Alternate Electoral Maps
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No Third Term
United States presidential election, 1988
President Askew's moderate-to-conservative agenda had left the liberals within the Democratic Party less than thrilled and his entire term in office had seen continuous fights within Congress mostly between the conservative and moderate wings of the party and the growing liberal wing that effectively slowed Askew's domestic agenda to a crawl.
The situation in Iran had grown so worrisome by early 1986 that Askew and Soviet General Secretary Grigory Romanov had agreed to allow a UN intervention to prevent the situation from further destabilizing the world's oil prices (and for Romanov, to avoid destabilizing neighboring Afghanistan). The UN intervention swiftly kicked Saddam Hussein's Iraqis out of Iran and set about instituting a provisional Iraqi government. However, tensions within Iran meant progress came slowly and the Iranians had not yet begun to finish their provisional constitution by the time of the 1988 campaign season.
The Republican field, emboldened by Askew's faltering agenda and the slow progress in extrication from Iran, nominated party stalwart Senator Bob Dole as their nominee, after a brief challenge from both Congressman Donald Rumsfeld and Senator John Chaffee from his party's conservative and liberal wings. Dole made history by making Congresswoman Lynn Morley his vice-presidential nominee, the first time a woman had been on a major-party ticket.
The 1988 campaign set new records for mudslinging, as Dole employed a young strategist named Lee Atwater to attempted to embellish minor scandals from the Askew administration into impeachment-worthy horrors, and race-baited against Askew in the south by playing up Askew's supposedly friendly (but in reality, almost hostile) relationship with black leader Jesse Jackson. Democratic partisans reacted by insinuating Dole was mentally unstable and attempted to link him to the now-unpopular former President Goldwater by naming him "Barry's Hatchet-man".
Reubin Askew/Walter Mondale (Democratic): 280 EV, 50.1% PV
Bob Dole/Lynn Martin (Republican): 258 EV, 48.9%
United States presidential election, 1988
President Askew's moderate-to-conservative agenda had left the liberals within the Democratic Party less than thrilled and his entire term in office had seen continuous fights within Congress mostly between the conservative and moderate wings of the party and the growing liberal wing that effectively slowed Askew's domestic agenda to a crawl.
The situation in Iran had grown so worrisome by early 1986 that Askew and Soviet General Secretary Grigory Romanov had agreed to allow a UN intervention to prevent the situation from further destabilizing the world's oil prices (and for Romanov, to avoid destabilizing neighboring Afghanistan). The UN intervention swiftly kicked Saddam Hussein's Iraqis out of Iran and set about instituting a provisional Iraqi government. However, tensions within Iran meant progress came slowly and the Iranians had not yet begun to finish their provisional constitution by the time of the 1988 campaign season.
The Republican field, emboldened by Askew's faltering agenda and the slow progress in extrication from Iran, nominated party stalwart Senator Bob Dole as their nominee, after a brief challenge from both Congressman Donald Rumsfeld and Senator John Chaffee from his party's conservative and liberal wings. Dole made history by making Congresswoman Lynn Morley his vice-presidential nominee, the first time a woman had been on a major-party ticket.
The 1988 campaign set new records for mudslinging, as Dole employed a young strategist named Lee Atwater to attempted to embellish minor scandals from the Askew administration into impeachment-worthy horrors, and race-baited against Askew in the south by playing up Askew's supposedly friendly (but in reality, almost hostile) relationship with black leader Jesse Jackson. Democratic partisans reacted by insinuating Dole was mentally unstable and attempted to link him to the now-unpopular former President Goldwater by naming him "Barry's Hatchet-man".
Reubin Askew/Walter Mondale (Democratic): 280 EV, 50.1% PV
Bob Dole/Lynn Martin (Republican): 258 EV, 48.9%
No Third Term
United States presidential election, 1992
After 16 years of Democratic control of the White House, the Republicans were at last ready to seize the presidency once more. President Askew, while still relatively popular, had gained the reputation of being legislatively impotent due to the continuing divisions between the liberal and conservative wings of the Democratic Party and Askew's own inability to rally his party behind his proposals. The Iran occupation had started sucking up more and more resources and Islamist militants were in the sixth year of an insurgency against UN occupiers, leading to widespread disillusionment with operation.
