No Hillary or Bernie for 2016!
Congressman L.D. Smith of Virginia: First Place - Nominee
Congresswoman Melissa "Peebs" Peebles of North Carolina: Second Place
Fmr. Governor Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island: Third Place
Hillary Clinton gets indicted while Bernie Sanders dies from a stroke. Without the two major candidates participating, the Democratic primary became a fight between two dark horses. Congressman L.D. Smith was a mildly socially conservative populist candidate who aimed to win the election by bringing back Reagan Democrats into the fold. Meanwhile, Congresswoman Melissa Peebles of North Carolina ran largely as a Sanders replacement, though she avoided the socialist label at all costs. Finally, there was Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island who was entirely insignificant. Peebles made some impressive early wins, but Smith's appeal to Reagan Democrats worked wonderfully, especially as Fmr. Governor Jeb Bush of Florida won the Republican nomination in early April and announced his support for full and immediate amnesty as well as full support for acceptance of Syrian refugees. Many conservative Republicans bolted for Smith, giving him upset wins in western states where Peebles was expected to win instead. And so L.D. Smith clinched the 2016 Democratic nomination, becoming the 2nd Mormon in U.S. history to successfully represent a major political party for President after Mitt Romney in 2012.
