Kefauver vs. Taft 1952

[Peter the Lefty]

Alright, say the Democratic electorate backs Kefauver so passionately that the party bosses can't feel safe overriding it, so they let him have the nomination.  Meanwhile, Ike doesn't run, so Taft gets the Republican nomination.

[RogueBeaver]

They were passionate, didn't matter. Kefauver had pissed off the bosses by exposing links between their machines and organized crime, plus was seen as a traitor to his region by fellow SoDems because of his pro-civil rights stance.

If Kefauver does get the nomination... tough call. K1C2 and 2 decades of Democratic rule v. 2 decades of Taft's conservatism. I'd say narrow Taft victory.