Alternate Careers

[Kingpoleon]

The juxtaposition of the previous two posts makes it seem like Colin Jost and Pete Davidson are married. Cute.

I try.

[Dr. MB]

Michelle Obama
Member of the Illinois Senate from the 13th district (2001–2007)
Lieutenant Governor of Illinois (2007–2009)
Governor of Illinois (2009–present)

Barack Obama
Member of the Illinois Senate from the 13th district (1997–2001)
Member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois's 1st district (2001–present)
Second Gentleman of Illinois (2007–2009)
First Gentleman of Illinois (2009–present)

[MycroftCZ]

Hillary Clinton

President of the United States
2005-2013

Senator from Arkansas
1995-2009

Representative from Arkansas' 2nd District
1990-1995

[dw93]

Alternate Political Careers of the Presidents of My Lifetime:

Bill Clinton:

-US Representative from Arkansas's 3rd Congressional District: 1975-1981
-Governor of Arkansas: 1983-1989
-Vice President of the United States (Under President Mario Cuomo): 1989-1997
-1996 Democratic Nominee for President of the United States (Lost to Republican Nominee, Senator John McCain)

George W. Bush:

-US Representative from Texas's 19th Congressional District: 1979-1985
-United States Senator from Texas: 1985-1997
-Vice President of the United States (Under President John McCain): 1997-2005
-2004 Republican Nominee for President of the United States (Lost to Democratic Nominee, Governor Howard Dean)

Barack Obama:
-Illinois State Senator from the 13th District: 1997-2001
-US Representative from Illinois's 1st Congressional District: 2001-2011
-Governor of Illinois: 2011-2019
-President of the United States: 2017-Incumbent

Donald Trump:
-President of the Trump Organization: 1971-1990
-Mayor of New York City: 1990-1993
-Governor of New York: 1995-1999
-President of the Trump Organization: 1999-Present
-Candidate for the 2004 Republican Nomination for President (Lost to Vice President George W. Bush)

Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States:

38. Gerald Ford / Nelson Rockefeller (Republican): 1974-1977

39. Jimmy Carter / Walter Mondale (Democratic): 1977-1981

40. Ronald Reagan^A / George HW Bush (Republican): 1981-1981

41. George HW Bush / Vacant (Republican): 1981-1981
41. George HW Bush / Paul Laxalt (Republican): 1981-1989

42. Mario Cuomo / Bill Clinton (Democratic): 1989-1997

43. John McCain / George W. Bush (Republican): 1997-2005

44. Howard Dean / Evan Bayh (Democratic): 2005-2009

45. Bill Weld / Tim Pawlenty (Republican): 2009-2017

46. Barack Obama / John F. Kennedy Jr. (Democratic): 2017-Incumbent

^A= Assassinated in March 1981

[Dr. MB]

Ben Carson
Lieutenant Governor of Maryland (2003–2007)
United States Senator from Florida (2017–present)

Jim Webb
United States Senator from Virginia (2007–2011)
United States Secretary of Defense (2011–2013)

Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor of California (2003–2011)
United States Senator from California (2011–present)*

*–Switched from Republican to Independent in 2017

Dianne Feinstein
Mayor of San Francisco (1978–1988)
Governor of California (1991–1999)
Democratic Nominee for Vice President of the United States (2000)

[MycroftCZ]

Hillary Clinton

President of the United States
2005-2013

Senator from Arkansas
2003-2009

Representative from Arkansas' 2nd District
1990-2003

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Based on a wank TL I'm currently fleshing out.

Jim Hunt (b. 1937)
Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina: 1973-1977
Governor of North Carolina: 1977-1985
Senator from North Carolina: 1985-1989*
President of the United States: 1989-1997
Senator from North Carolina: 1999-2009**
Secretary of Education: 2009-2013

*Resigned to become President, succeeded by former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt, who holds the seat until his retirement in 2014.
**Resigned to become Secretary of Education, succeeded by outgoing Treasurer Richard Moore, who holds the seat until his retirement in 2028.

