Mayor Pete

[America Needs a 13-6 Progressive SCOTUS]

Do Democrats control a majority of a majority of the states Congressional House Delegations.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Do Democrats control a majority of a majority of the states Congressional House Delegations.

Can't say for sure, but I guess so. In any case, I can tell you it won't go to the House.

[libertpaulian]

Doug Jones never catches a break. 

[Jaguar4life]

Doug Jones never catches a break. 

Well this time he didn’t go against a man who is creepy around people half his age.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Mitch

Mitch McConnell was supposed to be having a good night. After all, his party was doing pretty well in the Presidential race- an unpopular incumbent who was considered very likely to lose in a landslide was now keeping it very close, and had a real chance to win. They also kept the Senate losses minimal compared to what they probably could've been. But these were still losses, and they were likely to lose a few House seats as well. And the future wasn't looking really good, either- if Trump won, not only would they still have an incompetent Republican tarnishing the party's brand in office, but the 2022 midterms were sure to be brutal for them, especially since the map was not as favourable as it was in 2018.

Oh well, this won't be Mitch's problem. He tried helping the party. He tried fighting for it. He blocked Garland and lead to Gorsuch's appointment, and yet no one gave him any credit. He fought Obama tooth and nail, but people praised idiots like Cruz and Paul. Now, he was retiring. Let them handle the mess created by the Trumpists and populists. They betrayed him, and they'll pay the price. And as if to add insult to injury, replacing him, of all people, was that a**hole Bevin.

"We have another projection, folks- a major one-" Chris Wallace said in the Fox News election night broadcast, and Mitch listened in mild interest. "President Donald Trump will win the state of Wisconsin! The Badger State will stay in the Republican column this time around, folks. Now, it all hinges on Pennsylvania."

United States 2020 Presidential Election Map

[America Needs R'hllor]

Hillary

As the Pennsylvania results slowly trickled in, Hillary was feeling anxious and dreadful. It was close, within a few thousand votes, but Kirsetn was still leading. If the former Secretary believed in God, she'd be praying right now.

Sure, the Democratic nominee betrayed them by going after Bill. But in all fairness, he did deserve it, and much more was in line right now- Hillary couldn't stand to see Trump gloating on TV screens for four more years, and she definitely didn't want the second-in-a-row female Democratic nominee to lose. She could already imagine those crazed people who seemed to be obsessed with her shouting in blogs, internet forums and TV shows- 'Gillibrand lost because she was too similar to Hillary'. Bullsh*t. Hillary didn't have much in common with Kirsten, she frankly never really liked her that much, but right now, she hoped with all her heart that her successor in the Senate will win the Presidency.

"This is looking tighter than ever," Anderson Cooper was saying in a serious tone. "We're now getting reports that President Trump has officially passed Senator Gillibrand in the Pennsylvania vote count. Right now by a few hundred votes, but will the gap widen...?"

God damn it. Hillary remembered the results in 2016- Trump gained on her in Pennsylvania after passing her. But this was when her loss was a sure thing, so it didn't really matter. Now, though... The fate of the country hinged on it.

About half a hour passed in tense silence. The returns from Pennsylvania trickled in, slow and frustrating. 98% in. 99% in. And then it came, and Hillary's heart sunk.

"We have a major projection, our biggest of the night- Donald Trump has won the state of Pennsylvania! I repeat, the Republican nominee, President Donald J. Trump,  has won the key state of Pennsylvania. And thus, we can finally project the race for the Presidency- President Trump will be re-elected!"

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

 блять

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

I don't know what I expected.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Govanah Pete 2024!

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Govanah Pete 2024!

This, too.

[WestVegeta]

Heck.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Heck.

Frick.

[Cold War Liberal]

If the former Secretary believed in God, she'd be praying right now.

Actually Hillary is a fairly devout Methodist, a fact she didn't really accentuate all that much on the campaign trail because 99% of the people who care about what religion the President is are the same people who think she's a Satan worshiper.

