The 1896 Election Held Today

[Skill and Chance]

Which states would vote for Bryan and which for McKinley?  Let's assume that instead of advocating for Prohibition, Bryan is strongly pro-War on Drugs.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

The real question to me is on the issue of what McKinley's stances would be. McKinley had been fairly pro-labor and progressive before his presidency, and I'm wondering how his stances on issues then would translate to today. Would he actually be someone fairly center-left? Not sure. I'll try to draw up a map fairly quickly.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

There is no doubt in my mind that this would be a very messy election. On one hand, McKinley would be charged by the left as a corporatist and imperialist. On the other hand, those same people could criticize Bryan's social views. The right, meanwhile, might not be so comfortable lining up behind the economically and socially moderate McKinley. This is my guess, but nowhere near certain on it. I'm thinking that eventually the more liberal states, in record low turnout numbers, go for McKinley over the more bombastic Bryan. In the rust belt, McKinley's pro-industry message gains him great followers that might otherwise support Bryan.

McKinely - 348 electoral votes
Bryan - 190 electoral votes

Now if we gave them their VP's, that might make it even more interesting. TR is the obviously superior choice for McKinley when compared with Garret Hobart. Who would Bryan get?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

TR was a relative nobody in 1896.  He had no chance at being the running mate.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

TR was a relative nobody in 1896.  He had no chance at being the running mate.

I admit, I was thinking in reference to the entire Bryan vs. McKinley match-up as opposed to 1896 specifically.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

McKinley 342
Bryan 196

Bryan does well among the Bible Belt, Appalachia, and Midwestern farmers, while McKinley does well with the Northeast, the West, the suburbs, and staunch fiscal conservatives and social liberals.  Minorities are split but lean toward Bryan.  Hawaiians can't bring themselves to vote for McKinley for historical reasons.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

I'd vote McKinley in a heartbeat. By the standards of today he's no social liberal. Not that I didn't like aspects of Bryan and his noninterventionist leanings.

[Emperor Charles V]

This is what I would say:

McKinley - 301 EV
Bryan - 237 EV

[Oldiesfreak1854]

McKinley 342
Bryan 196

Bryan does well among the Bible Belt, Appalachia, and Midwestern farmers, while McKinley does well with the Northeast, the West, the suburbs, and staunch fiscal conservatives and social liberals.  Minorities are split but lean toward Bryan.  Hawaiians can't bring themselves to vote for McKinley for historical reasons.

Even with Bryan's history of racism?  And I think this is assuming that McKinley wasn't president during the annexation of Hawaii.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

McKinley 342
Bryan 196

Bryan does well among the Bible Belt, Appalachia, and Midwestern farmers, while McKinley does well with the Northeast, the West, the suburbs, and staunch fiscal conservatives and social liberals.  Minorities are split but lean toward Bryan.  Hawaiians can't bring themselves to vote for McKinley for historical reasons.

Even with Bryan's history of racism?  And I think this is assuming that McKinley wasn't president during the annexation of Hawaii.

Democrats have a strong built in advantage with minorities now that's difficult to overcome.  Racial issues don't necessarily overcome party identification and economic issues.  And now that blacks are not associated with his Republican rivals, I suspect Bryan would have no trouble 'finding religion' on the race issue as it were (while still supporting some residual "states' rights" policies).   
Aside from blacks, McKinley supported imperialism and Bryan was strongly against it, appealing to the principle of self-determination for all peoples.  Also, McKinley's Tariff he wrote when he was in Congress was a near death blow to Hawaii's sugar industry and was influential in the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaiian. (This lead to the creation of a banana - or rather 'pineapple republic' - that was formed with the intent of annexation by the US) 
Then again, Bryan might not be the sort of person many Hawaiians are interested in voting for.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I'd vote McKinley in a heartbeat. By the standards of today he's no social liberal. Not that I didn't like aspects of Bryan and his noninterventionist leanings.

I was wondering how someone of your persuasion would vote in this election--it came up in my head in a post you made regarding your family's Republican & labor union background.