Vice President Mondale cruised to the Democratic nomination and selected Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his vice-presidential candidate. The Republicans, on the other hand, persuaded their rising star, New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, to step into the race. Kean, who had widespread approval both within and outside of the party, defeated several minor candidates for the nomination, and selected former competitor and conservative Congressman Phil Crane as his vice-presidential nominee to appease the party's conservative wing.
The occupation of Iran as well as the slow implosion of the Soviet Union dominated the foreign policy section of the campaign, and Kean viciously attacked the Askew administration's conduct of the Iran campaign. Mondale attempted to point to the economy as a sign of good times, but the 1992-1994 recession started in June and Mondale quickly retired that campaign line. The uncharismatic Mondale similarly failed to connect with voters, while Kean became the most personally popular nominee since former President Kennedy ran in 1980.
Thomas Kean/Phil Crane (Republican): 372 EV, 52.7% PV
Walter Mondale/Joe Biden (Democratic): 166 EV, 47.0% PV
United States presidential election, 1992
After 16 years of Democratic control of the White House, the Republicans were at last ready to seize the presidency once more. President Askew, while still relatively popular, had gained the reputation of being legislatively impotent due to the continuing divisions between the liberal and conservative wings of the Democratic Party and Askew's own inability to rally his party behind his proposals. The Iran occupation had started sucking up more and more resources and Islamist militants were in the sixth year of an insurgency against UN occupiers, leading to widespread disillusionment with operation.
Vice President Mondale cruised to the Democratic nomination and selected Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his vice-presidential candidate. The Republicans, on the other hand, persuaded their rising star, New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, to step into the race. Kean, who had widespread approval both within and outside of the party, defeated several minor candidates for the nomination, and selected former competitor and conservative Congressman Phil Crane as his vice-presidential nominee to appease the party's conservative wing.
The occupation of Iran as well as the slow implosion of the Soviet Union dominated the foreign policy section of the campaign, and Kean viciously attacked the Askew administration's conduct of the Iran campaign. Mondale attempted to point to the economy as a sign of good times, but the 1992-1994 recession started in June and Mondale quickly retired that campaign line. The uncharismatic Mondale similarly failed to connect with voters, while Kean became the most personally popular nominee since former President Kennedy ran in 1980.
Thomas Kean/Phil Crane (Republican): 372 EV, 52.7% PV
Walter Mondale/Joe Biden (Democratic): 166 EV, 47.0% PV
Kennedy lives (POD=the bullet missed due to butterflies of sans-22nd amendment)
Continuing my previous one:
1980:
John Wayne / Howard Baker (R) 295 EV, 43.7%
George McGovern / Henry M. Jackson (D) 243 EV, 42.6%
Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. / Patrick Lucey (I) 0 EV, 12.1%
Governor Robert F. Kennedy of New York was considered the frontrunner of the race, until the failed assassination attempt of John Hinckley, Jr. Kennedy's life was not at risk, but he was forced to drop out of the race. He then endorses Senator Henry M. Jackson to run in his place, who was defeated by George McGovern in the primaries. The economic downturn and backlash of US intervention in the Iranian anti-government protests makes President Wayne hugely unpopular, and it seems that he would be unelectable. Therefore Jackson reluctantly accepts McGovern's offer to be his running mate, despite his mistrust of the latter and Kennedy's opposition. Outraged by the choice between "two extremist nut jobs", Senator Lowell P. Weicker decides to run as an independent. However, McGovern makes a lot of gaffe during the campaign. Wayne, the Great Communicator, was able to make good use of TV ads and the debate to connect with the voters. Also, Weicker arguably draws more votes from the McGovern camp than from Wayne. At last, Wayne is narrowly reelected President. However, exit polls show that had Weicker not run, McGovern would have won the election by a 49-47 margin.
1984:
Howard Baker / Paul Laxalt (R) 535 EV, 61.3%
Gary Hart / Jesse Jackson (D) 3 EV, 33.5%
President Wayne resigned in 1983 due to terminal cancer, and would die in January 1984. The economy has recovered strongly, and President Baker is a very popular incumbent. Former Governor Kennedy decides not to run, seeing no possibility of winning. He would win the Senate seat of Jacob K. Javits, who is going to retire, in 1986. Gary Hart becomes the black horse candidate and wins the Democratic nomination. He decides to make a brave but disastrous move - to pick Jesse Jackson as his running mate. Hart is revealed to have an affair with a staffer on the campaign trail days before the election, while Jesse Jackson is simply a gaffe-machine, making anti-semitic remarks. Baker is re-elected with the highest share of popular vote since 1820, winning all 50 states. Hart wins only the District of Columbia, while independent Ralph Nader and Libertarian Ron Paul win 2.7% and 2.1% of the popular vote.
