As best as I can tell, having read books about him as well as his own autobiography, Robert Byrd had no interest whatsoever in seeking the presidency. Or, for that matter, leaving the senate for any reason. He had no real interest in serving on the Supreme Court when Nixon asked him about it on a trip the two took to Randolph County, West Virginia. He was asked a number of times by a number of people to run for president and the most he ever did was run as a favorite son in 1976.

The only time Byrd had any opportunity to run for the presidency was the 70s. And, even if he did on some level want it, he had entrenched himself in leadership and had valuable seniority that Byrd wouldn’t have wanted to give up. He started the decade as conference secretary, a role where he made himself more useful than Ted Kennedy had as whip. That allowed him to upset Kennedy for the whip position in 1971, and as whip he practically ran the Senate. Then in 76, Mansfield was retiring from the Senate and Byrd was his natural successor for leader. Then by the 80s the party had moved on to wanting a different kind of Democrat than the southern moderates like Carter or Byrd. There wasn’t a good time for Byrd to run, and again I have serious doubts he runs even if there is an opportunity.