alternatehistory.com

The Iranians don't take over the US Embassy until November 11, 1979. That means that day 365 of the hostage crisis happens a week after election day 1980. Reagan popular vote margin is reduced to 46,2 % to Carter's 44.5 % and Anderson's 7,6 %. Carter carries Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, West Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Hawaii, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The Electoral College total is Reagan 293 to Carter 245. More importantly Reagan is not declared the winner at 8 pm Eastern Time. The networks declare him the winner closer to midnight. Illinois and Michigan are very close. The 1980 election is remembered as a nail biter rather than a landslide. Reagan does not have his OTL credibility when he talks about a mandate. He also has a Democratic Senate. If you switch 3 % Democrats win in 9 Senate races that OTL went Republican. While I think he can get his tax and budget proposals passed, he has to make more compromises. Liz Hotlzman wins the New York Senate seat. She becomes the leading Democratic female politico. She is Walter Mondale's running mate in 1984. She is single so there is not the controversy over Geraldine Ferraro's husband, Holtzman does not talk about Italian men. Mondale wins an extra percentage point.
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