Iowa is Rubio Country

[LoneStarDem]

Election Night 2022, Part 1

CNN's America's Choice theme : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uvpd4myQXs

Anderson Cooper : Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to CNN's coverage of the 2022 midterm elections. I'm Anderson Cooper and my team and I are now covering a crucial night that will determine the balance of power for the second half of President Rubio's second term. Will the Democrats be able to balance the Senate or will the Republicans be able to keep their supermajority?

It's 7 pm and CNN can now make our first projections in the states of Vermont, Indiana and Kentucky.

7:00 pm

Anderson Cooper : CNN can project that Christine Hallquist, Governor Phil Scott's 2018 Democratic challenger, will be elected to represent Vermont in the U.S. Senate and succeed to retiring Senator Patrick Leahy. Meanwhile, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is easily re-elected for a third term in the Senate over Democrat Ben Chandler. In Indiana, Senator Todd Young will be re-elected for a second term, defeating his Democratic opponent Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson.

Vermont Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
✔ Christine Hallquist : 60 %
Bruce Lisman : 36 %

Kentucky Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
✔ Rand Paul : 59 %
Ben Chandler : 38 %

Indiana Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
✔ Todd Young : 57 %
Bart Peterson : 40 %

7:30 pm

Anderson Cooper : Right now, it is 7:30 pm and we can project that in South Carolina, the home state of Vice-President Haley, Senator Tim Scott will be re-elected for a second full term, crushing his Democratic challenger Vic Rawl. Both the Senate and gubernatorial races in Georgia are too close to call between Johnny Isakson at the senate level and between Brian Kemp and John Barrow. In Ohio, the senate race is too close to call, but incumbent Senator Rob Portman is in the lead, the same for Governor Mary Taylor in the gubernatorial race. In New Hampshire, Democrat Ann-McLane Kuster is narrowly ahead of Senator Kelly Ayotte but Governor Chris Sununu seems to be cruising to victory with a 8 percentage point lead.

South Carolina Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
✔ Tim Scott : 62 %
Vic Rawl : 36 %

Georgia Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
Johnny Isakson : 48 %
Bill Nelson : 43 %

Georgia Governor - 1 % of the vote reported
Brian Kemp : 47 %
John Barrow : 41 %

Ohio Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
Rob Portman : 49 %
Richard Cordray : 45 %

Ohio Governor - 1 % of the vote reported
Mary Taylor : 47 %
Michael B. Coleman : 44 %

New Hampshire Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
Ann-McLane Kuster : 51 %
Kelly Ayotte : 49 %

New Hampshire Governor - 1 % of the vote reported
Chris Sununu : 48 %
Joyce Craig : 40 %

8:00 pm

Anderson Cooper : Now we can reveal the 8 pm projections. In President Rubio's home state of Florida, the Republicans have the edge. Senator Carlos Lopez-Cantera is ahead by single digits over Representative Darren Soto and Governor Putnam has a 9 percentage point lead over Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine. They seem to be benefiting from the fact that Florida is President Rubio's home state. In Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf is leading Pat Toomey by 4 points. Meanwhile, the race for Governor is too close to call between Congressmen Charlie Dent and Connor Lamb. In North Carolina, it's a dead heat between Pat McCrory and Roy Cooper. In Alabama, Republican Luther Strange unsurprisingly wins Richard Shelby's senate seat.

Florida Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
Carlos Lopez-Cantera : 49 %
Darren Soto : 41 %

Florida Governor - 1 % of the vote reported
Adam Putnam : 47 %
Philip Levine : 40 %

Pennsylvania Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
Tom Wolf : 52 %
Pat Toomey : 48 %

Pennsylvania Governor - 1 % of the vote reported
Charlie Dent : 46 %
Connor Lamb : 46 %

Alabama Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
✔Luther Strange : 60 %
Artur Davis : 38 %

8:30 pm

Anderson Cooper : Now is 8:30 pm. In Illinois, we can project that former First Lady Michelle Obama is leading by double digits over Mark Kirk. Illinois Governor Chris Kennedy is re-elected thanks to a 17 percentage point lead. In Missouri, Roy Blunt is enjoying a strong lead over Democrat State Auditor Nicole Galloway thanks to his strong performance in the Springfield area. Arkansas Senator John Boozman won re-election, as expected, beating former Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter.

