Protect & Survive US question: 1984 Democratic Party presidential primaries

This is probably a periferal question, but considering that the Democratic primary campaign would have begun in earnest in late 1983 as in OTL (with Gary Hart already announcing his run in February 1983, before the POD), how would the escalating crisis affect the primaries?

How would the various candidates (Mondale, Hart, Jackson et al) react to the unfolding events?

Would they stand in solidarity behind Reagan in the name of national unity?

Would campaigning be more or less suspended until a resolution to the crisis?

As an aside, IOTL the Iowa Democratic Caucus was held on February 20th 1984. Somehow, I don't think there will be a caucus on that date during P&S.:eek: Though the image of a bunch of officials stubbornly counting the votes until the bombs hit is a morbidly humorous one:D

It goes without saying that the '84 elections are a moot point here. No Morning in America in TTL!
 
How would the various candidates (Mondale, Hart, Jackson et al) react to the unfolding events?

Well on one hand I imagine Mondale would be less Hawkish than Hart, though Mondale has more experience in high office and may be seen as more able to take over in the event of an imergency. I see those 2 points cancelling each other out. I wonder if there's time for either a "peace" or "Scoop Jackson" candidate to enter the primaries, as soon as it becomes apparent there could be a nuclear war?

Would they stand in solidarit behind Reagan in the name of national unity?

I guess it depends on how Reagan handles the esculating cryses and how much support his handling of it has amongst the general public. There's the economy to consider as well. I know it'll seem like a triviality after February 18th, but until then the war could yet be averted and I can't see the uncertainty about whether Nuclear war will be declared helping.
You'd have a dificult balancing act between national unity and maintaining normality, which I'll touch on in more depth.

Would campaigning be more or less suspended until a resolution to the crisis?

My instinct would be no, for 2 reasons. Firstly, both the government and the opposition would want to maintain "normalcy" for as long as they possibly can, to reduce panic amongst the general population. Whether it works or not is another thing altogether and the social affects of the building comflict could in itself affect the primaries.

Secondly, none of the 1984 democratic candidates will be dealing directly with the run-up to the war, so a suspencion of the primaries would be futile.

Taking a look at how the 1962 midterms were faught could provide you with some clearer answers, though clearly even that's not an exact parallel
 
I'm thinking John Glenn's candidacy gets a boost in the polls as tensions escalate. Not that it matters much.
 
In '83, Hart led a charge against the MX missile (sort of) from the right; he got guys like Republican John Tower to sign on to the idea that fixed, multiple-warhead super-ICBMs would make America more vulnerable to a first-strike rather than less.

As a result, I see Hart getting a major boost in the P&S timeline.

...lots of interest in Gary Hart here lately. I figure I'll pass on my favorite bit of Hart trivia, which is that he met Donna Rice at a New Year's Eve party in Aspen thrown by former Eagles frontman Don Henley.
 
In '83, Hart led a charge against the MX missile (sort of) from the right; he got guys like Republican John Tower to sign on to the idea that fixed, multiple-warhead super-ICBMs would make America more vulnerable to a first-strike rather than less.

As a result, I see Hart getting a major boost in the P&S timeline.

...lots of interest in Gary Hart here lately. I figure I'll pass on my favorite bit of Hart trivia, which is that he met Donna Rice at a New Year's Eve party in Aspen thrown by former Eagles frontman Don Henley.

...

Maybe in P&S Hart survives but tragically loses his wife in the war, only to meet Donna Rice later on?
 
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