The year is 1994 and Massachusetts Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy is running for his sixth full term. However, this is the first year he has a real challenge. Republican challenger Mitt Romney (yes the same Romney who ran for president in 2012) the wealthy CEO of Bain Capital and son of the former governor of Michigan is determined to become the first Republican senator in Massachusetts since 1979. IOTL, Romney falls short paving the way for his future defeats in the presidential election But ITTL, due to a blast from the past and a "mysterious frog noise," Kennedy loses the election in a landslide to Romney. Romney is extremely popular as a senator. In 1999, Romney announces that he will be running for president. Though he comes in third in the Republican nomination (to Bush and McCain), Bush picks him as his running mate. As IOTL, Bush beats gore in 2000 (but ITTL there is no Florida controversy) making Romney the vice president of the United States.