Bush-Laxalt 1984

Ronald Reagan was quite old when he was elected and was particularly old when reelected at the age of 73. Issues of stamina came up in his second term.

What if Reagan opted not to run for reelection due to concerns about his health and HW Bush got the nod to run in 1984?

I imagine Reagan would push for a fairly conservative running mate. I think Paul Laxalt, due to his closeness with Reagan, would make the most sense as a running mate.

Bush beat Dukakis by 7.8 points in 1988 and Reagan beat Mondale by 18.2 points in 1984. I think HW Bush probably performs somewhere in between those two figures - probably closer to the 18.2 figure as much of Mondale's poor performance was his own lack of charisma. Reagan meanwhile likely campaigns for HW Bush.

How would Bush and Laxalt handle the period from 1984 to 1992? I think it's much more likely than not that HW Bush gets re-elected.
 
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