Mayor Pete

[You don't see any blue avatars now]

I just punched the air over Jackson winning IRL. I honestly don't feel too bad over looking like an idiot over this TL.

[Cactus Jack]

I just punched the air over Jackson winning IRL. I honestly don't feel too bad over looking like an idiot over this TL.

Don't worry, I just did the exact same over the idea of Senator Ruben Gallego.

[BuckeyeNut]

Yesssss, Jeff Jackson. Glad Betty is beating Rob at the moment, even if she's not my favorite.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Gavin

"And as we close the polls in the Pacific Coast, we can already call a few key races..." Gavin Newsom leaned in, ready to bask his ears in the result everyone knew would happen. "In the Senate, we can already confirm that Senator Kamala Harris was reelected in California, Brian Schatz was reelected in Hawaii, and Ron Wyden was reelected in Oregon. To replace retiring Senator Patty Murray in Washington State, Lieutenant Governor Cyrus Habib won the race, becoming the first Iranian-American and the first fully blind Senator in American history. And for Gubernatorial races, incumbent Gavin Newsom was reelected in California, Kate Brown was reelected in Oregon, and in Hawaii, term-limited David Ige will be succeeded by Democratic Lieutenant Governor Alan Arakawa. And there's another race we can call right now- in Wisconsin, Democrat Ron Kind has won the race to replace retiring Republican Ron Johnson by a relatively comfortable margin. Very good news for Democrats."

The Governor of California smiled in satisfaction. Of course, it was an expected result, but it was still fun to hear that he trounced Thiel at poll-closing. Now, he could turn his attention to the next target. Four years ago, when he was first elected, he thought that he was trapped- he was tied in 2020, the Democratic President would run for reelection in 2024, and in 2028 the year would be favourable for Republicans and, on top of that, would have a Democratic Vice President running. Well, turned out that Gavin got lucky. Trump's reelection was a blow to everyone, sure, but when life gives you lemons...

As he contemplated the way forward, the 'key projection theme' played on CNN and Gavin leaned in again, ready to hear what was going to be announced. "And we have a major, major race to finally call now. In Kentucky, a usually solid Republican state, Attorney General Andy Beshear, a Democrat, has won the race, dethroning the very visible libertarian-leaning Republican Senator Rand Paul. This is a huge pickup for Democrats. And, there's another race we can call at about the same time- in Georgia, Democrat Jason Carter won the race to replace retiring Senator Johnny Isakson, another key pickup for Democrats in what's looking like a historic night for them. And with that we can also say that the Democrats will have at least 60 seats in the upcoming Senate, a supermajority that, if they hold to that number of seats and win the White House in 2024, would let them pass bills without a filibuster."

United States 2022 Senate Races Map

Arizona U.S. Senate Election (46% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D)- 51.2%
Fmr. U.S. Rep. David Schweikert (R)- 48.0%

California U.S. Senate Election (5% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Kamala Harris (D)*- 71.3% ✓
Fmr. U.S. Rep. Doug Ose (R)- 28.7%

Georgia U.S. Senate Election (92% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Fmr. State Sen. Jason Carter (D)- 50.8% ✓
U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R)- 48.8%

Hawaii U.S. Senate Election (3% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Brian Schatz (D)*- 64.9% ✓
State Rep. Andria Tupola (R)- 34.8%

Iowa U.S. Senate Election (32% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer (D)- 50.7%
State Rep. Pat Grassley (R)- 49.0%

Kentucky U.S. Senate Election (99% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Attorney General Andy Beshear (D)- 49.8% ✓
Senator Rand Paul (R)*- 49.7%

Louisiana U.S. Senate Election (51% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Governor John Bel Edwards (D)- 50.3%
Senator John Neely Kennedy (R)*- 48.0%

Ohio U.S. Senate Election (86% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Lt. Gov. Betty Sutton (D)- 49.9%
Senator Rob Portman (R)*- 49.8%

Oregon U.S. Senate Election (8% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Ron Wyden (D)*- 62.7% ✓
State Rep. Jason Conger (R)- 37.1%

Washington U.S. Senate Election (7% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib (D)- 61.5% ✓
Fmr. Commissioner Bill Bryant (R)- 38.85%

Wisconsin U.S. Senate Election (48% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC GAIN
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D)- 53.5% ✓
Fmr. U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy (R)- 46.2%

Just then, the phone rang. He smiled, knowing what the call would include, and picked it up. "Governor," his secretary informed him dutifully, "Senator Kamala Harris is calling."

