1972 without "Watergate"

[Blackacre]

Would McGovern have a chance in a fair fight or was his goose cooked from the start? I know he got SWAMPED that year, but it was also a really dirty campaign. And what would have happened as a consequence of this alternate election for the future of politics, considering who McGovern was.

[Paul Kemp]

Watergate was inconsequential in regard to the election, which makes it even more of a blunder. McGovern's own downfall was his campaign organization and the inability to respond effectively to attacks.

[Person Man]

Many say that McGovern was just like Goldwater. The votes just weren't there yet. One could say that McGovern is very similiar to Gore, Kerry and Obama and that if McGovern-Nixon traded places with Obama-Romney, the maps would have more or less stayed the same.  Basically, 1972 was the first post-NewDeal Election and 1976 or 1980 was the last New Deal election.