What if, former United States Senator from California and later, former Governor of California Pete Wilson ran for President of the United States in the Republican Party Presidential Primaries of 2000? I remember reading an article in 1998 that speculated he would announce his candidacy after leaving office in January 1999, and that with his experience as Senator and Governor, he was an ideal candidate. If he were to win the nomination, who do you think he would select as his vice presidential nominee? How do you think he would do against Vice President Al Gore? By the time he would take office in 2001, he would be 68 years old, two years younger than Ronald Reagan when he first took office. Do you think he could win re-election in the United States Presidential Election of 2004?
 
Wilson tried to run in 1996 as a fiscal conservative, pro choice, anti immigrant candidate, and he crashed and burned quickly.
He was very unpopular in California after leaving office and one of the rationale for him being the nominee is that he could deliver California to the GOP.
His re-election in 1994 was notable for running a viscous anti Mexican immigrant campaign while it worked, it was a Pyrrhic victory that turned the Hispanic vote in California into a solid Democratic constituency.
 
Well if he ran, I would assume that despite being a relative centrist on many issues, he got most of his attention and profile by as governor taking a pretty hard (and popular) line against illegal immigration. So the Buchananite wing of the party might coalesce behind him if Pat gives his endorsement, which he might have.

However, the economy of 1999-2000 was not exactly one where immigration was a hot button issue, as wages and savings were high. So he probably would flame out early.

If by some miracle he gets the nomination, I'd assume the Democrats would smear him with the usual stuff they smear restrictionists with and I think it would probably pay off, leading to a victory in Florida and possibly Colorado, which should be enough to win. That isn't even getting to what happened to Clinton's southern support, which Bush, with his Born Again message, was able to cleave off massively. I think Wilson, who wasn't as good with that kind of politics, would end up losing Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas, and might just sqeak by in Louisiana and West Virginia.
 
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