Given the following circumstances, would this map be plausible in 1960?
Vice President Richard Nixon does not pick former Massachusetts Senator and U.N. Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge as his running mate. Instead, he picks the experienced, hard working, respected, corruption fighting Delaware Senator John J. Williams.
Senator John Kennedy does not pick Texas Senator Lyndon B. Johnson as his running mate. Instead, he picks one of his personal favorites, Governor Orville Freeman of Minnesota.
Keep in mind the following
Johnson is given credit for actually helping Kennedy get over the top in the election.
With Johnson as his running mate, Kennedy won Delaware (3 EV) by a margin of 1.64%, North Carolina (14 EV) by a margin of 4.22%, South Carolina (8 EV) by a margin of 2.48%, and even with Texan Johnson on the ticket, Kennedy managed to win Texas (24 EV) by a margin of only 2.00%.
In the election, Kennedy received 303 EV, Nixon 219 EV, unpledged electors 15 EV.
With Nixon winning Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas, this would give Nixon 269 EV, Kennedy 249 EV, unpledged electors 15 EV.
With 537 EV in 1960, this gives Nixon the victory and the Presidency.
Nixon wins Delaware because of popular Senator Williams being on the ticket, and he wins the three southern states because Johnson was instrumental in Kennedy's victories in these states.
Under these circumstances, could this have actually happened?
The map
Please discuss.
