Challenge: elect POTUS Nancy Pelosi

POD 1990, make it happen. The winner of this thread will be the poster who arranges a Hillary-Pelosi fight for the Democratic nomination. Rule: she must become a Senator from California by 1994 latest. In lesser order, bonus if before 2004, double bonus if she beats Dubya or McCain in 2000.
 
POD 1990, make it happen. The winner of this thread will be the poster who arranges a Hillary-Pelosi fight for the Democratic nomination. Rule: she must become a Senator from California by 1994 latest. In lesser order, bonus if before 2004, double bonus if she beats Dubya or McCain in 2000.

Hmm, I am not a big fan of electing senators since they don't have a great track record of making it to the white house

If I could go around that rule, I would have her run for governor of California in the recall election of 2003. She is a well known person throughout the state, and lets say Arnold makes some gaffs or really pisses off the unions or environmentalists

W continues as OTL

Pelosi runs in 2008 following a successful term as governor and gets into a cat fight with hillary and obama... house majority leader is charlie rangel (shudders)
 
I don't think Pelosi was that big a name before she was elected Minority Whip in 2002. Nonetheless, Senate would have to be in 1992 for either seat. Could she beat Gray Davis for the '98 gubernatorial nomination? I doubt it. Let's say she's elected to one of the CA Senate seats in 1992: Boxer's instead of Feinstein's. By 2008 she's too old IMO, so 2000 or 2004 somehow.
 
I didn't realize she's 70 until you mentioned too old!

California governor would be pretty tough to come out of looking well for a national election. Maybe after a '92 senate win she is chosen in 2000 as Al Gore's 'Sara Palin' (a really terrible analogy). He looses but she remains a popular Democratic figure, and in '04 defeats Bush, although by a slim margin (assuming she has more charisma than Kerry :rolleyes:).
 
I didn't realize she's 70 until you mentioned too old!

California governor would be pretty tough to come out of looking well for a national election. Maybe after a '92 senate win she is chosen in 2000 as Al Gore's 'Sara Palin' (a really terrible analogy). He looses but she remains a popular Democratic figure, and in '04 defeats Bush, although by a slim margin (assuming she has more charisma than Kerry :rolleyes:).

These days it is something of a poisoned chalice, but 10, 20 years ago I would think that governor of california is something of a plus for a prospective presidential candidate. Assuming that the candidate doesn't muck things up too much, you just proved that you can manage the largest state in the union. Plus there's the memory of Reagan's (successful) and Brown's (viable) presidential bids. Wilson had an abortive run in '96 (failed due to terrible campaigning), and i think davis' name was floated as a possible veep in 2000 (does anyone know for sure). In short, with the exception of a fairly narrow span of years (start of the 2000s to present), ascending from governor of california to president is doable.
 
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