She even quoted John Wesley's rule (a rule I quite like and that all people of any religious affiliation or lack thereof would do well to live by) in her DNC acceptance speech.

Oh, and oh God Trump won... I guess it's necessary for Pete to win in 2024...

[America Needs R'hllor]

If the former Secretary believed in God, she'd be praying right now.

Actually Hillary is a fairly devout Methodist, a fact she didn't really accentuate all that much on the campaign trail because 99% of the people who care about what religion the President is are the same people who think she's a Satan worshiper.

She even quoted John Wesley's rule (a rule I quite like and that all people of any religious affiliation or lack thereof would do well to live by) in her DNC acceptance speech.

Oh, and oh God Trump won... I guess it's necessary for Pete to win in 2024...

Hm, I actually thought that she's one of these "I'm devout in public but I'm too cynical to believe in God" people like Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu Guess I'll change that, though I'm still not entirely convinced she actually believes in God.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Pete

Like all Democrats, Pete felt bad in the morning after the election. Donald Trump, that incompetent buffoon who kept damaging America domestically and worldwide not just with his sheer stupidity, but with his racist rhetoric and support for dangerous movements, was reelected. They were going to have to suffer his narcistic face glued on TV screens until 2024, and probably beyond that. How could they allow such a terrible President win reelection?

The blaming game was going to start, Pete knew that well. Democrats would blame Gillibrand, they'd blame Merkley and Kaine and Warren and Kander and Harris and Inslee, they'd blame Hillary and Bernie, they'd blame Biden for not running, they'd blame Russia and fake news, some of them would even allege a corrupt process, but the truth was there- they lost the election. Now, they had to go forward.

United States 2020 Presidential Election Map

Results of the 2020 Presidential Election
President Donald Trump (R-NY)\Vice President Mike Pence (R-IN)- 46.8% (279 EV) ✓
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)\Governor Richard Cordray (D-OH)- 49.2% (259 EV)
Fmr. CIA Agent Evan McMullein (I-UT)\Entrepreneur Mindy Finn (R-TX)- 1.7% (0 EV)
Businessman Austin Petersen (L-MO)\Consultant Larry Sharpe (L-NY)- 1.2% (0 EV)
Physician Jill Stein (G-MA)\Activist Darryl Cherney (G-CA)- 0.6% (0 EV)
Others- 0.5%

And that night wasn't all bad- Gillibrand won the popular vote by more than even Hillary did, about 2.4% to be precise, and thus Trump didn't get much of a mandate, and the Democrats gained three seats in the Senate and only lost Alabama. They also won a few upsets in the Gubernatorial races. For one, Pete was Governor-elect of Indiana now.

Governor-Elect Pete Buttigieg.

Now that sounded weird. He was just a Mayor of a fairly small city, and now he was going to become the first gay Governor in Indiana history. An unsurprising statistic, considering it was a staunchly conservative state. At first, he didn't even plan on running for Governor, but they kept calling him-everyone from Keith Ellison and Tom Perez to Jay Inslee and Tom Wolf, who replaced him as Head of the Democratic Governors Association, from Kirsten Gillibrand to Richard Cordray. When Barack Obama, one of his personal heroes, called him and asked him to run, he decided that not doing it would be an insult to all the people who trusted him. Chasten, his partner, supported him in the decision, and so did his parents, and thus he announced his campaign. He won the Democratic primary easily against State Senator Karen Tallian, and went on to a hard election campaign against a popular Republican Governor in a Republican state, touting his record and distancing himself from federal politics.

He remembered what he told the people in one of his biggest rallies, held in a fairly rural area: "We're going to do for Indiana what we did for South Bend. We're going to revitalize this state's economy, restore the infrastructure, give a push to the industry and job market, bring in new opportunities in clean energy and high tech, and make this state appealing to our young people once more!"

