JFK is not assassinated and is unable to pass his civil rights bill, and is narrowly re-elected over Goldwater (narrowly in the sense that it's more respectable, Goldwater gets with 5-7 percent), and remains relatively moderate throughout his term, steadily increasing military involvement in Vietnam. In 1968, LBJ runs for the nomination, but JFK doesn't endorse him, so Humphrey also runs. LBJ comes out in favor of JFK's civil rights bill...plus more. Wallace runs and wins the votes in the South and West, and at the convention, brokers a deal with Midwestern Democrats to win the nomination.
The Republicans nominate Senator Everett Dirksen and Governor William Scranton at their affair, and Dirksen defeats Wallace in the election. Wallace's nomination, however, is the turning point for Northern liberals who leave the GOP en masse.
In 1970, Ronald Reagan is elected to the U.S. Senate from California as a Democrat, and in 1972 he will be the major supporter of Senator Scoop Jackson's bid and victory for the Democratic nomination. The Jackson-Maddox (Lester G. of Georgia) ticket loses to the popular President Dirksen, but solidifys the South/Midwest populist appeal of the Democratic Party.
In 1976, the Republicans nominate John Anderson for President, but he loses to Maddox in the general election. Maddox's victory is credited to Senator Reagan (as VP) swinging California. President Maddox is killed in 1978, and Reagan is president.
In 1980, President Reagan goes toe to toe with Connecticut Senator George H. Bush for the White House, and Bush upsets the pundits to score a victory. President Bush, a pro-choice, pro-big government Republican, even comes close in Reagan's native California.
By 1984, the economy's robust, Bush is popular, and he wins re-election in a walk against President Maddox's protege, Governor James Carter, Jr. Come 1988, however, the pro-war Democrats are sick of Bush's vacilliating stance on the Soviets and increasing stagflation, and run Senator Don Rumsfeld for President (with pro-life Tennessee Governor Albert Gore as his number two), and he beats Bush's Vice-President, Pierre S. duPont, by 10 points.
In 1992, the Cold War's over, and the Rumsfeld-Gore administration's tax cuts have improved the bad times of the Bush years. The Democrats are pretty much unbeatable, although Senator Arlen Spector does try to seem more macho on communism by calling for stricter sanctions against Cuba and supporting reigme change there, flipping the Cuban-American vote to the GOP and turning Florida to the Republicans.
1996 comes, and Vice-President Gore wins the Democratic nomination in a walk with Zell Miller as his Veep, and goes on to beat sacrificial lamb candidate California Governor Pete Wilson.
In 2000, President Gore wins re-election in a walk against GOP Senator Russ Feingold. The war on terrorism doesn't happen, because Gore killed bin Laden in 1998, when he had the chance, rather than wasting precious hours.
Come 2004, Vice-President Zell Miller runs against Governor Howard Dean of Vermont. Miller is a Christian conservative, the staple of the Democratic base, and selects Minnesota Governor Norm Coleman as his Vice-President. Dean, a social liberal but a fiscal conservative, selects North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan for his number two.
The campaign is nasty, with Miller-Coleman accusing Dean (who signed a civil unions bill in Vermont) of "destroying our sacred traditions", and Governor Dean of tying Miller to President Gore's fiscal undicipline. In the end, we get your map.
you put way too much time into that.
That is a very interesting scenario.