"You know what to do," he said simply.

A few moments later, he heard the junior Senator's voice. "Governor, hi. Congratulations on your reelection, I'm glad you've beat Peter so thoroughly."

"Thank you very much, Senator," Gavin replied, "and I was just intending to call you as well. I want to congratulate you for your successful reelection- beating Ose couldn't have been very hard for a great woman like you."

"That's very nice of you, Gavin," Kamala said. "There is another reason I called you tonight, though, other than our successful reelections. I still remember that you kept your word and endorsed me more than two years ago, immediately after I entered the Democratic primary."

"Don't sweat it, Kamala. I didn't do it just as a Californian, but also as someone who geniuenly believes you would've made a great President, the best of the bunch. Rest assured- if you run again in two years, I'm going to endorse you just as fast." Gavin smiled to himself. He knew what was going to follow.

"Oh, that's not why I called, Governor. I'm not running in 2024- I don't think it would be right for Democrats to have to choose between the same old faces, and frankly, that 2020 race was enough for me." She stopped for a few moments. "I called to promise you that I remember what you've done for me, and I'm going to return the favour."

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

YEET

[MycroftCZ]

Did I mention how much I love this timeline?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Awww why'd you have to take Rand Paul out?

[America Needs R'hllor]

Did I mention how much I love this timeline?

I just punched the air over Jackson winning IRL. I honestly don't feel too bad over looking like an idiot over this TL.

Thanks, it means a lot!

Awww why'd you have to take Rand Paul out?

Yeah, it was a tough choice since he's such a unique Senator, but oh well, he's probably gonna have a much more prominent role in the other TL if I reach that point

[libertpaulian]

Well, Rand, that's karma for voting for Jeff Sessions.

Kinda wish you would have made Doug Jones re-capture a Senate seat in 2022, though.

[Sestak]

That's a confirmed supermajority! Georgia is the 7th gain with only GOP held seats left and 53 prior to the election! They would probably mention that when they call the race, right?...

[America Needs R'hllor]

That's a confirmed supermajority! Georgia is the 7th gain with only GOP held seats left and 53 prior to the election! They would probably mention that when they call the race, right?...

Oh, yeah, it confirms that they'll have 60 seats. Will mention that, thanks! These gains sure will come in handy when they need to face the 2018 map again in a Presidential year

[sverkol]

I love this TL.
Carry on.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Kyrsten

"And now, we can call the Arizona Senate race- Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego has won the open seat, vacated by the retiring Cindy McCain, who was appointed as a caretaker of the seat held by her husband, the deceased Senator John McCain! That's an expected gain for Democrats in a state trending in their direction and won by Senator Gillibrand in 2020, but good news for them nontheless."

Kyrsten smiled- with her and Ruben, Arizona would now have two Senators from the Democratic party. A big change from four mere years ago, when it had two Republican Senators. Now, with this done, Kyrsten planned something else- she planned Arizona to have its first Presidential nominee since 2008. Herself. She had everything going for her- popularity in the base, she was moderate enough for the establishment and progressive enough for the grassroots, and she was unique. Millenials would be crazy for a bisexual, irreligious Senator. She just hoped that she could capture this exploding energy in the base, which was clearly visible in the midterm results, and ride it to victory.