Illinois Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
Michelle Obama : 52 %
Mark Kirk : 43 %

Illinois Governor - 1 % of the vote reported
✔ Chris Kennedy : 57 %
Adam Andrzejewski : 40 %

Missouri Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
Roy Blunt : 49 %
Nicole Galloway : 40 %

Arkansas Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
✔ John Boozman : 60 %
Artur Davis : 38 %

9:00 pm

Anderson Cooper : At 9 pm, we have a wave of projections. In Illinois, Michelle Obama is elected to the U.S. Senate, marking the first Democratic gain of the night. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is unsurprisingly re-elected for a 5th term in the state of New York. In Massachusetts, Attorney General Maura Healey is reported to be elected as the state's next Governor. Senator Richard Blumenthal will be re-elected over David M. Walker. In the state of New Jersey, Sheila Oliver will be re-elected in the special election necessitated by Cory Booker's resignation due to allegations of agression on a gay man. In Maryland, we can project that Rep. John Sarbanes is elected Governor while Chris Van Hollen will be re-elected in the Senate. We can also project that Senator Johnny Isakson will defeat Stacey Abrams and win re-election for a 4th term. In Florida, we can report that both Senator Cantera-Lopez and Governor Putnam will be re-elected. Louisiana Senator John Kennedy easily wins re-election, the same for Texas Governor Gregg Abott. Senators James Lankford and Jerry Moran will easily win their senate races in their respective states of Oklahoma and Kansas. For both senatorial and gubernatorial races in the state of Wisconsin, it is too close to call.

Illinois Senate - 25 % of the vote reported
✔ Michelle Obama : 55 %
Mark Kirk : 43 %

New York Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
✔ Chuck Schumer : 67 %
Richard L. Hanna : 31 %

New Jersey Senate Special - 1 % of the vote reported
✔ Sheila Oliver : 55 %
Jack Ciattarelli : 42 %

Massachusetts Governor - 1 % of the vote reported
✔ Maura Healey : 58 %
Karyn Polito : 39 %

Connecticut Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
✔ Richard Blumenthal : 60 %
David M. Walker : 36 %

Maryland Governor - 1 % of the vote reported
✔ John Sarbanes : 56 %
David R. Craig : 44 %

Maryland Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
✔ Chris Van Hollen : 60 %
Bob Ehrlich : 40 %

Georgia Senate - 75 % of the vote reported
✔ Johnny Isakson : 53 %
Stacey Abrams : 46 %

Florida Senate - 75 % of the vote reported
✔ Carlos Lopez-Cantera : 52 %
Darren Soto : 45 %

Florida Governor - 75 % of the vote reported
✔ Adam Putnam : 51 %
Philip Levine : 44 %

Louisiana Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
✔ John Kennedy : 60 %
Darren Soto : 37 %

Texas Governor - 1 % of the vote reported
✔ Gregg Abott : 56 %
Andrew White : 43 %

Wisconsin Senate - 1 % of the vote reported

Ron Kind : 49 %[/color]
Scott Walker : 41 %

Wisconsin Governor - 1 % of the vote reported
Reince Priebus : 48 %

Tony Evers : 42 %[/color]

Anderson Cooper : Now we can project, as expected, that the Republicans will keep control of the Senate as they now have won 53 seats thus far. This was expected due to their supermajority. But the question is will they be able to maintain this position in the senate.

REPUBLICANS TO HOLD MAJORITY IN THE U.S. SENATE

✔ Republicans : 53 seats
Democrats : 28 seats

9:30 pm

Steve King : Now is 9:30 pm and we can project that Ann-McLane Kuster will win the senate race in New Hampshire while Chris Sununu wins a fourth term as Governor of New Hampshire. Gretchen Whitmer will win the governorship in Michigan. In the state of Ohio, we can project that Rob Portman will be re-elected for a third term and Mary Taylor wins re-election for a second term as Governor. Unsurprisingly, in the Dakotas, both John Hoeven and John Thune will win re-election by overwhelming margins.