Continuing my previous one:
1980:
John Wayne / Howard Baker (R) 295 EV, 43.7%
George McGovern / Henry M. Jackson (D) 243 EV, 42.6%
Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. / Patrick Lucey (I) 0 EV, 12.1%
Governor Robert F. Kennedy of New York was considered the frontrunner of the race, until the failed assassination attempt of John Hinckley, Jr. Kennedy's life was not at risk, but he was forced to drop out of the race. He then endorses Senator Henry M. Jackson to run in his place, who was defeated by George McGovern in the primaries. The economic downturn and backlash of US intervention in the Iranian anti-government protests makes President Wayne hugely unpopular, and it seems that he would be unelectable. Therefore Jackson reluctantly accepts McGovern's offer to be his running mate, despite his mistrust of the latter and Kennedy's opposition. Outraged by the choice between "two extremist nut jobs", Senator Lowell P. Weicker decides to run as an independent. However, McGovern makes a lot of gaffe during the campaign. Wayne, the Great Communicator, was able to make good use of TV ads and the debate to connect with the voters. Also, Weicker arguably draws more votes from the McGovern camp than from Wayne. At last, Wayne is narrowly reelected President. However, exit polls show that had Weicker not run, McGovern would have won the election by a 49-47 margin.
1984:
Howard Baker / Paul Laxalt (R) 535 EV, 61.3%
Gary Hart / Jesse Jackson (D) 3 EV, 33.5%
President Wayne resigned in 1983 due to terminal cancer, and would die in January 1984. The economy has recovered strongly, and President Baker is a very popular incumbent. Former Governor Kennedy decides not to run, seeing no possibility of winning. He would win the Senate seat of Jacob K. Javits, who is going to retire, in 1986. Gary Hart becomes the black horse candidate and wins the Democratic nomination. He decides to make a brave but disastrous move - to pick Jesse Jackson as his running mate. Hart is revealed to have an affair with a staffer on the campaign trail days before the election, while Jesse Jackson is simply a gaffe-machine, making anti-semitic remarks. Baker is re-elected with the highest share of popular vote since 1820, winning all 50 states. Hart wins only the District of Columbia, while independent Ralph Nader and Libertarian Ron Paul win 2.7% and 2.1% of the popular vote.
1896:
William Jennings Bryan/Arthur Sewall -- Democratic (244 Electoral Votes)
William McKinley/Garet Hobart -- Republican (203 Electoral Votes)
American political historians fiercely debate the meaning of the 1896 election, some labeling it the beginning of the Fourth Party System, and others calling it the "last gasp of the Third Party System." It provoked a split in both major parties. Competitive elections between the Democratic and People's Parties in the South and West persisted for the next several decades. In the Midwest and Northeast, the emergence of the Worker's Party threatened but did not manage to dislodge the Republican Party in its base. The prevalence of fusion voting in this era led to a number of temporary coalitions between factions of both parties, and neither party was able to achieve lasting superiority until the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt on the reunified Democratic Alliance ticket in 1936.
William Jennings Bryan/Arthur Sewall -- Democratic (244 Electoral Votes)
William McKinley/Garet Hobart -- Republican (203 Electoral Votes)
American political historians fiercely debate the meaning of the 1896 election, some labeling it the beginning of the Fourth Party System, and others calling it the "last gasp of the Third Party System." It provoked a split in both major parties. Competitive elections between the Democratic and People's Parties in the South and West persisted for the next several decades. In the Midwest and Northeast, the emergence of the Worker's Party threatened but did not manage to dislodge the Republican Party in its base. The prevalence of fusion voting in this era led to a number of temporary coalitions between factions of both parties, and neither party was able to achieve lasting superiority until the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt on the reunified Democratic Alliance ticket in 1936.
No Third Term
United States presidential election, 1996
The early 1990s recession had ended by the time 1996 rolled around. President Kean took credit for this as well as the peaceful 1993 dissolution of the Soviet Union into 15 states and the end of the Cold War. The slow extrication from Iran had also largely ended by the time the election campaign rolled around.
