Candidate Gary Hart

[True Democrat]

Hart/Bentsen vs. Bush/Quayle (I think Bentsen still would have been a logical choice, Hart needed an establishment candidate):


280-258 Hart win

1984 with Hart as nominee:

397-141 Reagan win

[True Democrat]

Hart would have cracked more of the south than that, both times.

Against Reagan, no way

Against Bush, it's possible, but Bush actually did better than Reagan in many Southern counties.

[True Democrat]

Hart would have cracked more of the south than that, both times.

Against Reagan, no way

Against Bush, it's possible, but Bush actually did better than Reagan in many Southern counties.

Um, no.  Reagan, especially, wasn't a great deal more popular in the south compared to the rest of the nation.  Look at 1980 county map.

But Bush actually did better in many Southern counties than Reagan, and even did better in the entire state of Tennessee.  It was very surprising to me.

For example, compare the 1984 and 1988 Georgia maps:

1984:


1988: