Challenge: Louisiana a swing state

Austin's ascent to tech hub was kickstarted by someone who dropped out of UT, which is a public university, which is the scenario I was directly analogizing in my post above. Austin being in Texas is basically a fart in a hurricane, but Baton Rouge being an Austin analogue with significant knock on effects in NOLA similar to that which Austin has had on San Antonio, would make a much larger impact on LA.

UT is fucking huge as far as public universities go. Everything’s bigger in Texas, and that includes state fairs and the largest public university. Its closest equivalent is Ohio State in terms of size; really, its only equivalent is Ohio State.

It’s also considered a Public Ivy so it’s a hell of a school. LSU is not, and its enrollment is a little over half that of UT. Furthermore, it feeds into New Orleans and that’s it - it’s a four-hour drive from Baton Rouge to Houston (Austin, by comparison, is two and a half.) Austin feeds into three major Texas cities that Baton Rouge can barely touch.

So a “Research Triangle” is possible in Texas if UT, TCU and, I don’t know, UH or Baylor get in on it (Baylor’s a reach distance-wise but solid academically.) Baton Rouge is in a tougher spot. Not saying it’s impossible or ASB but it’s far more likely in Texas than Louisiana. You would need someone who is both a genius and a diehard Louisianan, kind of a nerd equivalent of LeBron James.
 

Infinity

Banned
Some particulars: the course of US and world history is roughly the same, no additional states or new global orders or anything like that. Likewise the US is split by the Democrats and the Republicans who represent the same things they do in OTL.
Other then that world's your oyster! Maybe New Orleans became a boom city like Miami in the 20s? Maybe there was a large migration of African Americans there after the civil war? Or during the 60s as a kind of experiment in the civil rights era?
Huey Long is never assassinated.
 

BigBlueBox

Banned
Huey Long is never assassinated.
When I saw the title of this thread, I knew somebody would post this. But if Huey Long was not assassinated and went on to become a major figure in the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party probably wouldn't represent the same things it did OTL. It would be a lot closer to the white working class, much less positive towards illegal immigration and immigration in general, and would be more socially conservative. At the same time, the center of the party would probably be further left than Bernie Sanders of OTL.
 

Infinity

Banned
When I saw the title of this thread, I knew somebody would post this. But if Huey Long was not assassinated and went on to become a major figure in the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party probably wouldn't represent the same things it did OTL. It would be a lot closer to the white working class, much less positive towards illegal immigration and immigration in general, and would be more socially conservative. At the same time, the center of the party would probably be further left than Bernie Sanders of OTL.
Louisiana would be a more important part of a progressive legacy. There would be more Democratic conventions held there. Huey Long would be a hero that galvanizes support for Democrats in Louisiana. Many politicians would use his name to garner votes.
 
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