Men of Steele
Based on the list I posted to the Lists of Alternate Presidents thread (Steele timeline; c. page 30), this game takes place in 1960. With the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower coming to its close, the battle to succeed him has begun in earnest. As Steele maintained some veneer of democracy during his time in office, it was easier to transition back to a full-fledged two-party system following his retirement. And so the American people are faced with a competitive race for the first time in thirty years.
Notable Democratic candidates include Senator Lyndon B. Johnson from Texas, Senator George Smathers from Florida, Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York, Senator Strom Thurmond from South Carolina, and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., from Massachusetts
Notable Farmer-Labor candidates include Vice President Richard Nixon, Senator John F. Kennedy from Massachusetts, Senator Hubert H. Humphrey from Minnesota, Senator Henry Wallace from Iowa, Governor Pat Brown of California, and Representative George McGovern from SD-01
I have decided that O Say Can You Sieg is probably not going to interest many people on this board.
And Then There Were Five
This would be another 2020 game, set in a nation where the two big parties have split into five smaller ones, ranging from the far-right Freedom Party to the far-left Socialists.
Pertinent Legislation:
To prevent chaos, the electoral college was abolished by constitutional amendment as the new parties took shape. A new popular vote + runoff system was introduced to take its place, and was implemented in 2016. It will be used again in this game.
Five Parties (from right to left):
Freedom Party
Founded by Ted Cruz in 2015, this was meant to be the culmination of the TEA Party movement within the Republicans, a "true conservative" movement that would claim its rightful mantle as the head of a new, more right-wing America. Cruz, naturally, was the favorite to win the presidential nomination in 2016...until Donald Trump announced he, too, would be contesting the fledgling party's primaries. To the shock of many, Trump won the contest easily. He would later go on to win the presidency in a hard fought race.
Notable candidates:
Donald Trump, incumbent POTUS
Republican Party
Left fractured by the departure of the Freedom Party, the Republicans nominated Governor John Kasich of Ohio, who appealed to enough Moderates that the GOP believed he might be able to win outright. Unfortunately, they were overconfident in his abilities, and he failed to even make the runoff. Now left questioning whether they remain viable, the Republicans have vowed to continue into 2020, and decide their fate based on what happens then.
Notable candidates:
Marco Rubio, US Senator from Florida
Tim Scott, US Senator from South Carolina
Rob Portman, US Senator from Ohio
Cory Gardner, US Senator from Colorado
Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas
Rodney Davis, US Rep. from IL-13
Will Hurd, US Rep. from TX-23
Elise Stefanik, US Rep. from NY-21
Moderate Party
Senator McConnell, in an attempt to bring the Freedom Party back into the fold, agreed to move the GOP farther to the right. However, this had the opposite effect of what was desired: the Freedom Party refused to rejoin the Republicans, and a number of centrists, led by Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, abandoned the party, as well. The Democrats cheered to see the disarray...until some of their members began joining the new party. Senator Collins was nominated for the presidency in 2016, but Governor Kasich's moderate credentials split the centrist vote to the point that neither candidate would survive to the runoff.
Notable candidates:
Charlie Baker, Governor of Massachusetts
Larry Hogan, Governor of Maryland
Steve Bullock, Governor of Montana
Michael Bennet, US Senator from Colorado
Doug Jones, US Senator from Alabama
Tim Ryan, US Rep. from OH-13
Bruce Rauner, former Governor of Illinois
Lisa Murkowski, US Senator from Alaska
Josh Gottheimer, US Rep. from NJ-05
Mia Love, US Rep. from UT-04
Democratic Party
Weakened by the Moderate Party but still stronger than any of its three opponents, the Democrats felt confident that, regardless of the new system, they would win easily in the upcoming elections. However, Senator Cruz's idea had struck a chord in the progressive wing, and Senator Bernie Sanders, while technically not a party member, found he could hold his silence no longer. In August of 2015, he announced that he would be running for President as a member of the Socialist Party. Hillary Clinton, now free to coast to the Democratic nomination, did so, and even made the runoff, but, in a major upset, lost to Donald Trump when the fateful day came.
Notable candidates:
Amy Klobuchar, US Senator from Minnesota
Cory Booker, US Senator from New Jersey
Elizabeth Warren, US Senator from Massachusetts
Jay Inslee, Governor of Washington
Roy Cooper, Governor of North Carolina
Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York
J. B. Pritzker, Governor of Illinois
Gavin Newsom, Governor of California
Kate Brown, Governor of Oregon
Ben Ray Lujan, US Rep. from NM-03
Eric Swalwell, US Rep. from CA-15
Socialist Party
The Socialists existed long before this massive schism, but had not seen success in nationwide races for most of a century. That changed when Bernie Sanders announced he would be running for the Party's nomination in 2016. The Socialists would not make the runoff, but Sanders's performance would assuredly make them viable in 2020, as they had hoped. And they've gained a number of prominent new members since then...
Notable candidates:
Bernie Sanders, US Senator from Vermont
Kirsten Gillibrand, US Senator from New York
Kamala Harris, US Senator from California
Jeff Merkley, US Senator from Oregon
Gina Raimondo, Governor of Rhode Island
Rashida Tlaib, US Rep. from MI-13
Mark Pocan, US Rep. from WI-02
2016 Results:
First Round:
Donald Trump/Pat McCrory - 29.25%
Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine - 22.61%
John Kasich/Doug Ducey - 19.45%
Susan Collins/Dan Lipinski - 15.02%
Bernie Sanders/Pramila Jayapal - 13.67%
Second Round:
Donald Trump/Pat McCrory - 50.45%
Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine - 49.55%
Poll
