Willkie is prominent in Amity Shlaes book of that name. Willkie probably would have won if not for the danger overseas. He was leading the polls heading into summer. People were pretty tired of FDR's economic policies by then, but his leadership qualities made the difference. People trusted FDR in days of crisis, and war was looming: France had fallen and Britain was in trouble.
I think Willkie would have made a fine President as well. I like Fiorina as well. I thought Rubio was great in the last debate, but Carly brought a tear to my eye.
Speaking of the Forgotten Man, I think it's a real shame the Democrats won't let Jim Webb get into a debate with Hillary, O'Malley and Sanders. They sure are dragging their feet on their debates. As a former Scoop Jackson Democrat, I have an interest in Webb. I'm really not surprised by the Sanders boomlet. My Facebook feed has been filled with Sanders memes for years.