Alternate 1988

[YRABNNRM]

Lets say Hart's affairs never got as big as they did, who do you think would have won? Who would you vote for? Who do you think the running mates would be? Would Hart do better than Dukakis?

[PBrunsel]

It would still have been a Bush landslide. Reagan was too popular in 1988. I doubt that Hart would win Colorado.

[Kodratos]

Hart would have done better than Dukakis(if his affairs had NEVER gotten out, or if he hadn't had them). But Bush would still have had a major victory

[California Dreamer]

reagan was popular...but Bush wasnt, remember the 'wimp factor' (this was before Gulf War I)

Dukakis was a terrible candidate. He never fought back against attacks, he seemed like a robot, he was short, etc etc.

I think Hart would have kicked Bush's butt

[afleitch]

Hart would have won...but lost in the long term. No Clinton!

[Ben.]

The 1988 race was wide open from the start... However Bush got a handle on things by the late summer after the GOP convention and clinging to "Reagan's" outgoing coat tails he hammered Dukakis' lead away and despite a late recovery by the democratic candidate he won in very convincing fashion...

Hart would have been a harder candidate to hammer, a charismatic moderate senator (actually what was his voting record like? I'd say moderate liberal, pretty average for a dem at that time)... Hart would have been a more aggressive campaigner and would have had many things in common with Clinton a slick campaigner and a charismatic speaker.... all this would have helped him against Bush... in the end I would say it would be close however a slim Bush victory would be likely but not nearly as solidly as Bush won over Dukakis in reality... having said that because it would be so competitive right down to the wire really you could "flip a coin"...  

[Gustaf]

Considering the circumstances the election was fairly close. I see Hart doing a lot better than Dukakis, but on the other hand regional factors were working against the Dems in the 80s. It's hard to see Bush losing CA with Reagan still around, and that+West+South is hard to beat.

[© tweed]

Pretty close, but Bush squeaks it out.

[Michael Z]

Gary Hart would have put up a much better fight than Dukakis, but Bush would still have won given the feelgood factor associated with the Reagan/Bush era.

The only Democrats who had a cat in hell's chance of beating Bush in '88 were Mario Cuomo and Lloyd Bentsen. Well, IMHO at least.....

[Ben.]

I have to agree... I think Hart would have made the campaign very competative all the way through... as a charismatic candidate and agressive campaigner  Hart would be way way better than Dukakis as a candidate and would make it close... add Bentsen to the ticket and it is a very strong team (Hart/ Bentsen)... however Bush had Cailfornia solidly in his collum and in the south he was unbeatable agaist Dukakis and even agaist Hart with Bentsen things would have been very very tough for the Democrats at the presidential level there... in the end i can see Hart being beaten by Bush by a "slither" and taking states in the north east and midwest where Dukakis should have done much better as well as proably taking his home state of Colorado as well...