Nixon ignores Bush after 1970 Senate loss

What if after his Senate loss to Lloyd Bensten George HW Bush wasn't offered anything from President Nixon in 1970?

He would be forced to go back into the oil business and his path to the presidency would be almost impossible.

Then again he could try another shot for the Senate in '72 or '74....
 
Actually Bush Sr. never really had a solid chance of winning a Senate seat since Texas was so heavily Democrat back in the 60s and 70s so it is very likely he would never have been elected president or even Reagan's VP for that matter.

I see Dole winning the presidency in 1988....not sure about Reagan's VP.

As for the current prez...that's another story!!!
 
Last edited:
Why this assumption that that's the end of Bush?

He goes back into business, makes a squillion as an oil tycoon, strengthens his base in the Texas Republican Party, and takes advantage of the reddening of Texas. He becomes the GOP nominee for governor in 1974; uses his wealth to win the close election of that year; and becomes known as one of the party's rising stars. He may even win the nomination in 1980, taking advantage of Reagan's age and the remaining moderate wing of the party. If not, then he runs for senator in 1984 (where Phil Gramm was in OTL), and wins the nomination easily in 1988.

From there, his presidency is much more focused on domestic concerns, given that TTL Bush has barely even focused on international diplomacy. (OTL Bush was arguably more a diplomat than a politician once he was given the veep nod.) He probably still loses (the It's Time effect), but implements much more substantial reform on the home front, and is remembered more fondly.
 
Living in Texas, IMHO it woulda taken the Bats

Bush had a couple of other, worse, problems in that run.
1) He was an Eisenhower moderate, and Texas, as you might've noticed, is a pretty conservative state, no matter what its majority party.
2) Worse, he was a carpetbagging Yankee trying to run in a state that likes to elect people who seem like they're from around here. That even nailed future-Bush II in his first run for this, even though he'd lived in TX much more.

Lessee... the Bats see him as being able to win the Presidency, so they take control of him in '68, make him win in the Senate. In '80, the Bat Mass Mind Control Ray wins first the Primary, and then the election for Georgie I. Now he runs the US. He's taken quasi-dictatorial control, using the same talents his son showed later, and now finding casus belli to conquer the non-nuclear earth, as BushII said, one thing at a time. BWAHAHA!!!
 
I think Bush had a great chance of winning in 1970 if liberal Senator Ralph Yarborough was renominated over ... Lloyd Bentsen. By 1970, it was not totally unknown for Republicans to win elections in Texas. John Tower held the other Senate seat since 1961.
 
Top