OTL Mike Gravel, the quirky 2008 Democratic Primary Candidate turned failed-Libertarian-candidate, floated the idea in 2010 of primarying Obama in 2012. What if he'd done so?
Obama, meanwhile, actually won the 2012 Democratic Primary with about 88.9% of the vote.
Obama had an odd situation. 35% of Democrats beforehand said they wanted to see a primary challenge to Obama. Looking at various primaries, he only took 81% in New Hampshire, 57% in Oklahoma, 76% in Louisiana, 79% in North Carolina, 59% in West Virginia (versus a convict no less), 58% in Arkansas, and 58% in Kentucky.
And, of course, you had things like Bernie Sanders saying that a primary challenge to Obama would be a good idea (fortunately for Obama, Bernie had reelection that year).
Plus there was a whole issue where Obama came close-ish to not being on the primary ballot in Georgia. In the current Georgia gubernatorial race, Secretary of State Brian Kemp (who assumed the office in 2010) has been accused of suppressing the vote so I could see him trying to make Obama's life more annoying by handing the state to Gravel.
So what if Mike Gravel had primaried Obama in 2012 as the more progressive/civil-libertarian candidate? His big thing was being anti-war and for civil liberties, so the issues of Obama's Foreign Policy and National Security Policies likely would be front and center. Likewise, Gravel will probably just benefit as a placeholder for "Not Obama". Obama will win by a wide margin, but it'd be a Buchananesque annoyance that changes the conversation and general election I think.
Obama, meanwhile, actually won the 2012 Democratic Primary with about 88.9% of the vote.
Obama had an odd situation. 35% of Democrats beforehand said they wanted to see a primary challenge to Obama. Looking at various primaries, he only took 81% in New Hampshire, 57% in Oklahoma, 76% in Louisiana, 79% in North Carolina, 59% in West Virginia (versus a convict no less), 58% in Arkansas, and 58% in Kentucky.
And, of course, you had things like Bernie Sanders saying that a primary challenge to Obama would be a good idea (fortunately for Obama, Bernie had reelection that year).
Plus there was a whole issue where Obama came close-ish to not being on the primary ballot in Georgia. In the current Georgia gubernatorial race, Secretary of State Brian Kemp (who assumed the office in 2010) has been accused of suppressing the vote so I could see him trying to make Obama's life more annoying by handing the state to Gravel.
So what if Mike Gravel had primaried Obama in 2012 as the more progressive/civil-libertarian candidate? His big thing was being anti-war and for civil liberties, so the issues of Obama's Foreign Policy and National Security Policies likely would be front and center. Likewise, Gravel will probably just benefit as a placeholder for "Not Obama". Obama will win by a wide margin, but it'd be a Buchananesque annoyance that changes the conversation and general election I think.