New Hampshire Senate - 100 % of the vote reported
✔ Ann-McLane Kuster : 52 %
Kelly Ayotte : 47 %

New Hampshire Governor - 100 % of the vote reported
✔ Chris Sununu : 53 %
Joyce Craig : 44 %

Michigan Governor - 75 % of the vote reported
✔ Gretchen Whitmer : 54 %
Bill Schuette : 45 %

Ohio Senate - 100 % of the vote reported
✔ Rob Portman : 52 %
Richard Cordray : 46 %

Ohio Governor - 100 % of the vote reported
✔ Mary Taylor : 51 %
Michael B. Coleman : 46 %

10:00 pm

Anderson Cooper : Now is 10 pm and we can Tim Walz wins the gubernatorial race in Minnesota. In North Carolina, Roy Cooper defeats Pat McCrory in the senate race. Ron Kind will win the senate race in Wisconsin against Scott Walker, though Reince Priebus wins the gubernatorial race to succeed Walker by double digits. Tom Wolf is elected to the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania while Charlie Dent is elected Governor of Pennsylvania. In Connecticut, Governor Tony Hwang narrowly wins re-election thanks to his ability to appeal among independents and to his moderate stance on issues like environment and abortion. In Iowa, we can see that Pat Grassley is in good shape to succeed his grandfather Chuck Grassley in the Senate in this state that considerably shifted to the right in the last few years.

Minnesota Governor - 50 % of the vote reported
✔ Tim Walz : 58 %
Jeff Johnson : 39 %

North Carolina Senate - 100 % of the vote reported
✔ Roy Cooper : 50 %
Pat McCrory : 48 %

Wisconsin Senate - 50 % of the vote reported
✔ Ron Kind : 52 %
Scott Walker : 45%

Wisconsin Governor - 100 % of the vote reported
✔ Reince Priebus : 53 %
Tony Evers : 46 %

Pennsylvania Senate - 50 % of the vote reported
✔ Tom Wolf : 52 %
Pat Toomey : 46 %

Pennsylvania Governor - 100 % of the vote reported
✔ Charlie Dent : 53 %
Connor Lamb : 47 %

Connecticut Governor - 100 % of the vote reported
✔ Tony Hwang : 50 %
Jim Himes : 49 %

Iowa Senate - 1 % of the vote reported
Pat Grassley : 50 %
Dave Loebsack : 41 %

Anderson Cooper : Stay tuned, ladies and gentlemen, we'll be back to the coverage of the 2022 midterm elections after the commercial break.

I'm assuming Abbott won 20% of the African American against White.

[LoneStarDem]

Marco Rubio's Presidency
May 2022, Part 2

May 17 :

-In the context of Iran's denuclearization, Tehran officially announces the dismantling of its nuclear missile test facility located kilometres from the Iranian town of Chalus. In response, President Rubio welcomes Iran's move, praising Iranian President Mahmoud Sadeghi for keeping his word.

May 18 :

-The Israeli Armed Forces uncovers a Hezbollah attack tunnel crossing into the Israeli territory from Lebanon, thus preventing attempts by Hezbollah to launch terrorist attacks against Israel on its territory.

May 20-22 :

-President Rubio and the First Lady arrive in Rome, Italy where the U.S. President meets his allies at the G7 summit. All the G7 leaders agreed to normalize their economic relations with Iran as Tehran recently pledged to denuclearize during the U.S.-Iran summit last month, which, as they declared will be beneficial for both international security and peace and for the global economy thanks to the opening of Iran's markets to the international market as Iran is the world's 35th largest consumer market. During the summit, President Rubio and his allies described the recent ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement as an opportunity to reinforce economic and trade relations with Africa and agreed to work to increase foreign direct investment in Africa.


-Vice-President Haley campaigns for Arizona Senator Martha McSally in Chandler, Arizona where he praises the Rubio Administration's success in getting Iran to denuclearize during the U.S.-Iran summit in Istanbul as well as the effects of this summit such as a denuclearized Iran and a reinforcement of international security by depriving terrorist organizations once sponsored by Iran of supplies through Iran's past state-sponsored terrorism. She calls on the people of Arizona to mobilize and to re-elect Martha McSally for a full six-year senate term in order to make sure that America will pursue peace through strength.

