The Democratic primary plays out the same way it does in RL. Except when the time comes to pick a running mate, Barack Obama picks Evan Bayh instead of Joe Biden.
But while the Republican primaries still start with Huckabee's Iowa win, Mitt Romney defeats John McCain in NH, who subsequently drops outs. Romney still wins MI, Huckabee goes on to win SC, while Romney wins FL. On Super Tuesday, Huckabee wins all the same states he did in RL, and Romney does the same with the addition of the McCain states. Effectively wrapping up the Republican nomination.
Due to lagging in the polls through the summer, Romney sets out to shake up the dynamics of the race by deciding to pick a woman or minority to be his running mate. He ends up ultimately picking Lisa Murkowski. The decision to do so gives him a bump in the polls.
The string of bank failures still happens in September with the $700 billion bailout package still being passed.
With all that said, how different would the outcome of this alternate '08 match-up be from RL, if at all.
I na first moment I thoght about Frank Murkowski, lol
Anyway, Obama still wins. Maybe narrower, but Romney would be easy to attack as a flip-flopper, esspecially during a crisis. I still think McCain was the best Rep candidate in 2008.
Murkowski may not help, but would not hurt the ticket the way Palin did: that's much.
Romney would take Nevada, Arizona and Colorado
Obama still would win Indiana, because of resources he put there and Bayh name.
Obama/Biden: 351 ev
Romney/Murkowski: 187 ev