Most serious Democratic contenders, seeing that Kean remained personally popular and the country at peace, chose to focus their efforts on 2000. The sole exception was Senator Al Gore of Tennessee. Gore cruised to victory in the primaries and chose House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt as his VP nominee.
The campaign was notable for how low-key it was, comparatively. Kean never lost his lead in the polls and easily won re-election.
Thomas Kean/Phil Crane (Republican): 324 EV, 52.2% PV
Al Gore/Dick Gephardt (Democratic): 214 EV, 46.7% PV
United States presidential election, 1996
The early 1990s recession had ended by the time 1996 rolled around. President Kean took credit for this as well as the peaceful 1993 dissolution of the Soviet Union into 15 states and the end of the Cold War. The slow extrication from Iran had also largely ended by the time the election campaign rolled around.
Most serious Democratic contenders, seeing that Kean remained personally popular and the country at peace, chose to focus their efforts on 2000. The sole exception was Senator Al Gore of Tennessee. Gore cruised to victory in the primaries and chose House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt as his VP nominee.
The campaign was notable for how low-key it was, comparatively. Kean never lost his lead in the polls and easily won re-election.
Thomas Kean/Phil Crane (Republican): 324 EV, 52.2% PV
Al Gore/Dick Gephardt (Democratic): 214 EV, 46.7% PV
No Third Term
United States presidential election, 2000
Despite President Kean's high levels of popularity, the possibility of a Republican succeeding him in the White House was iffy. Vice President Phil Crane, while popular within the party, was a highly polarizing figure and polled low among independents. Crane remained the GOP frontrunner throughout the campaign, fending off several candidates who sought to capitalize on the party's worry about Crane's electability. He named Michigan Governor John Engler as his vice-presidential nominee.
The Democratic campaign was the near-opposite of the Republican campaign. Several heavy-hitters emerged to seek the party's nomination: 1996 candidate Al Gore, now-Speaker of the House Dick Gephardt, Texas Governor Ann Richards, and Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone among them. Richards finally gained momentum late in the campaign and secured enough delegates to become her party's nominee, the first female head of a major party ticket in history. She chose Massachusetts Senator John Kerry as her running-mate.
The campaign was enlivened by consumer activist Ralph Nader declaring his run on the Green Party ticket. Nader, despite calls by Democrats to drop out, refused and attacked both parties as tools of big business. The 2000 debates were notable because Richards dominated Crane during each of them, notably eviscerating Crane's attempts to tie himself to the popular Kean administration by pointing out Crane's platform called for departures from the actions Kean had undertaken.
In the end, Nader caused neither candidate to win a majority of the popular vote (the first time this had happened since 1980). Richards won and became the United States' first female president.
Ann Richards/John Kerry (Democratic): 328 EV, 49.8% PV
Phil Crane/John Engler (Republican): 210 EV, 47.1% PV
Ralph Nader/Winona LaDuke (Green): 0 EV, 2.5% PV
United States presidential election, 2000
Despite President Kean's high levels of popularity, the possibility of a Republican succeeding him in the White House was iffy. Vice President Phil Crane, while popular within the party, was a highly polarizing figure and polled low among independents. Crane remained the GOP frontrunner throughout the campaign, fending off several candidates who sought to capitalize on the party's worry about Crane's electability. He named Michigan Governor John Engler as his vice-presidential nominee.
The Democratic campaign was the near-opposite of the Republican campaign. Several heavy-hitters emerged to seek the party's nomination: 1996 candidate Al Gore, now-Speaker of the House Dick Gephardt, Texas Governor Ann Richards, and Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone among them. Richards finally gained momentum late in the campaign and secured enough delegates to become her party's nominee, the first female head of a major party ticket in history. She chose Massachusetts Senator John Kerry as her running-mate.
The campaign was enlivened by consumer activist Ralph Nader declaring his run on the Green Party ticket. Nader, despite calls by Democrats to drop out, refused and attacked both parties as tools of big business. The 2000 debates were notable because Richards dominated Crane during each of them, notably eviscerating Crane's attempts to tie himself to the popular Kean administration by pointing out Crane's platform called for departures from the actions Kean had undertaken.
In the end, Nader caused neither candidate to win a majority of the popular vote (the first time this had happened since 1980). Richards won and became the United States' first female president.