Meanwhile, the results kept flowing in. "In Iowa, we can finally project that U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer will win the election for the Senate seat vacated by the retiring Republican Terry Branstad, defeating the Senator's grandson for another important gain for Democrats. At the same time, the polls have closed in Alaska, where former Senator Mark Begich is running against Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski. Right now, we cannot call this race."

Kyrsten looked over the results in her laptop. In Louisiana, John Bel Edwards had an insurmountable lead over Senator Kennedy by now, but the only question was now whether he'd avoid a runoff and win more than 50%. And Ohio was proving to be the closest Senate race in the nation, as Portman and Betty Sutton were virtually tied. This night was still not over.

What felt like a hour passed before CNN's anchors came to life again, proclaiming another projection. "This is it, folks, we can finally call the race in Louisiana! The state's popular Governor, John Bel Edwards, has won the Senate race, unseating Republican Senator John Neely Kennedy in the first round. This is big news for Democrats, a victory in a ruby red state."

United States 2022 Senate Races Map

Alaska U.S. Senate Election (24% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R)*- 50.4%
Fmr. Senator Mark Begich (D)- 46.9%

Arizona U.S. Senate Election (78% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC GAIN
U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D)- 51.8% ✓
Fmr. U.S. Rep. David Schweikert (R)- 47.6%

Iowa U.S. Senate Election (61% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC GAIN
U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer (D)- 53.3% ✓
State Rep. Pat Grassley (R)- 46.5%

Louisiana U.S. Senate Election (84% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Governor John Bel Edwards (D)- 51.8% ✓
Senator John Neely Kennedy (R)*- 47.1%

Ohio U.S. Senate Election (99% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Lt. Gov. Betty Sutton (D)- 49.89%
Senator Rob Portman (R)*- 49.84%

[GM Team Member and Deputy PPT WB]

:DUSA:

[Cold War Liberal]

SINEMA/BUTTIGIEG 2024!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[emcee0]

Ohio U.S. Senate Election (99% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Lt. Gov. Betty Sutton (D)- 49.89%
Senator Rob Portman (R)*- 49.84%

Cmon Betty!!!

[America Needs R'hllor]

John

It was utterly depressing. John wondered if Mitch felt the same four years ago, but at least back then, the losses weren't so disastrous. Now, as Senate Minority leader for the last two years, he presided over little to no accomplishments for Republicans and now lost a double-digit amount of seats for his caucus. Good, loyal Senators like Rubio and Kennedy. Hell, even the often-annoying Rand Paul was a big loss to them. The final results that came only in the morning didn't make John Cornyn very happy, either:

Alaska U.S. Senate Election (100% Reporting)- REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R)*- 51.6% ✓
Fmr. Senator Mark Begich (D)- 45.8%

Ohio U.S. Senate Election (100% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Lt. Gov. Betty Sutton (D)- 49.91% ✓
Senator Rob Portman (R)*- 49.82%

Sure, Begich losing was good- he wasn't the best recruit for the Demcorats, a bit of an Evan Bayh who was bogged down by all the lobbying he did. But it wan't like Murkowski was of any use to him- she voted with the Democrats quite often these days. And losing Portman, another loyal Senator, was a huge blow. And now he'd have to deal with the reprecussions of that night, and they seemed quite severe.

Already, it was looking like John was facing a revolt. Moderate Senators were screaming that the obstructionism and refusal to make any compromise with the Democrats is what caused the huge loss of 2022, and there were whispers of a group of Senators lead by Mitt Romney trying to unseat him as Senate Leader. Meanwhile, from the right, Senators were protesting too, saying that Cornyn was too weak, and some wanted to replace him with fellow Texan Ted Cruz. Even from the middle, there were whispers that Senate Minority Whip John Thune was planing a coup.

