WI: Dukakis didn't run in 1988

What if Dukakis didn't run in 1988? Who would get the nomination? What would the results of the general election be? What effects would Willie Horton not being an issue have on subsequent elections?
 
Biden if he properly cited the source of his stump speeches may have pulled it off. Gary Hart if he hadn't antagonized the press about potential infidelities. Maybe even Bill Clinton; he changed his mind the day before announcing a run. Cuomo was a shoe-in if they could only convince him to run.
 
Biden if he properly cited the source of his stump speeches may have pulled it off. Gary Hart if he hadn't antagonized the press about potential infidelities. Maybe even Bill Clinton; he changed his mind the day before announcing a run. Cuomo was a shoe-in if they could only convince him to run.

If Hart's infidelities still come out,then that could hurt Clinton though. Although I'm not sure how much of looking into those infidelities was Dukakis,as his campaign also blew Biden's forgotten citation out of proportion.
 
Gephardt was doing okay until Dukakis and Gore laid into him on labor issues. It wouldn't really be an inspiring candidacy, but I could see a situation like Kerry in 2004 where a competent candidate gets through the primaries without much drama after Super Tuesday, unless Gore could find a way to get more support outside of the south.

As for the second part of the question, while it wouldn't be the Willie Horton ad anymore, the resentments from a lot of voters and fear of increasing crime rates would have still allowed Atwater-ian politics to flourish that cycle.
 
As for the second part of the question, while it wouldn't be the Willie Horton ad anymore, the resentments from a lot of voters and fear of increasing crime rates would have still allowed Atwater-ian politics to flourish that cycle.
But you need an opponent with a record of saying that they wanted to be soft on crime, who has a record of doing things that are soft on crime, or a record of high crime rates for a "my opponent is soft on crime" campaign to work. For example, Bentsen or Gore definitely weren't soft on crime.
 
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If someone competent and inspiring gets the nomination instead of Dukakis, Bush will have a tough time winning. I can see it being a close race that goes either way.
 
But this then also changes Bush's vice presidential nominee. If Bush didn't think he had it in the bag I don't think he'd have picked Quayle. I think I recall Bob Dole was second on the list but maybe he just told him that. Not sure if having Dole instead helps a lot, maybe Elizabeth Dole would.
 
But this then also changes Bush's vice presidential nominee. If Bush didn't think he had it in the bag I don't think he'd have picked Quayle. I think I recall Bob Dole was second on the list but maybe he just told him that. Not sure if having Dole instead helps a lot, maybe Elizabeth Dole would.

Wasn't Bush down at the time of the convention, when he picked Quayle?
 
Gore possibly. Maybe Biden or Cuomo.
The nomination was Cuomo's if he wanted it and chose not to run for it. That was also the case in '92 and again he chose not to run for it. Biden also had two brain aneurysms in 1988, so if those still happen, he's out. Gore is a possibility and I would also throw in Gephardt as well. Gary Hart was also a major possibility, but couldn't keep his pants zipped.
 
The nomination was Cuomo's if he wanted it and chose not to run for it. That was also the case in '92 and again he chose not to run for it. Biden also had two brain aneurysms in 1988, so if those still happen, he's out. Gore is a possibility and I would also throw in Gephardt as well. Gary Hart was also a major possibility, but couldn't keep his pants zipped.
What about Jesse Jackson? Ya think he has a chance?
 
What about Jesse Jackson? Ya think he has a chance?

Jackson may be too radical for the time. Plus,I don't think many would vote for him due to his race though it would be interesting to see how well he does against Bush if the Democrats nominated him.

I think there was a timeline around here about Jackson getting the '88 nomination but it was never finished sadly.
 
Unless I'm mistaken, Jackson was running in 1988 to pick up delegates and influence the platform. Now, this could change if there's no clear frontrunner and it kind of ends up in a situation like Sanders OTL, where he picks up steam, but yeah, he would get blown out in the general.
 
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