And he was adamant that he was going to do just that. He would keep his campaign promises, unlike most politicians, because this was the reason he entered politics. But he was already planning to help Democrats in the entire country to oppose Trump's policies. The 2022 midterms were looking appealing, but they had to work hard like in 2018 and not squander it. Then, their next President, hopefully elected in 2024, would have a strong start. Indeed, people were already calling him, politicians who wanted his endorsement for their future midterm campaigns. They were also asking him to run for... something else. To run for President in 2024.

Pete was well-aware that he was very popular with many Democrats accross the country. There was no avoiding that fact. Still, he was only just elected Governor. In 2020, he'd have less than 3 years experience, and there were a few obvious frontrunners who seemed like giants- runner-ups from 2020 like Harris, Merkley and his fellow Governor-Elect Kander, Gillibrand's running mate and popular Ohio Governor Richard Cordray, and other rising stars who won office before him and had more experience. Sure, with so many people asking him to run, Pete couldn't say that giving America a first gay President wasn't appealing, but the entire notion of campaigning against a fearsome field of fellow Democrats and then, if he somehow won, serving as target for Republicans quickly soured the idea on him, especially after the hot mess that was the 2020 Democratic Primary.

"Sir," one of his loyal staffers approached him in his South Bend office as he contemplated all that. "You have an, um, phone call. It's from Governor-Elect Kander."

Pete raised his brows in surprise. Kander? Now that's unexpected. He wondered if Jason was just afraid of him running in 2024 against him. "Pass him on to me," the Mayor said, ready to reassure the future Missouri Governor that there was nothing to fear from his side.

As he picked the phone, Jason's voice came from the other side. "Hey, Pete? Congratulations. You won a big upset tonight."

"Thanks, Jason," the Mayor answered politely, "and congratulations to you as well. You've won by even more than me."

"Eh, that's because my opponent was an absolute disaster." Jason chuckled. "But thank you. Of course, I'm sure you're just as disappointed as me that we didn't manage to put Kirsten in the White House."

Pete sighed. "Definitely. Now we'll have to tolerate Trump for four more years, our entire first terms."

"Exactly," Kander said, sounding satisfied. "Which is why we need to be united. You know, the two of us were elected Governors right now, in rustbelt states. But there are also others in other states- Wolf, Whitmer, Walz, Evers, Glasson... Cordray. The Democrats control the midwest, and we can use that to resist Trump. He'll obviously have interest in these states. Well, we can unite together and stand against him. And the two of us are young and dymanic, in Republican states- we should stand at the forefront."

Pete liked the idea more and more as his fellow Governor spoke. A front of midwestern governors, fighting to defend their people from Trump's policies... it sounded good. "So you're proposing some sort of alliance. I like that."

"Yes, and it won't hurt that it will give us the publicity and recognition to promote one of us in the party... to win the Presidency in 2024 and bring some real change, you know?" Kander's tone was casual.

The Mayor smiled to himself. He knew that it was going to come up. "Sure, I'll support you if you run in 2020. You have potential to be a great President."

"Me?" Jason laughed. "Oh, no, I don't think I'll be running again in 2024. I was already critisized for being an opportunist after running with little experience and then jumping on the Gubernatorial race. Hell, if not for how awful Greitens was, I'd probably have lost, and I'll lose reelection if I try that again in four years and fail to win the Primary. I'm going to give a Sherman-esque denial soon enough, and clean the stage for you. Wait, wait, I know what you're going to say, you don't want to run so soon. Well, just think about it. You're young, you're wildly popular in your city and soon in your state, you're unique. Just give it a thought. I gotta go now, talk to you later. Bye!"

And just like that, the call ended and Pete was left speechless. Well, that was something. Now, the idea seemed much more real than before, and it scared him.

But he remembered a line from some 2008 movie, Milk, about the first gay politician to win major office in America, the assassinated San Fransisco Supervisor Harvey Milk. "A homosexual with power- that's scary!"

Maybe it was time for a homosexual to have power in America.

