AH Challenge: Senator Jack Carter (D-NV)

So, I just now was looking at Wikipedia's article for the Nevada Senate Election in 2006, and I saw that Jimmy Carter's son, Jack Carter, was a Navy veteran and businessman when he ran for the U.S. Senate in Nevada in 2006. He won the Democratic nomination to oppose the incumbent Republican, John Ensign, in his bid for re-election.

Ensign won re-election with 55% of the vote, while Jack Carter won 41%.

So, what would have happened if Jack Carter had been elected to the Senate in 2006, as one of the many Democratic freshmen elected that year? And I don't want to hear that it's ASB, that he was unelectable, etc. - that's why this is an AH Challenge.;)

How could he have been elected, and more importantly, what effect would Carter have on the last two years of the Bush presidency, the 2008 Election, and Obama or Clinton's presidency (depending on how butterflies effect the election)?
 
It's not very hard to find a way for Carter to win. All that has to happen is Ensign's sex scandal story break in August or September. Along with all of the other scandals coming out I believe it could throw the election to Carter.

Once in office, Carter is likely going to be a center-left Democrat. Looking at his views according to ontheissues, he is a pretty typical western Democrat (not in the west-coast sense) and is also a lot like his dad. The only real issues he would be conservative on would be trade and gun control. He would definately support health care reform and most if not all of Obama's agenda. Overall a pretty reliable vote for the Democratic majority. I could also see him rising up to the leadership if Reid were defeated in 2010. Probably not full on leader, but possibly a replacement for whoever replaces Reid (Durbin or Schumer) or maybe as a replacement for Patty Murray.
 

archaeogeek

Banned
The only real issues he would be conservative on would be trade and gun control.

So he wants gun control and protectionism or no gun control and no tarrifs? "Conservative on trade and gun control" is rather vague when you think of it ;)

That said: I'm curious, how much power does a US governor really have ultimately, are they the state's head of government too or just a state head of state?
 
My fellow Montrealais: a state governor has all the power a premier has if they are effective at prodding their legislatures to legislate. They are both combined, as are all chief executives in the US. ;)
 
We Americans don't get the difference of Head of State and Head of Government so we just decided to give it all to one person ;)
 
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