I think the Dixiecrats (aside from a few lunatics who argued insane stuff like Max Cleland being the "true" conservative in Georgia) figured this out decades ago, most likely by the 1970s.
Dixiecrats also hated JFK, BTW. When he ran in 1960, numerous southern states voted for "unpledged Democrat elector" rather than support him as the party nominee.
The problem is the Dixiecrats haven't figured out the GOP is not the party of celebrating Jefferson Davis, mandating young-earth creationism in schools, or abolishing the 17th amendment. They keep trying to push this stuff as "conservative" and the mainstream media loves to ridicule us for it.
Actually only Mississippi voted for a slate of unpledged electors.
Plus Alabama had some weirdness where 6 unpledged electors were nominated in the rat primary and 5 Kennedy.
Dixiecrat slate came in third in Louisiana, the only other state that had one running.
In Arkansas the sitting Governor Orval Faubus ran, he came in a very poor third while being reelected Governor at the same time.
I’m actually surprised the rats were as united as they were, a lot of Dixiecrats just voted for Nixon.