President Kerry and on...

[SPC]

I've been mulling starting this timeline for a while, but not sure if I had the commitment to finish it. Well, here it goes...

Election 2004

Senator John Kerry/Senator John Edwards 298 EV 61,689,926 50.4%
President George W. Bush/Vice President Dick Cheney 240 EV 59,381,122 48.6%

 
"...I'd like to thank the American people for delivering an impressive victory for government accountability, health care, and education tonight and I will deliver on those promises..."

[SPC]

Senate and House results:

Senate
Republicans 51 (+/- 0)
Democrats 47 (-1)
Independent 1 (+/- 0)
Pending 1 (LA)

House
Republicans 229 (+/- 0)
Democrats 205 (+1)
Independent 1 (+/- 0)

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I am working on the same type of timeline, actually. Just finished through 2012. This is an underused point of divergence.

[SPC]

Potential 2008 Republican Hopefuls Head to Louisiana to Campaign for Vitter....






President-elect Kerry Conspicuously Absent from John Campaign...


Rasmussen: Vitter 53%, John 43%
Survey USA: Vitter 47%, John 46%

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

Yay, Majority Leader Daschle! And in Louisiana, how much worse did Vitter do in the Jungle Primary?

[SPC]

Yay, Majority Leader Daschle!

Not yet, unless a Republican switches parties...

[SPC]

I am working on the same type of timeline, actually. Just finished through 2012. This is an underused point of divergence.

That's interesting. I might have to take some creative inspiration from you.

[SPC]

Yay, Majority Leader Daschle! And in Louisiana, how much worse did Votter do in the Jungle Primary?

Vitter 48.9%
John 31.1%
Kennedy 15.2%

[dudeabides]

2008:

[SPC]

Louisiana: Vitter Wins Runoff; Silver Lining for Republicans


VITTER 52.9% JOHN 47.1%

[SPC]

Kerry Chooses His Cabinet:

Secretary of State: Joseph Biden


Secretary of the Treasury: Robert Reich


Secretary of Defense: John P. White


Attorney General: Eric Holder


Secretary of the Interior: Dave Freudenthal


Secretary of Agriculture: Tom Vilsack


Secretary of Commerce: Jeanne Shaheen


Secretary of Labor: George Miller


Secretary of Health and Human Services: Howard Dean


Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Shaun Donovan


Secretary of Transportation: Jim Gerlach


Secretary of Energy: Jeff Bingaman


Secretary of Education: Jim Hodges


Secretary of Veteran Affairs: Edward Powell


Secretary of Homeland Security: Wesley Clark

[RedPrometheus]

Interesting start, but I find an all-male cabinet very unlikely...

[SPC]

Interesting start, but I find an all-male cabinet very unlikely...

Thanks for the tip! The error has been retconned out.

[badgate]

Liking this, keep it up! Kerry's cabinet sure is a sausage fest

[SPC]

January 2005:

Despite Chief Justice Rehnquist flubbing the inaugural oath, John Kerry is sworn in as President of the United States. President Kerry delivers his inaugural address, outlining his plans for health care reform and victory and eventual withdrawal from Iraq. However, congressional leaders Denny Hastert and Bill Frist have announced their intentions to prevent the passage of a public option in whatever health care plan is discussed.

Opinion of President Kerry?
Approve 61%
Disapprove 32%

In other news, Governor Mitt Romney announces a special election for Kerry's former Senate seat to occur in late June. Romney states that he will not contest the election himself. On the Democratic side, Congressman Michael Capuano and District Attorney Martha Coakley have expressed interest in the race, while no notable Republicans have announced their intentions.

[SPC]

June 2005:


In Congressional matters, after fierce negotiations in the Senate, the public option in health care, preferred by President Kerry, is replaced by a bill providing for an individual mandate in order to overcome a filibuster from Republicans and red-state Democrats. The individual mandate passes the Senate 55-45. All Democratic Senators except Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) vote in favor of the bill, while the bipartisan support from Senators Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Arlen Specter (R-PA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), John Warner (R-VA), John McCain (R-AZ), Mike DeWine (R-OH), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) prove critical to the bill's passage. Speaker Hastert insists that the bill is "dead on arrival" in the House.

Congressman Michael Capuano 51.5%
State Senator Scott Brown 47.5%

Meanwhile in state news, Massachusetts Democrats faced a backlash in their passage of a statewide single-payer system over Governor Mitt Romney's (R-MA) veto. Relative political neophyte Scott Brown was able to turn what was supposed to be a cakewalk for President Kerry's preferred candidate into a nailbiter on opposition to the plan, providing to be an embarrassment for both national Democrats and the President for nearly losing an election in his home state. 

