President George HW Bush 1985-1993

What if President Reagan had opted not to run for reelection out of age concerns and George HW Bush succeeded him in 1985?

Who is HW's running mate? What might he do differently from Reagan in the period from 1985-1989?

Without a sitting president, would the Democrats have a better 1984 field?
 
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nbcman

Donor
Maybe Jack Kemp or Trent Lott if GHW Bush wants a conservative or Howard Baker for a more moderate choice.
 
Bush may end up taking the fall for Iran-Contra. That doesn't necessarily mean he's impeached, but Bush would be politically tainted by the scandal in a way that "Teflon Reagan" wasn't. If Bush wins in 1988, it will be in an upset.

As for 1992, I don't think Clinton wins that year if leading Democrats are more willing to jump into the race to succeed Bush as opposed to OTL when Gore, Cuomo, and Bradley took themselves out of contention when it looked like the popular Bush would get re-elected. Cuomo/Gore is the most likely Democratic ticket in this scenario, but again I think Dukakis - or perhaps someone else entirely - is more likely to defeat Bush in 1988.
 
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