President Hillary Clinton's 2012 opponent?

If Hillary Clinton managed to beat Obama in the 2008 primaries and presumably won against McCain who would the republicans run in 2012 against her it might still be Romney and perhaps someone like Sanatorium or Perry could have a chance or maybe even Herman Cain?
 
If Hillary Clinton managed to beat Obama in the 2008 primaries and presumably won against McCain, who would the Republicans run in 2012 against her? It might still be Romney, and perhaps someone like Santorum or Perry could have a chance or maybe even Herman Cain?
Mitt Romney probably still wins the nomination as OTL, because he won second place in the Republican Party Presidential Primaries of 2008. Rick Santorum and Rick Perry only did so well because they were to the right of Romney and were anti-establishment, anti-Romney candidates. If John McCain would have selected Tim Pawlenty as his vice presidential nominee instead of Sarah Palin, Pawlenty would receive a slight boost from the national attention he received four years earlier, but it still wouldn't be enough for him to win in Iowa. The conservative base would also still dislike him for be being moderate and he'd have the stink of McCain on him.

My favorite scenario is Hillary Clinton defeating Mitt Romney in the United States Presidential Election of 2008. Romney's defeat clears the field in 2012, and either Newt Gingrich or Mike Huckabee win the Republican nomination. In the general election, President Clinton faces either her nemesis from the 1990s (Newt Gingrich) or someone who tried to undo her husband's legacy (Mike Huckabee). I wonder who the 2016 Republican nominee would be in this scenario.
 
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The Avenger

Banned
If Hillary Clinton managed to beat Obama in the 2008 primaries and presumably won against McCain who would the republicans run in 2012 against her it might still be Romney and perhaps someone like Sanatorium or Perry could have a chance or maybe even Herman Cain?
Probably Romney. He's bland and conventional enough to appeal to mainstream GOPers regardless if Hillary or Obama was Prez.
 
It could still be Romney, but not necessarily. Other angles to consider:
1) Gingrich could gain more traction by claiming he has experience standing up to the Clintons before
2) Someone who stayed out of the race in our timeline (like Christie, Huckabee, Trump or Palin) might actually make a go for the nomination and win it (Palin vs. Clinton would be historic but unlikely)
3) Clinton's hawkishness makes Republican voters react by being more open to isolationism and they nominate Ron Paul or Gary Johnson (again: unlikely but not impossible)
4) Some other establishment Republican (Jeb Bush, Tim Pawlenty, Jon Huntsman or somebody else) manages to seize the mantle of establishment candidate and gets the nomination.
 
Probably Romney, although a Romney vs. Clinton race would be even more boring than OTL. Obama at least had a certain amount of charisma that kept his campaign energized even while his poll numbers weren't very favorable. For all her qualifications, Clinton is a poor campaigner who has a difficulty connecting with voters. Presuming that HRC governs similarly to Obama, Romney might actually win if the Democrats don't have the edge provided by Obama. He easily beat Romney when it came to likability and personality, Clinton wouldn't and she might end up a one term President given just how close 2012 was.
 

The Avenger

Banned
Probably Romney, although a Romney vs. Clinton race would be even more boring than OTL. Obama at least had a certain amount of charisma that kept his campaign energized even while his poll numbers weren't very favorable. For all her qualifications, Clinton is a poor campaigner who has a difficulty connecting with voters. Presuming that HRC governs similarly to Obama, Romney might actually win if the Democrats don't have the edge provided by Obama. He easily beat Romney when it came to likability and personality, Clinton wouldn't and she might end up a one term President given just how close 2012 was.
2012 wasn't too close. Obama won the PV by 4%.
 
If Huntsman doesn't get the job as Ambassador to China in a Clinton administration, he'd have a good chance at getting nominated IMHO. His record in Utah was to the right of Romney's in Massachusetts and he's more likable and isn't a flip floper like Romney.
 
If Huntsman doesn't get the job as Ambassador to China in a Clinton administration, he'd have a good chance at getting nominated IMHO. His record in Utah was to the right of Romney's in Massachusetts and he's more likable and isn't a flip floper like Romney.

Gotta agree with this one. Romney was able to successfully paint Huntsman as a traitor to the Republican Party for accepting a position in the Obama administration. If Huntsman is able to finish out his second term with approval ratings anywhere near where it was OTL (over 80%), I could see him giving Clinton a run for her money. He could also run on his record at the Huntsman Corporation.
 
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