[SPC]

August 2005:


Disaster strikes the Gulf region in the form of Hurricane Katrina. President Kerry, FEMA Director Kurt Schwartz, Governor Kathleen Blanco, and Mayor Ray Nagin receive heated criticism for the flooding of 2/3 of the city due to the breaking of the levees and the slow disaster response. Additionally, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour lashes out on the president for being hesitant to provide his state with funds for recovery.

October 2005:


In foreign policy, President Kerry faces increasing division within his own party for his decision to remain in Iraq for the time being, despite the increasing death toll for both coalition forces and Iraqis. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI), Barack Obama (D-IL), and Chuck Hagel (R-NE) have all publicly advocated withdrawal. However, Senators Joe Lieberman (D-CT), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), John McCain (R-AZ), and Rick Santorum (R-PA), among others, have staunchly defended the President's decision to wait until the security situation becomes more stable before a gradual withdrawal is considered.

On the domestic front, another political battle erupts over the confirmation process for President Kerry's appointment to replace recently deceased Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Kerry's original nominee was Harvard professor Elena Kagan. However, after a heated confirmation hearing from Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), Kagan withdraw her nomination. Ordinarily, there would be enough Republican moderates in the Senate to ensure that Kerry's nominee would get confirmed. However, Kerry's recent political troubles and the fear of upsetting the balance of the Court have led Senate Republicans to stonewall the nomination. After a month of the partisan standoff, Kerry's compromise nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor
was confirmed in a 58-42 vote.

November 2005:


New Jersey Governor:
Senator Jon Corzine 48.9%
Businessman Doug Forrester 47.3%

Virginia Governor:
Attorney General Jerry Kilgore 49.0%
Lt. Governor Tim Kaine 48.7%

President Kerry's party encounters further bad signs in the off-year election results, with a loss in Virginia and a closer-than-expected race in New Jersey.

Do you approve or disapprove of the job President Kerry is doing? (RCP Average):
Approve 41.8%
Disapprove 52.7%

[SPC]

January 2006:


President Kerry receives a bit of good news when his nominee for Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke gets easily confirmed. Even more good news came when chief political opponent Tom Delay announced that he would not seek re-election in order to defend himself against indictment for money laundering. Congressional Democrats hope to take advantage of the vulnerability of House Republicans in order to pass the Senate's individual mandate for health insurance as well as the DREAM Act. Congressmen Tom Tancredo (R-CO) and J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) vow to stop the DREAM Act in its tracks.

March 2006:

A resolution sponsored by Congressmen Walter Jones (R-NC), Ron Paul (R-TX), Dana Rohrbacher (R-CA), and Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) ordering President Kerry to begin withdrawing American troops from Iraq no later than 30 days is brought to a vote. Although the vote predictably fails, the resolution received a surprisingly high amount of bipartisan support.

[SPC]

May 2006:
Nationwide protests erupt in favor of immigration reform. Despite the uproar, Speaker Denny Hastert (R-IL) remains resolute that the DREAM Act will not be voted on in the House so long as a majority of his caucus opposes the legislation.

June 2006:
The death of al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu al-Zarqawi comes as good news to the Coalition effort in Iraq. Nevertheless, public opinion in the United States remains increasingly in favor of hastened withdrawal from Iraq. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court issued a 7-2 ruling in Hamden vs White, ruling that the military commissions for prisoners at Guantanamo Bay were unconstitutional. In response, Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced he would draft legislation authorizing the military commissions.

July 2006:
In political news, Governor Jeb Bush (R-FL) announced that he would not run for Senate this year.  Some analysts believe this may be a sign that Bush intends to run for President in 2008.This was a surprising move for the RNSC, who had achieved earlier recruiting successes with Governor John Hoeven (R-ND), Governor Mike Johanns (R-NE), and Congressman Mike Castle (R-DE). Nevertheless, RNSC Chairwoman Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) remains optimistic that Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) will be a good candidate to win the Senate election in Florida.

Generic Congressional Ballot (Fox News):
Republicans 50%
Democrats 41%

President Kerry Job Approval (Quinnipiac):
Approve 40%
Disapprove 54%

August 2006:

Connecticut Democratic Senate Primary:
Joseph Lieberman 52%
Ned Lamont 48%

Senator Joseph Lieberman narrowly averted a primary challenge from anti-war activist Ned Lamont, after campaigning from President Kerry, Vice-President Edwards, and Senator Clinton.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Lets see how the Foley campaign goes .