Ann Richards/John Kerry (Democratic): 328 EV, 49.8% PV
Phil Crane/John Engler (Republican): 210 EV, 47.1% PV
Ralph Nader/Winona LaDuke (Green): 0 EV, 2.5% PV
Kennedy's 1952 re-election to his fourth term was little more than a ritual formality. The American ticket of Walter George and Wesley Disney carried their home states and two others, but the moral and religious revulsion against Kennedy was becoming exhausted, even in the heart of the South.
Aiken, one of the last five Republicans in the Senate, accepted the Republican nomination only because there was no one else of any stature to take up the doomed cause. The nomination of Mormon Ezra Benson for VP was a desperation move; it did win Utah, but the real hope was that it would appeal to voters disgusted by the open immorality of Kennedy's regime, while at the same clearly repudiating the Christian fundamentalist fanaticism of the American Party. It didn't really matter.
The Machine rolled up majorities of 70% or more throughout the Northeast and Midwest. Kennedy's new ally Johnson accomplished similar results in much of the South, and even carried Alabama and Florida. The Machine was in control throughout the West as well.
It was a sad coda to the history of American democracy.
No Third Term
United States presidential election, 2004
The presidential campaign in 2004 was cast under the pall of the July 4th 2003 simultaneous bombings in New York and Washington. The massive bombings saw over 1,000 people killed or injured and focused America on international terrorism and more specifically, the radical violent anti-American interpretation of Islam that had grown since America became involved military in Iran in the 1980s. President Richards reluctantly responded to public bloodlust by calling on Congress to successfully authorize the invasion of Afghanistan, where the militant Taliban had allowed the militants to operate.
Republican candidates largely boasted of their support for the invasion, all the while deriding Richards for her failure to "fully engage" the Taliban. By the time of the primary campaigns, thanks to international assistance, only the remote mountain regions of Afghanistan were still largely outside of American control.
The GOP primary field soon naturally narrowed to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, retired Admiral John McCain and John Engler, the 2000 VP nominee. The revelation that McCain had undergone treatment for skin cancer ended his campaign prematurely and Ridge successfully gained his endorsement and triumphed over Engler. Ridge picked Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the son of former Vice President George H.W. Bush, as his running mate.
Despite Richards' advantage of being a sitting president during wartime, the campaign proved to be close due to the Ridge campaign's assertions that Richards had failed to prevent the attacks despite ample warning (an assertion with seeds in the truth, but hampered greatly by inter-agency non-cooperation and Richards' preoccupation with domestic politics).
In the end, the result was very close, with a margin of 1% of the popular vote separating the two candidates.
Ann Richards/John Kerry (Democratic): 302 EV, 50.1% PV
Tom Ridge/Jeb Bush (Republican): 236 EV, 49.1% PV
United States presidential election, 2004
The presidential campaign in 2004 was cast under the pall of the July 4th 2003 simultaneous bombings in New York and Washington. The massive bombings saw over 1,000 people killed or injured and focused America on international terrorism and more specifically, the radical violent anti-American interpretation of Islam that had grown since America became involved military in Iran in the 1980s. President Richards reluctantly responded to public bloodlust by calling on Congress to successfully authorize the invasion of Afghanistan, where the militant Taliban had allowed the militants to operate.
Republican candidates largely boasted of their support for the invasion, all the while deriding Richards for her failure to "fully engage" the Taliban. By the time of the primary campaigns, thanks to international assistance, only the remote mountain regions of Afghanistan were still largely outside of American control.
The GOP primary field soon naturally narrowed to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, retired Admiral John McCain and John Engler, the 2000 VP nominee. The revelation that McCain had undergone treatment for skin cancer ended his campaign prematurely and Ridge successfully gained his endorsement and triumphed over Engler. Ridge picked Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the son of former Vice President George H.W. Bush, as his running mate.
Despite Richards' advantage of being a sitting president during wartime, the campaign proved to be close due to the Ridge campaign's assertions that Richards had failed to prevent the attacks despite ample warning (an assertion with seeds in the truth, but hampered greatly by inter-agency non-cooperation and Richards' preoccupation with domestic politics).
In the end, the result was very close, with a margin of 1% of the popular vote separating the two candidates.
