President Kerry 2004: Sen. John Kerry/Rep. Dick Gephardt: 295 Electoral Votes, 48.7%Pres. George W. Bush/Vice Pres. Dick Cheney: 243 Electoral Votes, 48.2% After a cakewalk to the nomination, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry nominates former competitor Dick Gephardt, snubbing John Edwards. The move proves good as Gephardt attacks Cheney in the VP Debates and serves as a good surrogate in the Rust Belt states. Citing the various cultural instability of the time, Senator Kerry narrowly defeats President Bush after a two day recount of Ohio and Missouri.
2008:Sen. John McCain/Fmr. Gov. Jeb Bush: 311 Electoral Votes, 50.8%Pres. John Kerry/Sen. Chris Dodd: 227 Electoral Votes, 45.7% President Kerry’s administration was never very popular with the American people, partially attributed to a very poor start. With a stalemate in Iraq, and Kerry going back on his promise of pulling out, then hastily attempting to in 2007 made him look like a political opportunist. Failed attempts at healthcare and gun control bills also viewed Liberal Democrats to view him hostilely. That caused a challenge from a Kucinich/Gravel ticket within his own party, which carried six states. Kerry’s attempts at healthcare bills were deeply unpopular with the American people, including his own Vice President, who declined to be on the ticket again, causing a massive crisis in selecting a VP. After Senators Obama and Clinton declined, Kerry was either left with Senators Jack Reed, Chris Dodd, Barbara Boxer, former Senator John Edwards or Representative Chet Edwards. Kerry planned to announce John Edwards as his running mate but rumors of a massive sex scandal began to swirl, causing Kerry to choose Dodd. With all this chaos on the homefront, and potential scares of a conflict in Iran, Arizona maverick Senator John McCain won the Republican primaries over Mike Huckabee. Former President George W. Bush heavily considered running, but decided against it, endorsing McCain with the promise that his brother, Jeb, be on the ticket. With a poor debate showing, crisis in Iraq, and a new recession upon America, John McCain became the 45th President of the United States handily, although through not as much of landslide of what should have occurred.
