Collaborative Presidential Elections - New

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

2012

President Jon Huntsman (R-UT)/Vice President Charlie Crist (R-FL) - 270 Electoral Votes, 49.9% of the popular vote
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)/Governor John Hickenlooper (D-CO) - 268 Electoral Votes, 49.6% of the popular vote

President Huntsman is well-liked throughout his term, but struggles under a bad economy, giving him a tough battle for re-election. The closest election in memory comes down to a recount in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, with President Huntsman eking out an 826-vote victory in the district, and keeping the election from going to the Democratic-controlled House.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

We should start a new one.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

We should start a new one.

Yeah, this takes us to the current day.

No idea for the next divergence point, so I'll let someone else take it.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

VP Hubert Humphrey (MN)/Former Gov. Terry Sanford (NC)-288 electoral votes, 43%
Former VP Richard Nixon (CA)/Gov. Spiro Agnew (MD)-197 electoral votes, 41%
Former Gov. George Wallace (AL)/Gen. Curtis LeMay (CA)-53 electoral votes, 15%

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Anyone?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I guess I'll try.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Failure to end the war in Vietnam--either through negotiation, victory, or withdrawal--proved to be Humphrey's downfall. While he would stand out as the "greatest school desegregator in American history", this would not please the South at all. While Humphrey faced a challenge from anti-war candidate George McGovern, he would trounce him in the primaries, causing McGovern to launch an independent bid for President. The American Independents would nominate former Georgia Governor Lester Maddox and Congressman John Schmitz for President and Vice-President respectively.

For the Republicans, the mood was uneasy. While Nelson Rockefeller seemed the natural nominee, he declined the nomination, instead endorsing his brother, Winthrop Rockefeller of Arkansas, for the Presidency. It was reasoned by many that a candidate who could compete well in the South as well as hold moderates, liberals, and conservatives together could win them the election. Winthrop proved to be that man. With Nelson's warchest, a good ground game in the South, North-East, and Mid-West, and a split opposition, Winthrop would win the nomination. In order to abate the Right of the party, Senator (elected in 1970) Paul Laxalt, a Reagan friend, would be chosen for Vice-President.

Governor Winthrop Rockefeller (R-AR)/Senator Paul Laxalt (R-NV) 318 electoral votes, 45.5% of the popular vote
President Hubert H. Humphrey (D-MN)/Vice-President Terry Sanford (D-NC) 176 electoral votes, 40.7% of the popular vote
Former Governor Lester Maddox (AI-GA)/Congressman John G. Schmitz (AI-CA) 36 electoral votes, 8.3% of the popular vote
Senator George McGovern (I-SD)/Senator Frank Church (I-ID) 8 electoral votes, 5.2% of the popular vote

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

The nation was stunned by the sudden death of President Winthrop Rockefeller only a month after taking office, especially once it was revealed that he had been battling cancer for most of the campaign. His Vice President, Paul Laxalt, took office amid no small amount of controversy over the late President's decision to keep his condition from the American public. However, President Laxalt soon proved himself to be an able leader, pushing a center-right agenda and effectively ending American troops' involvement in Vietnam, instead transitioning to a support role. Choosing his old friend Governor Ronald Reagan of California as Vice President, he was easily able to fend off a challenge from liberal Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, who was hurt by the continued presence of the American Independent party.

President Paul Laxalt (R-NV)/Governor Ronald Reagan (R-CA) - 451 Electoral Votes, 52.3% of the popular vote.
Governor Jimmy Carter (D-GA)/Senator Walter Mondale (D-MN) - 63 Electoral Votes, 41.8% of the popular vote
Former Governor Lester Maddox (AI-GA)/Congressman John G. Schmitz (AI-CA) 24 electoral votes, 5.9% of the popular vote

[Negusa Nagast 🚀]

President Laxalt was able to pursue a largely successful foreign policy, and saw a massive spike in his approvals when hostages were successfully rescued from Iran. However, he refused to hand over the Panama Canal, causing world-wide condemnation. In 1980, inflation soared, unemployment rose, and the deficit expanded due to tax cuts that the public did not feel. The Democrats nominated Governor Jerry Brown (D-CA) with Senator and former Astronaut John Glenn (D-OH) as his running mate. Vice President Reagan (R-CA) chose Jack Kemp (R-NY) to be his running mate. The election was close, and was decided only after Brown eeked out a 2% win in California.

Governor Jerry Brown (D-CA)/John Glenn (D-OH) - 299 Electoral Votes, 50.9% of the popular vote.
Vice President Ronald Reagan (R-CA)/Jack Kemp (R-NY) - 239 Electoral Votes, 48.4% of the popular vote.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Though personally opposed to taxes, Brown moved to lower the deficit by reversing the tax cuts to previous levels. This, combined with policies to foster the budding technology boom, led to a growing economy and a lowering unemployment level by 1984. Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole ran with moderate Republican Warren Rudman, but their uninspiring campaign fell easily. A drought in the Upper Midwest slightly harmed Brown in the Farm Belt, but he was still able to win Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. John Glenn retired from the Vice Presidency, and was replaced by Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen.