Mario Cuomo (1932-2014*)
Secretary of State of New York: 1975-1978
Lieutenant Governor of New York: 1979-1982
Governor of New York: 1983-1988**
Vice President of the United States: 1989-1997
President of the United States: 1997-2001
*Stress of Presidency takes a small toll, Cuomo dies four months earlier on August 23, 2014.
**Resigns to become Vice President, succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Stan Lundine, who remains Governor until 1994.

[Dr. MB]

Walter Mondale
U.S. Senator from Minnesota (1964–1976)
Vice President of the United States (1977–1981)
Democratic Nominee for U.S. President (1984)
U.S. Ambassador to Japan (1993–1996)
U.S. Senator from Minnesota (2003–2009)

Dean Barkley
U.S. Senator from Minnesota (2002–2003)
Governor of Minnesota (2011–present)

Jesse Ventura
Governor of Minnesota (1999–2003)
U.S. Senator from Minnesota (2009–present)

George W. Bush
Governor of Texas (1995–2007)
U.S. Secretary of Commerce (2009–2013)
U.S. Senator from Texas (2013–present)

[Dr. MB]

Hillary Rodham

Illinois State Senator (1977–1983)
Attorney General of Illinois (1983–1991)
United States Senator from Illinois (1999–2005)
United States Ambassador to the United Nations (2007–2009)
United States Senator from Illinois (2011–2017)
President of the United States (2017–present)

1998 election results, U.S. Senate, Illinois
Hillary Rodham (Republican) – 50.0%
Carol Moseley Braun (Democratic) – 48.5%

2004 election results, U.S. Senate, Illinois
Barack Obama (Democratic) – 50.4%
Hillary Rodham (Republican) – 46.6%

2010 special election results, U.S. Senate, Illinois
Alexi Giannoulias (Democratic) – 47.8%
Hillary Rodham (Republican) – 47.7%

2010 election results, U.S. Senate, Illinois
Hillary Rodham (Republican) – 47.9%
Alexi Giannoulias (Democratic) – 47.6%

2016 Republican presidential primaries
Hillary Rodham – 1,307 delegates
Ben Carson – 986 delegates
John Kasich – 103 delegates
Others – 76 delegates

2016 presidential election
Hillary Rodham/John Kasich: 278; 47.4%
Ed Markey/Maria Cantwell: 260; 48.6%

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Lena Guerrero
(D-TX)

1957-2011

State Representative
1985-1991

Railroad Commissioner
1991-1999

Governor of Texas
2007-2010^R

*R - Resigned after cancer diagnosis
Texas gubernatorial election, 2006
Fmr. Commissioner Maria Elena "Lena" Guerrero (D) - 32.6%
Governor James Richard "Rick" Perry (R, inc.) - 32.1%
State Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn (R) - 20.1%
Richard Samet "Kinky" Friedman (I) - 12.4%

[Dr. MB]

Jim Hill
Oregon State Representative (1983–1987)
Oregon State Senator (1987–1993)
Treasurer of Oregon (1993–2001)
Governor of Oregon (2003–2009)
United States Senator from Oregon (2009–present)

[JoeyOCanada]

Oprah Gail Winfrey

Host of The Oprah Winfrey Show 1986 - 2011
Chairwoman and CEO of Harpo Productions: 1986 - 2018
U.S. Senator from New Jersey: 2018 - 2021
46th President of the United States: 2021 - incumbent

NJ Senate Race: 2018
Oprah Winfrey: 60%
Thomas Kean, Jr.: 40%

United States Presidential Election: 2020
Oprah Winfrey: 401 EVs
Donald Trump: 137 EVs

[WestVegeta]

Bryan Lee Cranston

1956-

Actor, Malcolm in the Middle, 2000-2002

U.S. Representative for the 28th Congressional District of California, 2003-2011

39th Governor of California, 2011-2017

46th President of the United States, 2017-2025*

*For reference, in this TL, MitM only gets two seasons, and John Kerry won in 2004 but lost re-election to Mitt Romney in 2008.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

*For reference, in this TL, MitM only gets two seasons, and John Kerry won in 2004 but lost re-election to Mitt Romney in 2008.

It was a mid-season replacement, so if it only got two seasons, it would end in 2001, not 2002 (Alternatively, you could have it last three seasons).