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Yes!!! You pretty much captured how honest and casual I think Kander is in real life from the interactions I've had with him, which only makes your TL even more realistic. Sad that Trump won but that happening was obvious, just by narrative standards. Also, forget Pete '24 or Kander '24, how about Impeachment '21?!

[Cold War Liberal]

Yes!!! You pretty much captured how honest and casual I think Kander is in real life from the interactions I've had with him, which only makes your TL even more realistic. Sad that Trump won but that happening was obvious, just by narrative standards. Also, forget Pete '24 or Kander '24, how about Impeachment '21?!

Plus if Trump is removed from office before his second term expires, having an openly gay governor beat President Mike "pray the gay away" Pence in a landslide would be cathartic.

I think Gillibrand winning AZ is a sign that the sunbelt is tilting D, which could be foreshadowing an absolute Democratic landslide in 2024. Possible that Texas goes D too, since Gillibrand (and Beto, for that matter) only lost by a little.

[sverkol]

Merkley would have won!

[America Needs R'hllor]

Donald

Donald Trump won.

And not just the election- that didn't matter to him as much as his ultimate victory. He won against all the haters and losers, who doubted him for his entire life. They called him stupid, they called him incompetent. They said he's never going to be the Republican nominee, or President of the United States, or a two-term President. But he won. He was going to be a two-term President, just like Obama and Reagan and Washington. And deep in his heart, Donald knew that he was going to be remembered as a great President, one who changed everything. Greatest of them all, perhaps. He smiled as he thought of his face etched on Mount Rushmore. Maybe when Mike or someone else succeeds him he can commission the work on that mountain to put up Donald with the rest of the greats.

But he wasn't a fool. He knew that he had to work hard for that- the Democrats controlled Congress, with some... um, what, 50 something seats in the Senate? Someone told him 53. Whatever. They'll try to obstruct everything he does, but he was great at making deals. He'd be able to make deals with them. He'll be remembered as the great dealmaker President.

Deciding that he'll be productive today, Donald looked down at the papers they gave him. List of possible names for Cabinet endorsements in the DONALD TRUMP administration, it said. He smiled and started reading the short, simple list. State: Secretary of State Dan Coats, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. Donald wanted Pompeo, but he knew that they were going to advice him against it and for Haley. She was good for getting them pro-Israeli conservative donations, he knew, but he wasn't running for reelection, and he didn't want her to take away all the attention like she did in the UN. Eh, we'll see. Defence: Chief of Staff John Kelly. A fine choice. Treasury: Director Gary Cohn, Representative Steve Womack, Secretary Steve Mnuchin. Meh, he'll let whoever can win in the Senate be chosen, though he preferred to replace Steve. Justice: Attorney General Jeff Sessions, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Fmr. Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Fmr. Governor Chris Christie. Trump wanted Jeff out and Scott in. He knew that. He also knew that it would be hard in the Senate, but whatever. Let these red state Dems squirm. Chief of Staff: Advisor Stephen Miller, VP Chief of Staff Nick Ayers, Director Mick Mulvaney, Advisor Kellyanne Conway, Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Director Gary Cohn, Jared Kushner. Hm... He was going to think hard about that, but he didn't want Mike's used staffer, he wanted someone he could trust.

For other offices, because the Democrats in the Senate were going to be very, very vicious, they were mostly sticking to existant secretaries- Zinke in Interior, Perdue in agriculture, Wilbur in Commerce, though Linda McMahon was an option, Acosta in Labour, Azar, or maybe Carson, in HHS, Chao in Transportation (though Donald itched to replace her and annoy Mitch even more), Perry in Energy, DeVos in Education, Shulkin in VA, and if she wasn't chosen Chief of Staff, Nielsen for Homeland Security.

Donald shook his head. All these names tired him, so he decided that he worked hard enough and flicked on the TV. NBC was on, and annoyingly, they were talking about how hard the 2022 election was going to be for him. The President switched to Fox News, where they discussed his big election victory.