President Jerry Brown/Senator Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX)-433 electoral votes, 54% PV
Senator Bob Dole (R-KS)/Senator Warren Rudman (R-NH)-105 electoral votes, 45% PV

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

1988

President Brown's second term was rockier than his first, with his liberal policies energizing the right against him. However, he remained very popular among his own party and independents. Vice President Bentsen chose not to seek the Presidency in 1988, and the nomination went to popular Governor Mario Cuomo of New York, a liberal who unabashedly supported President Brown and vowed to build on his reforms, choosing moderate Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton as his running mate. A prolonged Republican primary ended with a surprise. Former VP candidate Warren Rudman, given up for hopeless early in the primaries, managed to energize the Republican center and claim victory as a common-sense candidate. Picking Kansas Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum as his running mate, the historic Rudman/Kassebaum ticket scored a decisive victory due to massive support from independents, with many people saying Cuomo was overshadowed by his charismatic running mate. Warren Rudman became America's first Jewish President, and Nancy Landon Kassebaum became the first female elected on a national ticket.

Senator Warren Rudman (R-NH)/Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R-KS) - 317 electoral votes, 52.4% of the popular vote
Governor Mario Cuomo (D-NY)/Governor Bill Clinton (D-AK) - 221 electoral votes, 46.8% of the popular vote

[sentinel]

Suggestion: Put the year at the top so its obvious

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

Suggestion: Put the year at the top so its obvious

Fixed mine. I'm pretty sure it was 1988.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

1992

345-193

Warren Rudman's presidency was dominated by economic affairs.

Swept to office in November 1988, on a wave of optimism, no sooner had Rudman assumed the Presidency than it dissipated. Several years of high unemployment, massive government deficits, and slow GDP growth came to the fore in 1990. No matter what measures Rudman took, the crisis - and his chances of re-election - worsened.

Consequently, the President was challenged for the nomination in 1992. Seen as too liberal by fringe elements of the Republican Party, Pat Buchanan led the crusade to 'save' the GOP. However, this was unsuccessful: Buchanan aroused the conservative base, but no-one else.
President Rudman, in turn, would sweep the primaries, and thus the nomination.

Sensing an immediate return to office, the Democratic field boasted big name candidates. The field included the likes of Tennessee Senator Al Gore; Delaware Senator Joe Biden; Virginia Governor Chuck Robb; yet it was Colorado Senator, Gary Hart, who was seen as the obvious front runner. Bill Clinton, Governor of Arkansas and Mario Cuomo’s running mate in 1988, decided not to run to the surprise of many – vowing to serve out his term as Governor.

Positioning himself as a moderate, advocating a 'Third Way' between capitalism and socialism - a phenomenon Senator Hart cruised to the nomination. At the  Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Senator Hart would select the popular Florida Senator Bob Graham as his running mate.

The 1992 presidential campaign was a civil affair; criticisms of policy, not character, were the focus of the campaign, as both Hart and Rudman were close friends away from the political arena.

The more charismatic and appealing Senator from Colorado, would defeat the incumbent President by a comfortable margin to become 42nd President of the United States.

[Vote UKIP!]

Fmr. Governor Lamar Alexander (R-TN)/ Steve Forbes (R-NY) 273 - (49.3% of popular)
President Gary Hart (D-CO)/ Vice President Bob Graham 265 - (51.2% of popular)

Hart's administration was plagued by several administrative disasters. Hart pushed for the passage of the American Health and Insurance Security Act, but faced opposition not only from Republican Senators threatening to filibuster, but also midwestern Democrats facing reelection. Also, scandals arising among past business deals by the Secretary of Treasury and Chief of Staff forced their resignation in late 1993.
  Still, Hart maintained high personal approval ratings and fair job approval ratings. The economy showed some signs of improvement, but not enough to reach below 8%. Republicans sensed blood, and began the primary process with gusto. The three major candidates were Fmr. Governor Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Pat Buchanan, and Steve Forbes. Buchanan won Iowa, but Alexander won New Hampshire. Buchanan soon came to represent Social Conservatives, while Forbes represented fiscal conservatives, and Alexander the moderates. The real fight was in South Carolina, while all three competed for the all important evangelical vote. South Carolina was decided, it is said, when Buchanan's alleged anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli sentiment was emphasized in a flyer circulated throughout the state. Buchanan tried to combat this allegations, attributing the charges to " a desperate Alexander campaign." In the days leading up to the primary, Alexander gave a speech in Greenville emphasizing his pro-life credentials and his pledge to support Israel. Alexander won the state by a comfortable margin.