Ann Richards/John Kerry (Democratic): 302 EV, 50.1% PV
Tom Ridge/Jeb Bush (Republican): 236 EV, 49.1% PV
No Third Term
United States presidential election, 2008
For the first time since President Scranton was assassinated, the nation dealt with a president who died in office. President Richards succumbed to esophageal cancer in 2006 and John Kerry became the nation's 45th president. Kerry nominated Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack to the vice-presidency and Vilsack's moderate positions caused the Republican-controlled Senate to pause only slightly before confirming him.
President Kerry continued to oversee the campaign in Afghanistan, but the issue of occupation and the lack of progress being made proved to be troublesome to his administration. Similarly, Kerry proved to be Richards' opposite: uncharismatic, stiff and unable to fire up the Democratic supporters. This contributed to the relatively lackluster effort that characterized the Kerry campaign.
On the Republican side, the primaries were between Jeb Bush and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. Sanford compared Bush to Kerry, saying both were scions of rich families while he came from simple beginnings to the governor's office. Sanford's campaign succeeded in gaining the momentum from Bush and he walked away with the nomination. Sanford selected former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson as his vice-presidential nominee.
The Kerry campaign proved hapless against Sanford's attacks and the criticism leveled at his administration (but not the late Richards') with regards to Afghanistan and its purported bloated inefficiency. In the end, Sanford won with 53 percent of the vote.
Mark Sanford/Tommy Thompson (Republican): 338 EV, 53.2% PV
John Kerry/Tom Vilsack (Democratic): 200 EV, 46.0% PV
United States presidential election, 2008
For the first time since President Scranton was assassinated, the nation dealt with a president who died in office. President Richards succumbed to esophageal cancer in 2006 and John Kerry became the nation's 45th president. Kerry nominated Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack to the vice-presidency and Vilsack's moderate positions caused the Republican-controlled Senate to pause only slightly before confirming him.
President Kerry continued to oversee the campaign in Afghanistan, but the issue of occupation and the lack of progress being made proved to be troublesome to his administration. Similarly, Kerry proved to be Richards' opposite: uncharismatic, stiff and unable to fire up the Democratic supporters. This contributed to the relatively lackluster effort that characterized the Kerry campaign.
On the Republican side, the primaries were between Jeb Bush and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. Sanford compared Bush to Kerry, saying both were scions of rich families while he came from simple beginnings to the governor's office. Sanford's campaign succeeded in gaining the momentum from Bush and he walked away with the nomination. Sanford selected former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson as his vice-presidential nominee.
The Kerry campaign proved hapless against Sanford's attacks and the criticism leveled at his administration (but not the late Richards') with regards to Afghanistan and its purported bloated inefficiency. In the end, Sanford won with 53 percent of the vote.
Mark Sanford/Tommy Thompson (Republican): 338 EV, 53.2% PV
John Kerry/Tom Vilsack (Democratic): 200 EV, 46.0% PV
No Third Term
United States presidential election, 2012
It's probable that Mark Sanford would have lost without the early 2010s recession, but with it, all chances he would be re-elected vanished.
Even before the economy went south in 2011, Sanford's administration was embroiled in controversy. Sanford's attempts to partially privatize FAHS, and his slashing of top tax rates to 40% from 55% caused outrage among several sectors of the electorate and the Republicans suffered in the 2010 midterms. While the economy started dipping south in 2011, the world was shocked when First Lady Jenny Sanford announced she was seeking to divorce the president. The reason for the divorce was at first cited as irreconcilable differences exacerbated by the stress of living in the White House, but the truth soon leaked out: President Sanford had been having an affair while in office. Sanford's affair caused his already-struggling approval ratings to plummet.
The Democrats smelled blood and their top-tier candidates lined up to replace Sanford in 2012. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine broke out of a crowded three-way primary field to become the top candidates. A punishing primary season saw the field effectively narrowed to Patrick and O'Malley, with Kaine becoming a king-maker. Kaine eventually threw his support to O'Malley and O'Malley, upon cinching the nomination, named Kaine as his vice-presidential nominee.
After the Democratic convention in August, the remainder of the campaign saw O'Malley insuring that Sanford could not stage an unlikely late-stage comeback by tying Sanford to the struggling economy, and implying that he was too busy with his mistress to pay attention to managing the economy as it recovered.