May 23-24 :

-The U.S. officially announced that the U.S. military arsenal saled to the Philippines after the approval of their arms deal arrive in the Filipino territory and are delivered to the Filipino armed forces to combat Abu Sayyaf. Among the military equipment included in the arms deal include notably Apache helicopters, F-14D Super Tomcats, stealthy interceptor patrol boats, ammunitions, spare parts and body armors. After that announcement, President Rubio welcomes that progress during a press conference at the White House and announces that the United States and the Philippines will soon start their joint military exercises.

May 25 :

-President Rubio campaigns for Republican congressional candidate in Texas' 32nd congressional district Taya Kyle. During a campaign stump rally in Dallas, Texas, President Rubio praises Chris Kyle's military service and reminded voters that it is thanks to a stronger U.S. military, an effort     provided by the Rubio Administration throughout the last few years, that the United States and their allies managed to make strong progress in the War on Terror such as the eradication of ISIS and Al Qaida in Iraq and Afghanistan, the elimination of deceased ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi in 2017 and the restablization of Syria. The President calls on voters to elect Taya Kyle in the House of Representatives for the sake of the continuation of America's economic prosperity through low taxes, small government and free enterprise, and for America's victory in the War on Terror through a modernized military and strong alliances.

May 28 :

-President Rubio, his family and his Cabinet celebrate the President's 51st birthday at the White House.

May 30 :

-Secretary of Energy Harold Hamm visits Burachest, Romania in the context of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce business mission to Romania. During a joint appearance with his Iraqi counterparts at the Chamber event, Hamm emphasized the importance of a transparent, predictable, and accountable business environment to attract further investment in Romania’s energy sector in order to counter the regional dependency towards Russian oil.

May 31 :

-U.S. forces are establishing observation posts in Northeast Syria to further deprive ISIS of escape routes. The observation posts will be set up to deter ISIS fighters that try to flee the middle Euphrates River valley into Turkey to the north.

I'm assuming Rubio forges closer ties with Taiwan & the Philippines ?

On the Philippines: I'm assuming Leni Robredo wins the Presidency in landslide ?

[LoneStarDem]

I'm going to assume Robredo took over the Presidency around 2019 or 2020 when Duterte doesn't finish his term ?

[LoneStarDem]

Marco Rubio's Presidency
April 2021, Part 2

April 16 :

-President Rubio gave a statement in reaction to John McCain's death, making a tribute to his military service, to his political career and to his maverick reputation. He honoured McCain's memory and praised his courage and patriotism as well as his determination to put country first. He offered condolences to the McCain family.

April 17 :

-Following John McCain's death, Arizona Governor appoints McCain's wife Cindy to fulfill her husband's senate seat until a senatorial special election will be held in Arizona next November along with the gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey.

April 19 :

-The House of Representatives votes 378-57 for the Protection Act that is later signed into law by President Rubio, thus sanctioning Iranian steel as well as steel exportations to Iran in order to hinder the construction of Iranian warships and to further undermine their naval power and to derail Iran's attempts to close the Strait of Hormuz.

April 21 :

-John McCain's funeral took place at the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C. President Rubio as well as his predecessors attend the funeral.

April 22 :

-The remains of the U.S. soldiers killed during the Korean War are returned to U.S. soil. During a press conference at the White House, Vice-President Haley declared that this marks « a new season of hope for the families of our missing fallen ». During that same press conference, President Rubio honours the courage, patriotism and memory of the « heroes who gave their lives in defense of democracy, justice and freedom. » He also thanked Kim Jong-un for keeping his word and declares that this action by North Korea encourages a series of fulfilled promises such as North Korea's denuclearization and the restoration of peace in the Korean peninsula.


April 23 :
-The construction of the Trans-South pipeline officially starts.

April 24-25 :

-Partly due to the increasing international sanctions against Tehran, Iran is now in recession, thus further undermining its attempts to develop nuclear weapons, causing protests around the country. The protesters consider the Iranian government as responsible the mess Iran is now living as their actions are causing the sanctions that are hurting Iran's economy.

-President Rubio calls on the Iranian government to come back to reason, to listen to the concerns of the Iranian people and to stop its military nuclear program and to use its nuclear energy for civil and economic purposes in order to counter the Iranian recession.

