Pete Wilson 1996: Could he have won CA?

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

Pete Wilson, overwhelmingly re-elected CA governor in 1994, mounted an early 1996 Presidential bid. Bob Dole would later make winning CA is number one priority, even in the last few months of the campaign. Could Wilson have won?

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Clinton wins. Wilson might have done better in the state, possibly, but the factors that helped Clinton do better in CA in 96 compared to 92 were already baked in, and stayed in effect regardless of whether Pete was the GOP nominee.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Wrong. Board.

[Kingpoleon]

If he gets over 47.5% of the popular vote/wins the electoral college, he wins California. I think Perot would drop out and endorse Wilson if Wilson campaigned against NAFTA, free trade in general, for balanced budgets, and stricter immigration laws, while generally being an economic populist and social libertarian.

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

Wrong. Board.

                                                                                                                                                                               
Don't moderators have the power to move threads?

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Wrong. Board.

                                                                                                                                                                               
Don't moderators have the power to move threads?

Only mods assigned to this board (Torie being the only active one.)

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Wrong. Board.

                                                                                                                                                                               
Don't moderators have the power to move threads?

Only mods assigned to this board (Torie being the only active one.)

I already reported the post, but seeing it twice really irked me.

[Mr. Smith]

Nope.

Nixon couldn't even win the state by anything significant despite being born there, and before someone says "muh 1972", the state trended significantly left of the nation that year.

Besides Reagan's elections, every other election after LBJ was Lean R turf at best brought on by either a bad fit (Carter) or a hilariously bad campaign (Dukakis). '76 and '88 were easily winnable, only Orange County stood in the way. Frank Church and Al Gore would've pulled it off.

Clinton winning in '92 was just an overdue flip. And given the margin he won it by, no chance in heck he'd lose it in '96 with the nature of his campaign. No way, no how. Not even if he only took 47% of the vote.