[MATTROSE94]

It kind of sucks that Rick Santorum, Conrad Burns and George Allen will all be re-elected in the 2006 midterms.

[SPC]

September 2006:

The month of September proved to be a volatile one in the course of the upcoming midterms. First, Senator Chafee (R-RI) lost renomination for his Senate seat to Mayor Steve Laffey by a 54-46 margin. In response, Chafee announced that he would continue to contest the election as a write-in candidate. Both parties remain optimistic that vote splitting will enable their nominee to prevail in the general election.

Democrats received more good news when Florida congressman Mark Foley resigned after revelations of illicit conduct with congressional pages, which has been condemned by major leaders of both parties. While it is too late for his name to be removed from the ballot, Florida Republicans have arranged to replace Foley as their nominee with Secretary of State and primary election runner-up Katherine Harris.

While Democratic prospects in individual elections seem to have improved, the Kerry administration is still facing increasing unpopularity in light of the revelation by Attorney General Holder that the NSA has been engaging in warrantless wiretapping.

Polls of selected elections:

Rhode Island Senate (SurveyUSA):
Chafee (WI) 34%
Brown (D) 32%
Laffey (R) 27%
Undecided 7%

California Governor (USC-LA Times):
Schwarzenegger (R) 54%
Wesley (D) 38%
Undecided 8%

Minnesota Senate (Rasmussen):
Klobuchar (D) 47%
Kennedy (R) 46%
Undecided 7%

Illinois Governor (SurveyUSA):
Baar Topinka (R) 42%
Blagojevich (D) 39%
Whitney (G) 14%
Undecided 5%

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Keep up the good work! I am really looking forward to seeing how the 2006 midterms play out.

[SPC]

October 2006:

President Kerry signs the SAFE Port Act, port security legislation including non-germane language prohibiting online gambling, as well as the Military Commissions Act. Democrats are disillusioned by the President's support of these measures as well as the failure of the House of Representatives to consider Kerry's health care and immigration reform measures.

Later this month, the President committed a major gaffe when speaking at Pasadena City College, in which he tried to remind voters that the problems in Iraq were inherited from the Bush administration. However, his delivery of the joke made it seem as though he insulted the intelligence of U.S. soldiers. The comments elicited immediate repudiation from potential Republican challengers, such as former Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R-NY), Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), and Senator George Allen (R-VA).

Finally, a glimpse into the state of the midterms for some of the cycle's most endangered incumbents:

U.S. House IN-8 (SurveyUSA)
Ellsworth (D) 50%
Hostetler (R) 46%
Undecided 4%

U.S. House PA-12 (SurveyUSA)
Murtha (D) 46%
Irey (R) 44%
Undecided 10%

Nebraska Senate (Rasmussen)
Johanns (R) 53%
Nelson (D) 43%
Undecided 4%

New Jersey Senate (Rutgers)
Kean (R) 49%
Menendez (D) 44%
Undecided 7%

Michigan Governor (EPIC-MIRA)
Devos (R) 55%
Granholm (D) 40%
Undecided 5%

Wisconsin Governor (Research 2000)
Doyle (D) 52%
Green (R) 45%

[SPC]

Election Day, 2006:

US Senate:
Republicans 56 (+4)
Democrats 42 (-5)
Independents 2 (+1)

Results for competitive races:
Delaware (special):
Mike Castle 55%
Chris Coons 43%

Florida:
Bill Nelson 62%
Mark Foley/Katherine Harris 36%

Maryland:
Michael Steele 53%
Kweisi Mfume 46%

Michigan:
Debbie Stabenow 49%
Mike Bouchard 48%

Minnesota:
Amy Klobuchar 48%
Mark Kennedy 47%
Robert Fitzgerald 4%

Montana:
Conrad Burns 49%
Jon Tester 48%

Nebraska:
Mike Johanns 51%
Ben Nelson 49%

New Jersey:
Tom Kean 51%
Bob Menendez 46%

New Mexico:
Tom Udall 51%
Steve Pearce 45%

North Dakota:
John Hoeven 77%
Tracy Potter 21%

Pennsylvania:
Rick Santorum 50.1%
Bob Casey 49.9%

Rhode Island:
Lincoln Chafee 35%
Steve Laffey 34%
Matt Brown 29%

Washington:
Maria Cantwell 52%
Mike McGavick 48%

US House:
Republicans 244 (+15)
Democrats 191 (-14)

Republicans managed to defeat incumbents in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin, and Washington, and win open seats in Illinois and Vermont. The sole Democratic gain came from the open seat in Delaware.

Following...gubernatorial results...