April 26 :

-In reaction to the situation in Iran, James Baker, who was Secretary of State at the end of the Cold War in the first Bush Administration, gave a testimony in a Senate hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. While answering questions and praising the Rubio Administration's actions such as the sanctions and its efforts to sign the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty, he declared that the recession Iran is now living as well as the international sanctions against Tehran that are diminishing Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons and to sponsor terrorism could lead the Iranian people to bring a more pacific political party to power as the next Iranian presidential elections are approaching and to back down on its military nuclear program just like the Soviet Union's economic downturn and America's increasing military superiority over the Soviets at the end of the 1980s contributed to the USSR's nuclear disarment and to the end of the Cold War.

April 27-28 :

-A U.S. drone from Niger Air Base 201 (the U.S. drone base in Agadez, Niger) located spotted Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, leader of ISIS in the Greater Sahara in an underground base in the Aïr Mountains. President Rubio orders the local U.S. Special Forces to launch a military operation there in order to kill or capture Sahrawi. The French, Algerian and Nigerien armed forces join their forces to the Americans' in this operation. During the operation, through their drones and the military offensive led by their ground troops, the Coalition succeeds to take the terrorist base and killed 87 jihadists, including Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, and captured 12 other who surrendered while losing 9 soldiers during the battle.


April 30 :

-The Sohae Satellite Launching Station, one of North Korea's nuclear test facilities, is dismantled. President Rubio called these news another step closer in the reinforcement of global peace and in the restoration of nuclear security around the world.

I'm going to assume McCain's funeral services began like this:

1.) McCain's flag-draped casket laid in repose at the AZ State Capitol Rotunda.

2.) Funeral service held at North Phoenix Baptist Church where former VP Biden, Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald, etc., delivered eulogies.

3.) Lying in Repose at the US Capitol Rotunda

4.) Funeral services were held at the Washington National Cathedral.

I'm going to also assume he was buried at the US Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, MD (like he was in real life).

[LoneStarDem]

Marco Rubio's Presidency
October 2018, Part 2

October 18 :
-President Rubio meets with Papua New Guinean Prime Minister Peter O'Neill at the White House promising to work on doing more trade deals and business between both countries.

October 19 :

-Israel conducts missile strikes against ISIS in the Egyptian city of El Gorah, thus facilitating the task for the Egyptian Army to recapture this city, which has been done a few hours later.

October 20 :
-President Rubio meets with a group of oil business people at the White House where he discusses plans to expand offshore drilling off U.S. coasts and to authorize oil drilling in ANWR.

October 21 :
-Speaking at the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, President Rubio expresses his wishes to see Leopoldo López, the Democratic Unity Roundtable nominee who is running for the presidency of Venezuela against dictator Hugo Chavez winning the 2018 Venezuelan presidential election that will be held on October 28. He declared that this will be a great turning point for Venezuela, for freedom, for democracy, for national security and for the relations between the United States and Venezuela.

October 23 :
-President Rubio campaigns for Republican congressman Mike Coffman in Colorado.

-ISIS is defeated in Rafah, on the borders between Israel and Egypt.

October 25 :

-President Rubio starts a 10-state marathon in the context of the 2018 midterm elections. He started this marathon in California where he campaigns for Republican congressional candidates as well as for Republican senatorial nominee Condoleezza Rice. During a rally in Los Angeles, he praised her business and economic expertise due to her membership among the board of directors of several businesses such as Hewlett Packard and Chevron Corporation.

October 26-28 :
-President Rubio campaigns for Mark Green in Wisconsin, John James in Michigan, John Kasich in Ohio and Mike Pence in Indiana, focusing mostly on economy, energy, trade, infrastructure as well as on the successful effects of the Rubionomics, including reduction of the unemployment at its lowest rate since 50 years thanks to the promotion of tax reform, free enterprise and free market.

October 27 :

-U.S. drones in Egypt all of ISIS' training bases in the east of the Sinai Province. The entire region is then secured by the Egyptian Army.

October 28 :

-Leopoldo López, the leader of the Democratic Unity Roundtable easily defeats Nicolas Maduro in the 2018 Venezuela presidential election with 66 % of the vote over Maduro's 34 % in this context of deep political and economic crisis in Venezuela marked by a drastic rise of inflation, which marks Venezuela's path to democracy.