Martin O'Malley/Tim Kaine (Democratic): 363 EV, 55.1% PV
Mark Sanford/Tommy Thompson (Republican): 175 EV, 43.2% PV
United States presidential election, 2012
It's probable that Mark Sanford would have lost without the early 2010s recession, but with it, all chances he would be re-elected vanished.
Even before the economy went south in 2011, Sanford's administration was embroiled in controversy. Sanford's attempts to partially privatize FAHS, and his slashing of top tax rates to 40% from 55% caused outrage among several sectors of the electorate and the Republicans suffered in the 2010 midterms. While the economy started dipping south in 2011, the world was shocked when First Lady Jenny Sanford announced she was seeking to divorce the president. The reason for the divorce was at first cited as irreconcilable differences exacerbated by the stress of living in the White House, but the truth soon leaked out: President Sanford had been having an affair while in office. Sanford's affair caused his already-struggling approval ratings to plummet.
The Democrats smelled blood and their top-tier candidates lined up to replace Sanford in 2012. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine broke out of a crowded three-way primary field to become the top candidates. A punishing primary season saw the field effectively narrowed to Patrick and O'Malley, with Kaine becoming a king-maker. Kaine eventually threw his support to O'Malley and O'Malley, upon cinching the nomination, named Kaine as his vice-presidential nominee.
After the Democratic convention in August, the remainder of the campaign saw O'Malley insuring that Sanford could not stage an unlikely late-stage comeback by tying Sanford to the struggling economy, and implying that he was too busy with his mistress to pay attention to managing the economy as it recovered.
Martin O'Malley/Tim Kaine (Democratic): 363 EV, 55.1% PV
Mark Sanford/Tommy Thompson (Republican): 175 EV, 43.2% PV
Kennedy's 1952 re-election to his fourth term was little more than a ritual formality. The American ticket of Walter George and Wesley Disney carried their home states and two others, but the moral and religious revulsion against Kennedy was becoming exhausted, even in the heart of the South.
Aiken, one of the last five Republicans in the Senate, accepted the Republican nomination only because there was no one else of any stature to take up the doomed cause. The nomination of Mormon Ezra Benson for VP was a desperation move; it did win Utah, but the real hope was that it would appeal to voters disgusted by the open immorality of Kennedy's regime, while at the same clearly repudiating the Christian fundamentalist fanaticism of the American Party. It didn't really matter.
The Machine rolled up majorities of 70% or more throughout the Northeast and Midwest. Kennedy's new ally Johnson accomplished similar results in much of the South, and even carried Alabama and Florida. The Machine was in control throughout the West as well.
It was a sad coda to the history of American democracy.
Where's the map?
Thande
Donor
Here's an interesting if ASB one: the 1992 election if the states were determined by how those states' senators voted for NAFTA. Perot (green) wins the states where both senators voted no, Bush (blue) wins those where they both voted yes, and Clinton (red) wins those where they were split.
Hmm...
Herbert Hoover (Conservative): 254 EV
Irvine Lenroot (Labor): 249 EV
Thomas Marshall (Liberal): 28 EV
No electoral majority. pro-Labor Liberals switch to Lenroot.
Herbert Hoover (Conservative): 254 EV
Irvine Lenroot (Labor): 249 EV
Thomas Marshall (Liberal): 28 EV
No electoral majority. pro-Labor Liberals switch to Lenroot.
The Anderson Candidate, 1980
John B. Anderson/Howard Baker - 356
Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale - 182
John B. Anderson/Howard Baker - 356
Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale - 182
I'm doing electoral maps for this...
A Step to the Left.
1896
William McKinley (Republican) 326 EV, 43.8% PV
William E. Russell (Democratic) 77 EV, 29.7% PV
William J. Bryan (Populist) 44 EV, 21.2% PV
A Step to the Left.
1896
William McKinley (Republican) 326 EV, 43.8% PV
William E. Russell (Democratic) 77 EV, 29.7% PV
William J. Bryan (Populist) 44 EV, 21.2% PV
A Step to the Left.
1900
William McKinley (Republican) 310 EV, 40.4% PV
William E. Russell (Democratic) 100 EV, 37.7% PV
James H. Kyle (Populist) 37 EV, 16.7% PV
1900
William McKinley (Republican) 310 EV, 40.4% PV
William E. Russell (Democratic) 100 EV, 37.7% PV
James H. Kyle (Populist) 37 EV, 16.7% PV
- Status