CTHuskyMan
Banned
Taking another shot at an alternate timeline.
This timeline begins with an 1876 POD.
History tells us that Rutherford Hayes defeated Samuel Tilden in a disputed presidential election (in return for an end to Reconstruction, Democrats agreed to declare Hayes, a Republican, the victor). If the procedure outlined in the US Constitution had actually been followed (in the case that nobody gets a majority, the House elects the President, and the Senate the VP), it is probable that Tilden would've been elected, along with Hayes' running mate as Vice President. This timeline assumes that actually took place, and that Mr. Tilden is the incumbent president going into 1880.
1880 Presidential Election
Having been narrowly defeated in 1876, Republicans feel that a change in direction is needed. Meeting in Chicago, the assembled delegates choose Senator James G. Blaine of Maine to carry their party banner. Another senator, John Sherman of Ohio, is selected to be Blaine's running mate.
Just before the Democratic Convention, William Wheeler resigns as vice president. This leaves the Democrats, who meet in Cincinnati, with a tough choice as to who will join President Samuel Tilden on the party's 1880 ticket. After a short period of debate, the convention picks Governor Thomas Hendricks of Indiana to fill this role.
General Election Results (185 EVs needed to win):
President Samuel Tilden (D-NY)/Governor Thomas Hendricks (D-IN): 209 EVs
Senator James G. Blaine (R-ME)/Senator John Sherman (R-OH): 160 EVs
Although the Republicans sweep the South, they lose the Far West. This, along with the Democrats' capturing of several key states in the Northeast and West, leads to a victory for the incumbent. As such, Samuel Tilden is elected to a second term as President of the United States.
Next up: 1884.
This timeline begins with an 1876 POD.
History tells us that Rutherford Hayes defeated Samuel Tilden in a disputed presidential election (in return for an end to Reconstruction, Democrats agreed to declare Hayes, a Republican, the victor). If the procedure outlined in the US Constitution had actually been followed (in the case that nobody gets a majority, the House elects the President, and the Senate the VP), it is probable that Tilden would've been elected, along with Hayes' running mate as Vice President. This timeline assumes that actually took place, and that Mr. Tilden is the incumbent president going into 1880.
1880 Presidential Election
Having been narrowly defeated in 1876, Republicans feel that a change in direction is needed. Meeting in Chicago, the assembled delegates choose Senator James G. Blaine of Maine to carry their party banner. Another senator, John Sherman of Ohio, is selected to be Blaine's running mate.
Just before the Democratic Convention, William Wheeler resigns as vice president. This leaves the Democrats, who meet in Cincinnati, with a tough choice as to who will join President Samuel Tilden on the party's 1880 ticket. After a short period of debate, the convention picks Governor Thomas Hendricks of Indiana to fill this role.
General Election Results (185 EVs needed to win):
President Samuel Tilden (D-NY)/Governor Thomas Hendricks (D-IN): 209 EVs
Senator James G. Blaine (R-ME)/Senator John Sherman (R-OH): 160 EVs
Although the Republicans sweep the South, they lose the Far West. This, along with the Democrats' capturing of several key states in the Northeast and West, leads to a victory for the incumbent. As such, Samuel Tilden is elected to a second term as President of the United States.
Next up: 1884.