The 2116 Presidential election was between popular two-term Georgia governor Ross Skaggert and freshman Nebraska Senator Lincoln Michaels. Michaels was a gaffe-prone far-right nationalist and Skaggert was seen as a centrist, bi-partisan Southern populist. Skaggert picked popular California Senator Sandra Harris as his running mate, while Michaels chose Utah Congressman Carter McMullin (grandson of former Utah Governor Evan McMullin). in the end, Skaggert won the popular vote 62-37 and won all but 9 states. Michaels essentially abandoned the South during the campaign and instead focused his resources out west and in the Rust Belt, but his strategy clearly didn't work too well. Skaggert became the first Democrat to win Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee since 2068. and the first Democrat to win a majority of counties since 2052. he also became the first Democrat in history to win Riley County, Kansas.