What Happens to the Bush Dynasty if 41 Loses in 1988?
- Thread starter Amadeus
- Start date
The problem is that the Bush brothers had backgrounds in business, not law, so running for Attorney General wouldn't be the best idea. I think George W runs for Governor of Texas in 1990 instead of 1994. As for Jeb!, he could run for the Florida Senate seat in 1992 - but he would almost certainly be crushed by Bob Graham. It would be smarter to wait until 1994 to run against Lawton Chiles. Given how close that race was, having his popular older brother - who is already Governor of a large Southern state - to campaign for him in Florida would definitely help Jeb! against Chiles.
Dubya sort of had one eye on the governorship for a while, so it's likely he runs in 1990. As just the son of a VP who lost a very winnable election he wouldn't be gifted the nomination though. The Bushes are not going to be establishment superstars in this TL.
I doubt Jeb would wait the better part of a decade before the governorship opens up, and the same applies to him in respect of primary politics as it does with Dubya. The Bushes are at a discount ITTL. Most likely he either goes straight in as a Congressman if he's serious about politics, or just drifts back into business.
In both cases, given how likely 1992 is to be a Republican year if Dukakis wins, and without a presidential name, I doubt either become president or even nominees.
I doubt Jeb would wait the better part of a decade before the governorship opens up, and the same applies to him in respect of primary politics as it does with Dubya. The Bushes are at a discount ITTL. Most likely he either goes straight in as a Congressman if he's serious about politics, or just drifts back into business.
In both cases, given how likely 1992 is to be a Republican year if Dukakis wins, and without a presidential name, I doubt either become president or even nominees.
If the Democrats win again in 1992, then George W. Bush could run in 1996. He'd be the popular Governor of Texas and son of a former Vice-President, although this obviously lacks the same pedigree as the son of a former President. The result of the 1996 Republican primaries in this scenario are hard to determine. McCain wouldn't have the same status he had in 2000, so he'd be less of a threat to Dubya if he runs. At the same time, Bush would have less establishment support heading into the Iowa caucus. I think he could win the nomination, but the general election is less clear.