1996 nominee w/o Dole

samcster94

Banned
What if Bob Dole decided not to run in 1995, possibly for health reasons, and the race goes on without him??? The alternatives IIRC included Pat Buchanan, Steve Forbes, Phil Graham, Richard Lugar, and several other weak candidates. The 90's weren't exactly the best decade to be a Republican running for President, especially against a powerful incumbent.
 
Of the candidates that did run, Lugar is the most likely and the most electable. John McCain could run 4 years earlier and win the nomination, as could other prominent Republican Governors that were elected (Tommy Thompson, John Engler, etc...) 1996 would be too soon for Dubya so he's out, so are Dan Quyale and Pete Wilson, as both, IIRC had health issues that year.
 
Clinton still wins a second term and by a comfortable margin. The only prospective Republican candidate more popular than him at the time was Powell, who was never interested in elective office. Buchanan is way too far right and he'd be crushed in a landslide. All the others are bland conservatives not much different from Dole.
 
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