1996: Bill Clinton vs David Duke vs Ross Perot

[Vice President Christian Man]

Assuming that Duke won a statewide race and became influential within the GOP. While claiming it would be a Goldwater redux would be insulting to Goldwater, that's what this race would produce. I could've given LA to Duke since he's from there, but Clinton was popular enough that it should be enough for him to win.

[Duke of York]

the dowballot damage would have been insane as well. I could see Democrats easily regaining the House and Senate and that's not even getting into state legislatures.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Duke was only the "Republican Nominee" for the 1991 LA Governor's race because of a fluke outcome in Louisiana's "Jungle Primary" system.  Duke was the beneficiary of a feud between Democrat-turned-Republican Governor Buddy Roemer (who neither party liked and who should have remained a Democrat) and Rep. Clyde Holloway (R), who was the choice of the Republican organization and the choice of the pro-life movement in LA.  This left Edwin Edwards with a clear lane in the primary.  At that time, Duke's position in LA politics was strong enough to where he could have actually won a House seat in Northern LA, but the Gubenatorial runoff in 1991 exposed Duke's weaknesses and demonstrated that the elites in both parties would work to ensure that he never got elected to anything consequential. 

If Duke actually "won" the GOP nomination, a number of states would name unpledged Republican electors, who would vote for some other agreed-upon Republican.  Or, perhaps, Perot would become the de facto Republican candidate in a number of states.  I cannot see Utah, for example, going for Duke.  The Mormon Church, which once denied blacks, has been aggressive in its Evangelical appeals to blacks, sincerely wishing to make up for the past in the light of a new revelation in the 1970s.  They would want to squish Duke like a bug.  Clinton would win, but I doubt that Duke would carry a single state, even AL and MS. 

[Alben Barkley]

50 state sweep for Clinton. Hell, he came fairly close in even MS as it was.

[wnwnwn]

Perot would get a lot of endorsements from republican politicians. I suppose he would sweep the very conservative western states.

[Emperor Kuvira]

Duke was only the "Republican Nominee" for the 1991 LA Governor's race because of a fluke outcome in Louisiana's "Jungle Primary" system.  Duke was the beneficiary of a feud between Democrat-turned-Republican Governor Buddy Roemer (who neither party liked and who should have remained a Democrat) and Rep. Clyde Holloway (R), who was the choice of the Republican organization and the choice of the pro-life movement in LA.  This left Edwin Edwards with a clear lane in the primary.  At that time, Duke's position in LA politics was strong enough to where he could have actually won a House seat in Northern LA, but the Gubenatorial runoff in 1991 exposed Duke's weaknesses and demonstrated that the elites in both parties would work to ensure that he never got elected to anything consequential. 

If Duke actually "won" the GOP nomination, a number of states would name unpledged Republican electors, who would vote for some other agreed-upon Republican.  Or, perhaps, Perot would become the de facto Republican candidate in a number of states.  I cannot see Utah, for example, going for Duke.  The Mormon Church, which once denied blacks, has been aggressive in its Evangelical appeals to blacks, sincerely wishing to make up for the past in the light of a new revelation in the 1970s.  They would want to squish Duke like a bug.  Clinton would win, but I doubt that Duke would carry a single state, even AL and MS. 

Then why did so many Republicans vote for Duke instead of Holloway in the first round?

And why did he have so much support in 1990 that Ben Bagert dropped out?

[King of Kensington]

What does George Bush do in this scenario?

[TDAS04]

What does George Bush do in this scenario?

Support Clinton (Bush publicly endorsed Edwin Edwards over Duke in 1991).

Edit: I guess Bush could have backed Perot, idk. Bush definitely would have at least anti-endorsersed Duke.