Better.

[_]

Great Updates!  I really like how you're writing Trump, though I hope it's not accurate. (Most likely is sadly )

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Merkley would have won!

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

I can't believe it's 2020 and both Donald Trump and Wilbur Ross are still alive

[MycroftCZ]

Looks like the electoral college is beginning to shift... Sun Belt moving left while Rust Belt moving right. 2024 could be a whole different electoral battle. Really loving this TL! Keep it up!

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Hmm.. looks like Gillibrand and Cordray kept Trump below 50% in Ohio. That's promising at least

[America Needs R'hllor]

Ben

The Democratic Party was undergoing a changing of the guard. Schumer wouldstill be Senate leader for the years to come, and he was effective in the job, but other positions of leadership were changing. After both Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer retired, the race was on to succeed them. The usual suspects announced quickly- Joe Crowley, Linda Sánchez and Tulsi Gabbard were all unsurprising candidates. Seth Moulton's entrance shook the ground a bit, but he was unpopular in the caucus. From the start, though, Ben was one of the frontrunners, and it looked like a battle between himself, Tim Ryan and another surprising contender, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI). In the end, Ben and Debbie struck a deal- she would support him for Leader, and he'd support her for Whip. Thus, all the stars aligned. He won.

Vote for next Democratic House Leader
Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM)- 127 ✓
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH)- 63
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA)- 28
Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY)- 23
Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA)- 5
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)- 2

Vote for next Democratic House Whip
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI)- 167 ✓
Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA)- 43
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC)- 16
Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY)- 15
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)- 6
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)- 1

And two weeks prior, a new Democratic National Committee Chairman was elected to replace the retiring Tom Perez- Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, whose win sent much-needed enthusiasm through the progressive wing of the party. They lost in 2020, yes- but with congressial majorities, there was a feeling of enthusiasm and energy in the base that wasn't felt for a long while. They were ready to fight Trump in congress and elect someone fresh in 2024. There was a lot of work to be done for the new Democratic leaders.

A week ago, they were provided with the perfect opportunity to make a first show of strength- Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement from the Sepreme Court. They knew that Trump was going to face pressure to replace him with a more conservative judge, and that they would face pressure to obstruct whoever Trump nominates, just like McConnell did to Garland. However, waiting for four years would be problematic. He and Chuck were ready to force a compromise that would put a moderate judge in the court, possibly even to Kennedy's left. One candidate emerging in their minds was Former Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, who was pro-choice, pro-gay and anti-gerrymandering. If they managed to make Trump nominate him, they could present it as a victory to the base.

Then there was the election in 2024. Jennifer was adamant on two main courses of action for the DNC- they weren't going to interfer and support any candidate, so there was no accusations of favouritism, just like Tom's DNC- and even more so. However, they would monitor the situation closely and work very hard to prevent a disastrous contested convention like in 2020. It was a hard mission, almost a double-edged sword, but Ben trusted that Granholm would succeed. In fact, she already sent him and Chuck the first poll conducted by the DNC to test the waters for the next primary, and it included some interesting and some expected results. Obviously, Cordray, who was popular with progressives and a good running mate, was leading, but he wasn't going for a coronation. The big losers of the poll, meanwhile, appeared to be Warren and Booker, who Democrats were quite tired of, while Merkley, Harris and Kander could smile. To Ben, though, the most interesting prospects were Kennedy III and Buttigieg.

Out of these candidates, who would you support in the Democratic Presidential Primary?
Governor Richard Cordray (D-OH)- 25%
Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)- 14%
Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA)- 12%
Governor Jason Kander (D-MO)- 10%
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)- 8%
Fmr. Governor Jay Inslee (D-WA)- 5%
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA)- 4%
Senator Joe Kennedy III (D-MA)- 3%
Governor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)- 3%
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ)- 2%
Senator Amy Klobucher (D-MN)- 1%
Other\Undecided- 14%