Fictional election series (2008 General Election thread)

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2008 Primary Results & General Election

Democrats

As expected, Vice President Russell enjoyed an early lead in the polls, but soon enough, he found challenges from all comers.

The first one to challenge him was Congressman Matt Santos of Texas. Santos ran as a southern liberal, in particular, choosing to hammer the Vice President over his open arms towards interest groups. Russell, a veteran politician, came back hard, going after the three-term Texas Congressman's lack of experience. In the end, Russel's easy nomination was not to be. Santos' strong showing in the Iowa Caucuses showed that Russell was not as impervious as once thought, and so the floodgates opened. The next to enter was House Minority Whip Frank Underwood of South Carolina, who would run his campaign as an economically populist Blue Dog. Governor Eric Baker of Pennsylvania entered as a favorite of establishment Democrats who weren't on good terms with the President, and rounding out the field was Senator David Palmer of Maryland, who ran as a unifier between the liberals and the Third Way Democrats. Who would come out on top.

In the end, it was Underwood. The South Carolina Blue Dog emerged as a come-from-behind candidate in the later primaries, and won the nomination after a decisive win over Russell and Santos (who split the center-left vote) in the California primary. Underwood immediately began vetting running mates. Russell was off the list; he was already VP and the two had never gotten along. Baker was off the list too; he was too much of an establishment politician and had flopped badly in the primary. He needed someone new. Santos looked promising; he was a strong liberal and an excellent speaker. Palmer was also a good choice; he was a charismatic, black center-left liberal with an uncanny ability to rile up a crowd.

In the end, the choice was hard, but it was made.

Democratic nominee for President:

 Congressman Frank Underwood

Democratic nominee for Vice President:

 Senator David Palmer

Republicans

The Republican primary saw a three-way battle. The moderates in Vinick and McAvoy, the establishment of Walken and Reed, and the hard conservatism of Butler.

In the end, it wasn't even close. Vinick emerged early as the frontrunner, and never stopped. McAvoy managed to win primaries in more liberal states, while Walken and Butler won a handful each, but there was never any doubt that the Republican Senator from California would be the nominee.

Vinick was acutely aware of his lack of appeal to conservatives; his stances on abortion, religion and campaign finance made him unappealing to the Republican right. He initially approached Butler, who flatly rejected the Senator's offer on account of Vinick's pro-choice views. In the end, Vinick had to nominate the one conservative whom he was sure wouldn't stab him in the back.

Republican nominee for President:

 Senator Arnold Vinick

Republican nominee for Vice President:

 Speaker of the House Glen Allen Walken

The tickets have been formed, the battle lines have been drawn and the stage is set. Who will be the next President and Vice President of the United States of America?

[Goldwater]

Vinick/Walken!

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2008 General Election Results

Underwood/Palmer: 324

Vinick/Walken:214

The election proved to be a hard one for Underwood, at least early on. Early in the race, he held a slim lead. The first debate saw him unprepared for the aggressive style Vinick adopted, and he found himself on the back foot; so much so that he took a heavy hit in the polls. The VP debate would be key; it was the Republicans' chance to take the lead, while it would be the Democrats' chance to recover their slim lead. The VP debate would, unusually, be watched closely.

The debate was a wash. Walken had been expecting an easy victory over Palmer, who had just been re-elected 2 years ago. The Speaker of the House, for all his vaunted expertise at debating, flopped badly. Palmer took him to task over his eagerness to assume power when President Bartlet's youngest daughter, Zoey, was kidnapped, and was able to successfully paint the Republican VP nominee as power-hungry. Walken made poor attempts to come back, nearly all of which didn't work. The Vinick campaign entered damage control mode, while the Underwood campaign celebrated. Underwood used the same line of attack in the remaining debates, which resulted in this interesting exchange:

Underwood: Senator, how can you trust a man who fundamentally disagrees with you?

Vinick: I could ask you the same question, Congressman.

Underwood: You could, but then I would add that the Speaker was also overeager to relieve the President during a difficult time for him.

This was regarded as a win by the Underwood/Palmer campaign. Then came the nail in Vinick's coffin: A nuclear plant in California that he'd fervently pushed for experienced a major emergency. While a meltdown was prevented, Vinick was put on the spot. His leads in Maine and Vermont disappeared seemingly overnight; Underwood trickled in a lead in his home state of South Carolina and in Iowa.

On election night, both sides had reason to be encouraged; Ohio was called for Vinick and Florida for Underwood. The race continued evenly for a time, until Underwood began to pull away when the Great Lakes region voted his way. Vinick conceded shortly after California was called for Underwood. Shortly after Vinick's concession, Underwood claimed victory.

The transition was smooth, as Bartlet's team, led by former White House Chief Of Staff Leo McGarry made it as smooth as they possibly could.

On January 20, 2009, Francis J. Underwood was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States