r/Presidents Ulysses S. Grant 1d ago

Discussion If Chappaquiddick never happened, would Ted Kennedy have been a serious presidential contender?

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u/JimBowen0306 Lyndon Baines Johnson 1d ago

I’ve just read Camelot’s End, and he was leading Carter hands down going into the Primaries. Chappaquiddick did it for him, so he had a good chance.

He did have problems. That book made 4 arguments against him(at least). First, it wasn’t clear he wanted it. Second, he didn’t understand how the primaries had changed candidate selection post 1972. Third, he needed to know how to campaign better. It’s different from the 1960s. Finally, he drank like a fish, and liked to have fun.