In an alternate 2000, Al Gore picks Bob Graham of Florida to be his Vice President and wins the 2000 Presidential Election with OH, FL, and NH flipping from OTL, though the NPV and the results from those three states are all under .6 %. 9/11 still happens and in 2003, due to Bush Sr.'s propaganda of the 90s working a bit too well, Gore goes into Iraq as well (this article documents why :
https://www.salon.com/2011/08/30/gore_president_iraq/ )
Following that, in 2004, John McCain is the Republican Presidential Nominee and picks, in an effort of Bipartisanship, his friend, Democratic Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman. The picks alienates a lot of Conservatives, who for the most part revolt and vote for the Constitution party. In 2006 or 2007, following an event much like the Gulf of Tonkin, the United States gets involved in Iran, quickly toppling the Ayatollah's regime and laying the groundwork for the return of the Shah under a Constitutional Monarchy. Due to rising disastisfaction with both major parties which have started a war, Dennis Kucinich runs under the Green Party but gets the nomination of several major and minor left-wing political parties along with the Green Parties while Trump is the Constitution Nominee but also gets the endorsement of various other right-wing political parties and even, surprising enough, the Prohibition Party (though no one really talks about it). John Kasich becomes the Republican Nominee after a tough fight against Texas Congressman Ron Paul and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee while John Edwards wins the Democratic Nomination after Hillary and Obama decline for various reasons (Hillary Clinton is due to health concerns and Obama is just not interested in running that year as he initially was against it otl). Kasich picks for his running mate Kansas Senator Pat Roberts, John Edwards picks John Kerry, Donald Trump picks Rick Santorum, and Dennis Kucinich picks Jill Stein.
In mid 2008, in the lead-up to the conventions, a Second Great Depression hits globally and in late October, with a week and a half left to go, Edwards' scandal is leaked to the press and becomes a national headline for days while three days before the election, Trump's billy bush tape is revealed.
What does the Electoral College look like, what does the National Popular Vote look like, how might Congress look like (several members of both parties become third party candidates aligned with either Trump or Kucinich and many others are elected outright), who ultimately wins the Presidency, and what effect does this election have on american politics entering the 2010s?