[WestVegeta]

Hillary Diane Romney
-Staffer on "Rockefeller '68" campaign, 1968 GOP Presidential Nominee
-Editor of the Harvard Law Review, 1971-1972
-Harvard Law Research Fellow, 1973-1975
-Attorney with Arrowood-Peters LLP, 1975-1984
-General Counsel of Bain Capital, 1994-2004
-First Lady of the United States, 2005-2013 (m. 1975 to President Willard Mitt Romney, former U.S. Senator from Massachussetts)
-Governor of Massachussettts, 2015-2021
-45th President of the United States, 2021-2029

[JoeyOCanada]

Linda Marie McMahon

President/CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment: 1980 - 2009
U.S. Senator from Connecticut: 2010 - 2017
Vice President of the United States: 2017 - 2021
President of the United States: 2021 - 2025

CT Senate Race: 2010
Linda McMahon: 53%
Richard Blumenthal: 47%

CT Senate Race: 2016
Linda McMahon: 60%
Merrick Alpert: 40%

United States Presidential Election: 2020
Linda McMahon: 272 EVs
Kamala Harris: 266 EVs

[WestVegeta]

Hillary Diane Romney
-Staffer on "Rockefeller '68" campaign, 1968 GOP Presidential Nominee
-Editor of the Harvard Law Review, 1971-1972
-Harvard Law Research Fellow, 1973-1975
-Attorney with Arrowood-Peters LLP, 1975-1994
-General Counsel of Bain Capital, 1994-2004
-First Lady of the United States, 2005-2013 (m. 1975 to President Willard Mitt Romney, former U.S. Senator from Massachussetts)
-Governor of Massachussettts, 2015-2021
-45th President of the United States, 2021-2029

Fixed

[dw93]

Clinton sits 92 out. Jerry Brown gets the nomination and loses to Bush:


Mario Cuomo:

Governor of New York: 1983-1995
42nd President of the United States: 1997-2005

Bob Graham:

Governor of Florida: 1979-1987
United States Senator from Florida: 1987-1997
45th Vice President of the United States: 1997-2005
2004 Democratic Nominee for President of the United States (Lost to Senator and Former Vice President Dan Quayle)

Dan Quayle:

Member of the US House of Representatives from Indiana's 4th District: 1977-1981
United States Senator from Indiana: 1981-1989
44th Vice President of the United States: 1989-1997
United States Senator from Indiana: 1999-2005
43rd President of the United States: 2005-2013

Tom Ridge:

Member of the US House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 21st District: 1983-1999
Governor of Pennsylvania: 1999-2005
46th Vice President of the United States: 2005-2013

Russ Feingold:
United States Senator from Wisconsin: 1993-2013
44th President of the United States: 2013-2021

Hillary Clinton:
United States Senator from Arkansas: 1999-2013
Candidate for the 2012 Democratic Presidential Nomination (Lost to Russ Feingold)
47th Vice President of the United States: 2013-2021
2020 Democratic Nominee for President of the United States (Lost to Governor Marco Rubio)

Marco Rubio:

Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 111th District: 2000-2008
Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives: 2006-2008
Governor of Florida: 2015-2021
45th President of the United States: 2021-2025 (Defeated for Re election)

Jeff Flake:

Member of the US House of Representatives from Arizona's 1st District: 2001-2003
Member of the US House of Representatives from Arizona's 6th District: 2003-2015
Governor of Arizona: 2015-2021
48th Vice President of the United States: 2021-2025 (Defeated for Re election)

Kamala Harris:

Attorney General of California: 2011-2017
United States Senator from California: 2017-2025
46th President of the United States: 2025-Incumbent

Richard Cordray

Treasurer of Ohio: 2007-2009
Attorney General of Ohio: 2009-2011
US Senator from Ohio: 2011-2025
49th Vice President of the United States: 2025-Incumbent

Bill Clinton:

Attorney General of Arkansas: 1977-1979
40th Governor of Arkansas: 1979-1981
42nd Governor of Arkansas: 1983-1995
Candidate for the 1996 Democratic Presidential Nomination (Lost to Mario Cuomo)
United States Attorney General: 1997-2005
Political Contributor on CNN: 2006-2011
Second Gentleman of the United States: 2013-2021

