alternatehistory.com

What if Hillary Clinton had successfully won the nomination against Barack Obama in 2008, and had gone on to run against John McCain? Surely, she would have won 2008. Arguably, her establishment status and lack of personal appeal compared to Obama may have hindered her, while at the same time, her being stronger with voters that may have considered Obama controversial or unappealing could win voters Obama did not. Overall, regardless of whether the electoral showing is stronger or weaker compared to Obama, she will surely win. McCain was running in the aftermath of the Bush administration, and he could not break from it as he needed to appeal to the Republican base and establishment to succeed. Many people in the Middle, Independents, and perhaps even people on the Left were alienated when he had been a Moderate pragmatist, and was running for the presidency as a hardline Conservative. Clinton will also likely have Democratic majorities in Congress to work with, and an initial honeymoon period. If her electoral showing is stronger, that could mean a larger coattail effect, meaning even larger majorities.
Top