Just goes to show how contingent and in a sense almost random US political history is. Change one small factor and Clinton wins in 2016. Then change another small factor and Trump wins re-election. To say nothing of Gore 2000, or going even further back Charles Hughes winning 1916 and leading the United States into the First World War instead of Wilson.
My favourite what-if in 20th century US politics is if Nixon beat JFK in 1960 and the GOP became the party of civil rights.
I like the 1912 what-ifs because there were three potential presidents. If more delegates at the RNC had supported Roosevelt, he would have won. If Roosevelt had reluctantly backed Taft instead of running third party, Taft would have won. And of course in reality, Wilson won. Those three presidents would all have dealt with WW1 very differently (and if Taft won it would probably be his successor to get into the war).
The idea of Nixon winning in 1960 makes me wonder what Kennedy’s political career would be after that. He obviously wouldn’t be dead so there’s a good chance he could have won in 1968 after two Nixon terms.
