JFK Jr vs George W. Bush 2000?

[TommyC1776]

What if JFK Jr had lived and was the Democratic nominee for President in 2000?  How would the race have gone?

[Potatoe]

No experience whatsoever, he'd be more likely to run for the Senate in 2000, while Hillary runs in Illinois, a more interesting match up would be JFK Jr. vs. McCain 2008.

[TommyC1776]

No experience whatsoever, he'd be more likely to run for the Senate in 2000, while Hillary runs in Illinois, a more interesting match up would be JFK Jr. vs. McCain 2008.

That's true.  I see your point.

[RogueBeaver]

'08 is likeliest. From what I understand he waited a bit too long IRL for Senate and Hillary ran instead. If you can disconnect him from George earlier then perhaps he runs in 2000. Dem powerbrokers will make the same calculation they did with Hillary, except with a young, charismatic New Yorker who can carve out his own political profile. IRL he was one of Bubba's earliest prominent supporters dating to 1991 and they knew each other since the '80s.

Why would Hillary run in IL? There's nowhere for her to run.

[Potatoe]

Why would Hillary run in IL? There's nowhere for her to run.

Why wouldn't there be? Though IL is a bit out there, maybe she could get Braun to retire? Or run for Governor?*

*In '98

[RogueBeaver]

Braun wouldn't retire and somehow I doubt IL Dems would want to give her their gubernatorial nomination. That's without discussing the office's nature or Madigan running Springfield. There wasn't anything inevitable about Hillary running for office either.

As for Kennedy, my guess is he would follow Hillary's path - keep your head down, learn and be bipartisan when possible - but perhaps a bit less liberal on domestic voting record. Obama is probably easily butterflied, so there'd be Edwards and another prominent Dem, perhaps Feingold or Warner. That's assuming 2000/4 are Bush victories. Otherwise GOP wins in '04 or '08.

[sdu754]

Why do people think JFK jr would have gotten into politics? He really didn't show any interest and was already 39. (That's actually old for Kennedys with political aspirations)

[MATTROSE94]

JFK Jr. might have ran for New York governor in either 2002 or 2006 if he lived.

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

Why do people think JFK jr would have gotten into politics? He really didn't show any interest and was already 39. (That's actually old for Kennedys with political aspirations)

He actually entertained the nought but was focused on his magazine thing. When it inevitably went under he probably would've jumped into the NY Senate or Gubernatorial race to challenge Pataki.

[sdu754]

Why do people think JFK jr would have gotten into politics? He really didn't show any interest and was already 39. (That's actually old for Kennedys with political aspirations)

He actually entertained the nought but was focused on his magazine thing. When it inevitably went under he probably would've jumped into the NY Senate or Gubernatorial race to challenge Pataki.

I think people wanted JFK Junior to run, as they figured he'd be a very electable candidate or a "second Coming" of JFK. I think people take a lot of the "what ifs" and act as though they would have been "certainties". Even if he would have went for either the NY Senate seat or governor, he still wouldn't have been running in 2000 for President (no experience) maybe 2008. I think he wanted to stay out of politics, which is what he had done up to that point in his life.