WI Romney beat Ted Kennedy in 1994?

In 1994 Mitt Romney gave EMK the closest fight of his career, and led him in the polls at one point. Romney even outflanked Kennedy to the left on LGBT issues. A deluge of negative ads about Romney's factory closures gave Ted a 58-41 victory in November. WI Ted had lost and Romney became the junior senator from MA?
 
In 1994 Mitt Romney gave EMK the closest fight of his career, and led him in the polls at one point. Romney even outflanked Kennedy to the left on LGBT issues. A deluge of negative ads about Romney's factory closures gave Ted a 58-41 victory in November. WI Ted had lost and Romney became the junior senator from MA?

Romney at that point had proven himself successfully as a businessman and gifted speaker on economic issues. If he pulled that off its likely he would get on the Senate finance committee and a host of others.

For him to win would involve him figuring out his stance on abortion. He is a mormon its ok for him to be against it given MA's huge catholic population... he could say he was morally opposed but didn't intend to propose any legislation about it

He also needed to speak more elequently about his time at Bain capital and direct the dialouge away from the closures (which in an investment firm happen) and more about how profitable the company was, and how many jobs he created.

As a senator he would not be in the uber conservative lott crowd but would carve his own nitch (probably with McCain) of diet conservatism. He would vote for the Newt contract with America and be an intrigal part of the budget balancing.

In 2000 he would be a very very viable candidate for the presidency having served a full term in the senate and having real world business experience... with his strong personal finances he could beat bush and mccain and pull out the nomination if he was careful. usuing his "looks" he would give gore a run for his money... carefully pointing out his legislative accomplishments in voting for balanced budgets and ending welfare as we knew it and his business accomplishments... like otl it would come down to tax cut and personality... Gore would still be an automaton and you end up with President Romney Jan 20th 2001
 
I think Romney would have squeaked out a win against Kerry if the junior senator had been up for reelection that year--likewise Bill Weld would have beat Kerry if they'd fought each other in '94 (and probably by a bigger margin than the Morman could have achieved).

Anyway, let's say EMK is obviously very ill in '94, and this contributes to a narrow loss against Romney. In the long run Mitt just can't easily win reelection and move to the Right sufficiently to make himself a contender for the presidency: "I'm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush!" is what he was elected on in the first case.

It's one or the other for Mitt, I think. I don't see him trying to fight for a second term in 2000 (a pretty good year for the Democrats in senate elections) as a Dubya clone.

And doing a backflip on abortion etc as part of a run for the White House in 2000 is a fool's errand, Bush and Rove had just too much support from the GOP establishment and the Religious Right. Though I'm not saying Romney isn't crazy enough to try.

Mitt as a 'Maine Twin' style New England moderate is the only possible way for him to survive in that seat. And he's probably gone in 2006, one of the worst years ever for the GOP.
 
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A deluge of negative ads about Romney's factory closures gave Ted a 58-41 victory in November.

I seriously doubt that those negative ads account for all of that seventeen point margin in the worst ever election cycle for the modern Democratic Party.

Kennedy turning his personal life around during the years of his new marriage was a major contributing factor--I remember reading at the time that 'Ted is off the booze and has a reason to live in his kids' was a major campaign narrative being fed to the press.
 
Romney might be able to hold the seat if he plays his cards right, but he'll never be POTUS. Also keep in mind that this was soon after the William Kennedy Smith mess, which was one of the lowest points in third-gen Kennedy family history IMO. Martha Moxley wasn't exactly peaches and roses either. I agree that marrying Vicki helped resurrect Ted just in time- or at least diverting attention from the proclivity of the younger generation to push the self-destruct button on repeated occasions until 1994 (or in Patrick's case until 2006), when the political, personal, etc. damage had been already proved fatal. None of this occurred in a vacuum. Of course, I'm not talking about John and Caroline, but everybody else seems to have said "Screw the Rules". Some more literally than others.
 
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I can imagine a scenario where, after defeating Ted Kennedy in 94, Romney is chosen as Dole's running mate in 96. That could have set him up for a run for the Presidential nomination in 2000 (and not having to defend the Senate seat that year).
 
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