1980: Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale vs. Ed Brooke/George Bush

[Bo]

Does John Anderson run (as an Independent) in this scenario? Also, does Brooke ask people if they are better off than they were four years ago (like Reagan did)?

[Bo]

A black man is not winning anything in 1980.

So apparently, you're racist now as well. You've singlehandedly raped open-mindedness, I think.

Right, now I'm a racist for making an electoral map that recognizes the existence of historical racism.

Get a life, Sven.

While I do agree that it is presumptious of Sven to assume racism on your part I must wonder quite frankly how the hell, even with the racism of the time, an incumbent as unpopular as Carter somehow manages to win all 50 states against any Republican ticket.

Uh, Reagan won 49 states in 1984. The demographics of the country were much much whiter in 1980 than they are today.

Consider the fact that Brooke was the first and only black elected to the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction until 1993, and to this day, one of only four.

The first black governor wasn't elected until 1990.

So at the time in the entire U.S.A. we have a grand total of one black man having been elected to a statewide position or higher, from Massachusetts.

But you're saying this country then was somehow one prepared to elect a black man President of the United States?

No, I'm saying that as bad as it might've been back then I highly doubt ALL 50 STATES would've re-elected Jimmy Carter.

I agree with Mechaman here. A President with approvals in the 30s would not win all 50 states, even against an opponent such as Brooke. This would be like Bush Sr. having a gay opponent in 1992. Bush Sr. mgiht win despite his unpopualrity, but his oppoentn would still win some states.

[Bo]

Brooke/Bush-276 EV-49.48%
Carter/Mondale-262 EV-48.72%

Brooke loses the South due to racism, but manages to win most of the North and almost all of the West. The post-Civil Rights Act generation was ineligible to vote in 1980, and thus there is much more racism among the voting populace in this election than in 2008. Brooke manages to pull off a narrow victory due to dissatisfaction with Carter in both domestic and foreign policy, becoming America's first Black President.

[Bo]

344 - 194

Explain. I think much more Americans would have voted for a black candidate in 1980 if the incumbent President was a massive screwup and if they were not better off than they were four years ago. Not to mention that Brooke would have likely gotten at least half of the black vote, which could have provided him his margins of victory in several close states and which Carter won overwhelmingly in RL.