demonstrated the problem for the GOP at that point that it didn’t matter how liberal you went, you couldn’t do enough to appease the radical element that had become the Black leadership). He was apparently selected personally by Nelson Rockefeller so Nixon could have a “liberal” on the ticket and earn Rocky’s support, much to the chagrin of George Romney (Agnew was also pretty green, he had only been Governor for all of a year and a half). If I had been around in ‘68, I would’ve probably been championing Reagan (whom like Agnew was also elected in ‘66) — now Nixon could’ve run with Reagan because he changed his residency to New York.

I do wonder if he hadn’t taken those payoffs, how he might’ve fared in 1976. Reagan would’ve had more trouble against him than Ford in the primary, and I’d imagine wouldn’t have been able to have beaten him. A personally undamaged Agnew still might’ve lost to Carter in the general because of his perceived divisive personality (something Ford bested him on).

One other thing I’d add is that I don’t think Agnew would’ve pardoned Nixon. Nixon had apparently spent half his term trying to figure out how to run Agnew out of office so he could replace him with John Connally, and Agnew might’ve let him hang out to dry and let the vultures pick him to pieces. Of course, that ugliness would’ve continued to split the country, but Agnew wouldn’t have suffered the backlash Ford received, so that alone might’ve gotten him a win over Carter (had Ford not pardoned Nixon, he probably would’ve won over Carter by a 5% margin).

I’m going to throw out a conspiracy theory for a moment, take it with a grain of salt, but for all we know, Nixon might’ve “let it be known” to the proper authorities about Agnew’s practices in MD in order to keep him from the Presidency.