-President Rubio speaks on the phone with Leopoldo López and congratulates him for his electoral victory in Venezuela, which he describes as a great day for democracy, freedom, justice, integrity and security. Both men then discussed issues such as economy, trade, energy, War on Drugs, democracy and human rights, Cuba and fight against terrorism.

October 29-31 :

-President Rubio campaigns for Republican midterm candidates in the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia, focusing mostly on coal, energy, economy, foreign policy as well as on his fulfilled promises to reform America's immigration system and to make America's free trade deals fair for American workers thanks to tax cuts for the manufacturing industry and also thanks to the reduction in half of the national corporate tax rate.

October 29 :

-With the support of U.S. drones that bombarded ISIS' positions and defenses in the city of Sheikh Zuweid, the Egyptian Army started the siege of this city that is none other than ISIS' last controlled position in the Sinai province.

October 30 :

-Five months after Japan's remilitarization, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that Tokyo will reinforce its navy's presence in South China Sea in order to combat the jihadist group of Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines and in Malaysia.

I'm pretty sure Chavez died in 2013 & replaced by Maduro.

[LoneStarDem]

Marco Rubio's Presidency
August 2018, Part 1
President Rubio's job approval rating :
Approve : 67 %
Disapprove : 26 %
Unsure : 7 %

August 1 :

-The Democratic National Committee makes it official and votes for Saint Louis as host city of the 2020 Democratic National Convention over other finalists such as Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Seattle and Boston. The 2020 Democratic National Convention will be held from July 13 to July 16 2020 at Scottrade Center.

August 2 :

-The U.S., Syrian and Turkish armed forces in Syria started sieging the city of Idlib, the final bastion of Tahrir al-Sham.

August 3 :

-Zimbabwe holds its first elections since the coup d’État that contributed to the toppling of Robert Mugabe, almost a year ago. During these elections, former Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvingirai of the Movement for Democratic Change Zimbabwe is elected President of Zimbabwe with 63 % of the vote over Emmerson Mnangagwa's 36 %, thus contributing to Zimbabwe's transition towards democracy.

-President Rubio speaks with Morgan Tsvingirai on the phone and congratulates him on his electoral victory in Zimbabwe. which he described as a « massive victory for democracy, freedom, human rights, integrity and justice ». The two leaders committed to orchestrate a new beginning for the relations between the United States and Zimbabwe and to work together to reinforce their economic and trade ties, to fight for the promotion of democracy, human rights and justice around the world and to combat terrorism in Africa.

August 4 :

-According to a new poll, the Republicans seem to be poised to get a supermajority to the Senate in November. In fact, they are likely to get at least 60 senate seats, which is due to President Rubio's strong popularity and accomplishments on economic and foreign policy issues and also to the fact that most of the senate seats in play in 2018 are located in deeply red states that usually vote Republican by overwhelming margins such as Montana (where Greg Gianforte leads Jon Tester 53 %-41 %), North Dakota (where John Darlymple leads Heidi Heitkamp 51 %-43 %), Missouri (where Claire McCaskill trails all of her potential Republican opponents), Indiana (where Mike Pence leads Joe Deonnelly 52 %-41 %) and West Virginia (where Evan Jenkins leads Joe Manchin 49 %-43 %). In addition, the GOP nominated major Republicans who have high name recognition and high popularity and demonstrated their ability to attract both Republican voters and independent voters, especially John Kasich in Ohio and Susana Martinez in New Mexico. The moreover that the Republicans succeeded in making the senatorial race in California competitive for the first time in 20 years by nominating former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who is narrowly leading with 44 % of the vote over Dianne Feinstein's 41 %.

August 5 :

-A UN investigation reports that Russia has increased oil and fuel exports to North Korea in violation to the UN sanctions against North Korea in the context of the increasing North Korean nuclear threat, thus contributing to an escalation of he North Korean crisis since every modern military, including North Korea's, mostly function on oil.


-In response to Russia's increasing oil exports to North Korea, the Rubio Administration established sanctions on Russian oil and to reinforce the U.S. Navy's presence in the Sea of Japan in order to intercept any Russian oil tanker attempting to export oil to North Korea and to deprive North Korea of the oil they need to boost their military. During a speech in Chicago, President Rubio has accused Vladimir Putin of acting against stability and peace by increasing Russia's oil exports to North Korea who will use this oil to boost its military.