After winning the primaries, Alexander decided to harness his other opponent, Forbes, by selecting him for his running mate as well as adopting his flat-tax proposal. Unlike the previous campaign, both sides employed dirty tactics, particularly through negative ads. On election night, the election was very tight in both the electoral and popular votes. Nevada proved to be the key to Alexander's electoral victory over the embattled incumbant.

Despite the campaign warfare, Alexander's populist image and his trademark plaid flannel shirt kept him in contention with the charismatic Hart.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Goddamn, will anyone win re-election?

[Negusa Nagast 🚀]

Goddamn, will anyone win re-election?

Laxalt and Brown did.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Goddamn, will anyone win re-election?

Gary Hart should have. I mean, the sex scandal never came out in this universe!

[Vote UKIP!]

Bump.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Alexander's term, despite a controversial election victory (having lost the popular vote), was marked by an era of general prosperity. The internet boom showed no signs of stopping (yet...), and Alexander, like Rudman, was a pragmatist who was well-liked by insiders in both parties. Former Vice President Bob Graham, though relatively popular himself, found it hard to attack President Alexander's record, and lost decisively.

President Lamar Alexander (R-TN)/Vice President Steve Forbes (R-NY)-54%, 403 electoral votes
Former VP Bob Graham (D-FL)/Governor Gary Locke (D-WA)-44%, 135 electoral votes

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

President Alexander's Presidency remained popular, but his Vice President, Steve Forbes, was seen as an odd choice for a successor, having no previous electoral experience. The economy remained fairly strong, although early signs of a recession were emerging. Vice President Forbes was able to emerge victorious in a contested but respectful Republican primary, beating Texas Gov. Rick Perry for the nomination. Forbes then chose Perry as his running mate.

The real shocker, however, was on the Democratic side. Out of office since 1996, Former President Gary Hart announced his candidacy for the Presidency. At 68, he was an older candidate, but soon proved himself to easily have the energy of his younger rivals. The primary was crowded, but Hart's star power, combined with lingering anger over his controversial 1996 loss, allowed him to easily climb to the top of the field. Choosing primary opponent Sen. Evan Bayh as his running mate, former President Hart overwhelmed Vice President Forbes and became the second President to ever be elected to two non-consecutive terms.

With the election of Former President Hart, both parties prepared for a wide-open campaign in four years, as Hart would not be able to run for re-election.

Former President Gary Hart (D-CO)/Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) - 336 Electoral Votes, 51.8% of the popular vote
Vice President Steve Forbes (R-NY)/Governor Rick Perry (R-TX) - 202 electoral votes, 47.6% of the popular vote

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I'll take the next term. All I'll say is that nobody ever mentioned the USSR's collapse...

[Vote UKIP!]

Vice President Evan Bayh (D-IN)/ Governor Howard Dean (D-VT) 352 electoral votes, 52.3% of popular vote
Governor Rick Perry (R-TX)/ Susan Collins (R-ME) 186 electoral votes, 47.4% of popular vote

Early in the race, the two frontrunners were Fmr. Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, representing the conservative wing; and moderate Senator from Arizona John McCain, who lost to Steve Forbes in the 2004 Republican primaries. Romney enjoyed an early lead until a gaffe during a debate sunk him to the bottom of Republican polls. (Come up with your own gaffe.) The conservative Rick Perry quickly filled the Conservative void and went on to win Iowa, South Carolina, and Florida. Most analysts predicted that John McCain would likely be Perry's running mate until video surfaced showing the Senator on a rant after a campaign stop, cursing out his Texas rival as a "pawn of those #$@* intolerant #@$%," referring to influencial evangelical political figures. Jindal, Palin, and Pawlenty were all names thrown around until Perry made a surprise choice by selecting Senator Susan Collins of Maine as his running mate. Many Christian conservatives, as well as several "outsider" conservatives, questioned the sanity of this choice. Perry hoped to make inroads among New England voters, but ended up losing every NE state.

The Democratic establishment backed the moderate Vice President Evan Bayh, who could ride on the fairly popular President Hart's momentum. Many liberal activists, dissatisfied over Hart's failure over healthcare reform, and passage of the "American Recovery and Opportunity Act," which included tax cuts as well as spending projects, attempted to launch various candidates to present an "Anti-Bayh." The only candidate to gain any traction was then-Governor of Vermont Howard Dean, whose charisma and energy made him a tough opponent to the Vice President. The Convention that year ended in deadlock. Hart, who had friends in the Dean campaign, successfully won some of Dean's delegates for Bayh in return for the Governor's nomination for Vice President.

Right until the final week of the 2008 election, the race was fairly close according to polling. Bayh enjoyed high numbers on the economy while Perry did as well with foreign policy. Bayh was able to crush Perry in the final debate leading up to the election, and pulled off an electoral landslide with a clear popular vote majority.

[Vote UKIP!]

Bump.

Negate my last post.

This topic needs to be permanent.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Should we start over?