Jeb Bush:

United States Senator from Florida: 2001-2013
2012 Republican Nominee for President of the United States (Lost to Senator Russ Feingold)

[Suburbia]

Eric Greitens:

United States Navy (2001-2017)
White House Fellow, working under Department of Housing and Urban Development (2005-2007)
Author (2007-2017)
CEO, The Mission Continues (2007-2014)
Governor of Missouri (2017-2025)
46th President of the United States (2025-2033)

[Dr. MB]

Jim Folsom Jr.
United States Senator from Alabama (1981–1999)
Vice President of the United States (2001–2005)
United States Senator from Alabama (2006–2015)

Richard Shelby
United States Representative from Alabama (1979–1987)
Republican Nominee for United States Senate, Alabama (1992)
United States Senator from Alabama (1997–2005)
President of the United States (2005–2009)

Notes:
1) Folsom edged out Jeremiah Denton in 1980, winning 50.1% of the vote to Denton's 49.6%. He narrowly defeated Denton in a 1986 rematch, and defeated Richard Shelby in 1992 with 54%. Folsom lost reelection to Jeff Sessions in 1998.
2) After Shelby was elected President, Folsom ran in the 2006 special election to replace him. He defeated Roy Moore, 54%–46%. The interim senator had been Steve Windom, former Lieutenant Governor of Alabama. Moore defeated Windom in the primary.
3) President Gore had approval ratings in the 40s by 2004, and narrowly lost reelection to Shelby with Christine Todd Whitman as VP, who had emerged as an unlikely dark horse contender.
4) Folsom was reelected with 55% of the vote in 2008, but was narrowly defeated in the 2014 Republican wave.

[WestVegeta]

Eric Greitens:

United States Navy (2001-2017)
White House Fellow, working under Department of Housing and Urban Development (2005-2007)
Author (2007-2017)
CEO, The Mission Continues (2007-2014)
Governor of Missouri (2017-2025)
46th President of the United States (2025-2033)

I could have seen a Greitens presidency, but that's not going to happen now.

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

John Kasich
(1952-2017)


Ohio State Senator
1979-1983
Preceded by Robert O'Shaughnessy
Succeeded by Richard Pfeiffer

U.S. Representative from Ohio
1983-1988
Preceded by Bob Shamansky
Succeeded by Pat Tiberi (1983)

44th Vice President of the United States
1989-1991
Preceded by George H. W. Bush
Succeeded by James A. Baker (1995)

42nd President of the United States
1991-2009
Preceded by George H. W. Bush^A
Succeeded by Barack Obama

44th President of the United States
2013-2017^A
Preceded by Barack Obama
Succeeded by Marco Rubio

^A - Assassinated.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

^ No 22nd in that TL?

[WestVegeta]

Sally Quillian Yates

Assistant U.S. Attorney: GA Northern District: 1994 to 2010
U.S. Attorney: GA Northern District: 2010 to 2015
Deputy U.S. Attorney General: 2015 to 2017
Acting U.S. Attorney General: Jan. 20, 2017 to Jan. 30, 2017
Governor of Georgia: 2019 to 2025
46th President of the United States (D-GA): 2025 to 2033

Jeffrey Alan Merkley

Member of Oregon House of Representatives: 1998 to 2003
Oregon House Majority Leader: 2003 to 2007
Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives: 2007 to 2009
U.S. Senator from Oregon: 2009 to 2025
Candidate for the Democratic Nomination for the President of the United States: 2020, 2024
49th Vice President of the United States (D-OR): 2025 to 2033

[dw93]

Walter Mondale:

United States Senator from Minnesota: 1964-1976
42nd Vice President of the United States: 1977-1981
United States Senator from Minnesota: 1983-1993
42nd President of the United States: 1993-2001

Joe Biden:

United States Senator from Delaware: 1973-1993
Candidate for the Democratic Nomination for President of the United States: 1988
45th Vice President of the United States: 1993-2001
43rd President of the United States: 2001-2005