Now, in case you don't know, Charles Evans Hughes was an American lawyer, Judge, and Politician who got a 99.5 on the Bar Exam, went to Columbia University, and served as the 36th Governor of New York (1907-1910), An Associate Justice on the Supreme Court (1910-1916), the 1916 Republican Presidential Nominee, the 44th Secretary of State (1921-1925), and the 11th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1930-1941). He was a very well read, intelligent, and understanding man who did his research and did what he believed would be the best in every situation. To quote one New York Politician during his tenure as Governor "You can't make any sort of trade with him. You can't approach him on the side of personal advantage. You can't seem to touch his political ambition. He is beyond me! The fool simply does right the whole time!"

During his 1916 Campaign, he supported the Direct Elections of US Senators and Women's suffrage, something the Democrats under President Woodrow Wilson was reluctant to do as it might anger the Southern Dixiecrats who still dominated their party at this time and they hated any idea of reform, though mainly it was the plantation class, who was successfully able to play poor whites against poor blacks for a century for their own personal gain. A good example of this was Mississippi Senators Harrison and Bilbo, the former was supported by the Plantation Class but Bilbo by the poor rural whites.

Back onto Hughes, He was a Progressive, but held many moderate/conservative ideas and only lost, albeit barely, because California Governor and Teddy Roosevelt's 1912 Running Mate Hiram Johnson felt snubbed as they didn't meet. A unique thing is that, while the lily whites (a white supremacist southern sect of the Republican Party Presidents Taft and Hoover was a part of) were definitely in control, Hughes was firmly against them, as listed here in this article : https://www.glensfallschronicle.com/charles-evans-hughes-gf-bred-civil-rights-hero/

Now, many people don't know this, but Taft, Roosevelt's Secretary of War at the time, initially didn't want to be President, instead wanting to be Chief Justice (Which he would later be, being Hughes' predecessor in that position thanks to President Harding). Taft initially thought about pushing Secretary of State Elihu Root of New York, but he was a Conservative Wall Street Executive/Lawyer, which likely would've resulted in him barely losing to Bryan in the general election. Of the remaining candidates, only two seemed the best options : Secretary of the Treasury and Former Postmaster General and Secretary of Commerce and Labor George B. Cortelyou, who initially did a test run but dropped out when he realized Taft had overwhelming support, or NY Governor Hughes, who the President was having cooled relations with due to the Governor's moderating views. Say Taft, Root, and Cortelyou decide not to run and so Roosevelt endorses Hughes albeit reluctantly? What comes next after Hughes beats Bryan? Would he push something akin to the Lodge Bill of 1890 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lodge_Bill) with teeth and fervor now that there is no need to cowtow to the South for Silver policies/Tarriffs or would he be like Taft, but a little more progressive?

Also, on 1912, people think Wilson's nomination was inevitable but that was anything but the case. In fact, Speaker of the House Champ Clark got the support of the corrupt Tammany Hall and that was enough to convince Bryan to endorse Wilson, who was considering on dropping out. So have Wilson drop out a ballot early and it's likely that either Thomas Marshall of Indiana or Oscar Underwood of Alabama might've gotten the Nomination instead.

Also, in case anyone is doubting Hughes' opinions on race and such, here's an actual speech of his when he was CJ :

And I'm currently writing a TL with this premise if anyone is interested. It could have ideas running contrary to yours : https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=394827.0

Hope posting this is acceptable here :)

Only if there's going to be any involvement regarding ponydom.