1988: Lawton Chiles vs. George Bush

[President Johnson]

How would Lawton Chiles, then outgoing Senator from Florida, have done against Poppy? I think he would have been a lot stronger than Dukakis.

You pick the running mates. (I think Chiles would have gone with Wendell Ford or Mario Cuomo).

[HomestarSB9]

Sen. Lawton Chiles (D-FL) / Sen. John Glenn (D-OH) - 376 EVs
Vice Pres. George H.W. Bush (R-TX) / Rep. Jack Kemp (R-NY) - 162 EVs

Chiles does a lot stronger than Dukakis in the South and the Midwest, partially due to the farming crisis.

[America's Sweetheart ❤/𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖞 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖗]

Sen. Lawton Chiles (D-FL) / Sen. John Glenn (D-OH) - 376 EVs
Vice Pres. George H.W. Bush (R-TX) / Rep. Jack Kemp (R-NY) - 162 EVs

Chiles does a lot stronger than Dukakis in the South and the Midwest, partially due to the farming crisis.

I realize Bush was very beatable by the right Dem in '88, but would Chiles really have won in a near-landslide like this?

[Sir Mohamed]

Chiles pulls off a decent though not overwhelming win. Bush 41 was actually beatable in 1988, but Dukakis blew it by running a horrible campaign.

✓ Senator Lawton Chiles (D-FL)/Governor Dick Celeste (D-OH): 320 EVs.; 50.6%
Vice President George Bush (R-TX)/Senator Dan Quayle (R-IN): 218 EVs.; 47.4%

I think that Prez Chiles would then have been ousted by Bob Dole in 1992.