2008: Clinton/Obama vs McCain/Graham vs. Trump/Gravel

[Dancing with Myself]

This is going to be a fun one.

Let's say Hillary beats Obama in the SC primary and the issues regarding Michigan and Florida don't happen and they are not DQ'ed. There is still a war but Hillary wins fair and square (Hillary gains another state or 2 besides SC.) She wins the nom in a close battle and Obama quits the same time Hillary does in RL. Many expect her to pick Evan Bayh or Tim Kaine however Hillary mends fences with Obama and picks him for her VP. She cannot deny his charisma and ability to warm up the Democratic base plus his ability to bring in the minorities.  She takes up many of his staff and she campaigns like Obama did.

McCain wins the Republican nomination easily but faces a tough competition from Mike Huckabee who surprises Mitt Romney for second place and wins most of the south. However McCain's time isn't to be denied and he wins the nom at the same time as in RL. McCain realizes he must pick a candidate to shore up his southern base or else Hillary would eat away at it so he picks one of his best friends SC senator Lindsey Graham.


Then you have Donald Trump. Usually he makes his usual grumbles and rumors but he starts getting serious in the fall of 2007 and by November he makes his campaign official as an Independent.  He makes the ballot on most of the states but in the ones he doesn't he is nominated by smaller third parties which hope his candidacy will boost their chances in the future.  Many are shocked by the refusal of Ralph Nader to run, as he withdraws once Trump enters. He later becomes an ally to Trump as Trump agrees to a couple of platform points Nader has always been deadset on. By January 2008 Trump is polling at 5% and is growing by the month.

He still makes comments as in RL (nowhere as bad,) but focuses on a Perot-esque strategy of appealing to the center and getting dissatisfied voters on his side. He picks his VP in June and surprises everyone with the pick of former Democratic candidate Mike Gravel. While not as vocal as Trump he helps to appeal to the weird voter demographic and is another version of a Ron Paul esque candidate.


The events of 2008 still occur. What happens?