August 6 :
-The U.S. troops and their allies in Syria defeated Tahrir al-Sham (Al Qaida's branch in Syria) in Idlib, thus freeing the jihadist's last bastion. During the battle, the Allies lost 91 soldiers while over 2900 Tahrir al-Sham jihadists, including the leader of Abu Mohammad al-Julani (Tahrir al-Sham leader) are killed. As a result, Tahrir al-Sham is totally eliminated.

August 7 :
-The states of Michigan, Missouri and Washington hold senatorial primaries in the context of the 2018 primaries.

August 8 :
-A new jobs reports notes that 311 000 new jobs are created in July and that the U.S. unemployment rate declined to 3.5 %.

-President Rubio hosts Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė at the White House where they discussed issues such as economic and trade ties between the 2 countries, energy, human rights, democracy, Russia and the fight against terrorism.

August 10 :

-During a press conference in Saint Paul, Minnesota, President Rubio unveils his Administration's infrastructure plan in order to grow the economy, to create jobs, to facilitate economic activities in America and to encourage future business owners to chose America as the place to start or expand a business. This plan includes reducing the federal gasoline tax rate by 80 %; vetoing any gas-tax increase; turning back control of the highways to the states; stopping special interests in Washington from building “Bridges to Nowhere” and engaging in other wasteful spending; freeing states from the strings that come attached to federal funding; removing barriers to public-private partnerships; repealing the Davis-Bacon Act that inflates government costs by billions every year and is a giveaway of taxpayer dollars to labor unions and phasing out the Mass Transit Account, which loots the Highway Trust Fund. This infrastructure plan is included in the bill named Bridge to the Future Act. The Senate will vote on this on August 16 and if the bill is approved by the Senate, the House of Representatives will vote on it a week later.

August 11 :
-President Rubio hosts Mexican President Ricardo Anaya Cortés at the White House where they discussed issues such as the relations between the United States and Mexico, economy, free trade, energy, the War on Drugs, democracy, immigration, Venezuela and Cuba as well as the fight against terrorism.

August 13 :
-In the context of the protests in Iran, the UN approves an embargo on Iranian fuel and sanctions against international banks and firms controlled by Iran in order to deprive Iran of the necessary capitals to sponsor terrorist groups and to build nuclear weapons. At the same occasion the UN also approved sanctions on Russia's oil exports to North Korea in the context of the North Korean nuclear threat.

August 14 :
-The states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Connecticut and Vermont hold senatorial primaries.

August 15 :
-President Rubio meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the James Group International headquarters in Detroit, Michigan where they both called for investments for the development of new infrastructures in order to facilitate economic activities as well as exports and imports between the 2 nations.

The President of Mexico takes office on December 1st, 2018.

[LoneStarDem]

I noticed Rubio improved his standing among African Americans in 2020 getting 17% of this voting bloc. Should've been higher because Sanders was an expletive HOLE.


I like to see how the Dems will react towards Menendez pulling a Zell Miller ? Will the NJ Dems find somebody to run against him in 2024 ?

[LoneStarDem]

I'm wondering what happened to DeSantis in this TL ? Did he win Rubio's US Senate seat in 2016 ?

[LoneStarDem]

I wonder if the Dems have been decimated enough ? Considering they choked in consecutive Midterms: 2014, 2018 & 2022...

I'm surprised the Senate Dems haven't revolted on Schumer for failing to pick-up US Senate seats yet.

On Sinema: I hope she wins statewide office soon in AZ in this TL.

[LoneStarDem]

Hoping Mitch Landrieu becomes LA Governor in this TL for 2023 to succeed the popular JBE.

[LoneStarDem]

I'm assuming Rubio attended the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, IL ?

[LoneStarDem]

Hoping for a JBE TL soon.

[LoneStarDem]

Umm. National Security Adviser is NOT a Cabinet post.

[LoneStarDem]

Like to see if Rubio & Tsai met face-to-face, also keeping my fingers crossed he pulls a reverse Nixon goes to PRC by making a surprise trip to Taiwan during his 2nd term as POTUS.