What-if 1980: Anderson/Brown independent ticket!!

[Niemeyerite]

Reagan wins, easily, but Anderson is 2nd.

[Niemeyerite]

Reagan wins, easily, but Anderson is 2nd.

Not likely. Anderson was never in a position to finish above Carter or Reagan, or either. His appeal was heavily limited to more affluent white voters from across the political spectrum. Choosing Brown may help among anti-tax types, but Reagan still has them wrapped up.

It's important to note that until the debates, it was a very close race. Reagan was viewed as an extremist, and Carter was pretty likable. Anderson certainly hurt Carter, but the final tally was more a referendum on Reagan hitting every note in the debates, while the President was miserable.

I know Anderson would hardly break 10%, but I wanted to post a "toss-up" map being optimistic with Anderson/Brown