And President Trump, that a**hole, was joining the charade, of course, trying to shift the blame to everyone but himself, even though he was so obviously the one to blame. He tweeted every hour or so, blaming not just Cornyn, but, even moreso, Minority Leader Ryan, who was facing severe fire too for the big losses in the House. But Trump wouldn't escape blame now. No, he couldn't, John wouldn't let him. He was the one to blame, the only one because of whom the state of Congress looked like that after the 2022 midterms:

United States 2022 Senate Races Map

Composition of the U.S. Senate:

Democratic Majority: 64 Seats
Democrats: 62 Seats  (+11)
Independents (Caucusing with the Democrats): 2 Seats  (+-0)

Republican Minority: 36 Seats
Republicans: 36 Seats  (-11)

Senate Leadership:
Senate Majority Leader: Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Senate Majority Whip: Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)
Senate Minority Leader: John Cornyn (R-TX)
Senate Minority Whip: John Thune (R-SD)

Composition of the U.S. House of Representatives:

Democratic Party: 265  (+17)
Republcian Party: 170  (-17)

House Leadership:
House Speaker: Ben Ray Luján (D-CA)
House Majority Leader: Tim Ryan (D-OH)
House Majority Whip: Debbie Dingell (D-MI)
House Minority Leader: Paul Ryan (R-WI)
House Minority Whip: Steve Scalise (R-LA)

Cornyn planned to retire in 2026, but until then... Until then, he'd have to keep suffering Trump, for two years, and then his replacement. John hoped that it would be Pence- working with the Vice President was every Republican leader's wet dream- but he had some very, very serious doubts that it was going to be the case, especialyl after the midterm disaster. "Senator," one of his staffers peeked into the room then. "The press is waiting."

The Minority Leader nodded and stepped outside, approaching the stand prepared for him and positioning himself before the nosey members of the press standing before him, with their microphones and cameras. "Good afternoon. This night, I think that it cannot be denied that we, as a Republican Party, had a very bad night. We lost many seats in both houses of congress, as well as governorships. And for these losses, someone has to take responsibility. Yes, all of us share some blame, but there is one person whose share in that blame is bigger than anyone else's. First of all, I'm here to announce that as of today, I'm resigning my position as leader of the Republican Party in the Senate. But let me be clear- I'm not resigning because I believe that this blame is on me. I'm resigning because working as congressional leader became toxic and ineffectionate work. And that is not only because of our Democratic fellow- this is because of the President sitting in the White House, who, for nigh on eight years, did very poor work in congress and did not manage to gain almost any legislative achievements. This scandal-plagued President is, I believe, the biggest reason for my party's losses in congress, and I'm sorry that these eight years had to go like that, instead of them being the eight years of conservative reforms for the American people that they could've been. Thank you."

[You don't see any blue avatars now]

Wow, Murk actually wins a majority this time.

[sverkol]

I wonder how Tramp will manage to handle with 64 Democratic Senators,he can barely handle with a Republican Congress and Senate.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Wow, Murk actually wins a majority this time.

Yep- Republicans got panicked by Begich's entrance, so independent conservative candidates like Miller were heavily discouraged from running. Democrats did the same to independent progressives who could hurt their chances, though as you can see by 2.6% voting for a third party, the Libertarians and other third parties still managed to get a fairly strong performance.

I wonder how Tramp will manage to handle with 64 Democratic Senators,he can barely handle with a Republican Congress and Senate.

In this TL he has a Dem majority in both houses since 2018- most of the times, he tweets and shouts that the Democrats are obstructing progress and not letting him #MAGA, but from time to time he attempts a deal, which the Democrats (other than a few moderates who, until 2018 and even 2022, sometimes even managed to form a majority with Republicans) usually opposed. A small infaustracture package was passed in 2021, though, for which both sides tried to take credit (Paul, Cruz, Lee and others opposed from the right while Sanders, Warren, Booker and others opposed from the left- do take notice of this step from Booker), but as you can see in the results it didn't really help the Republicans.

[America Needs R'hllor]

John (again)

It was now or never, John realized. Run in 2024, or not run at all.

Ever since 2020, the then-Governor of Colorado wanted to run for President. He thought that he had the skills, ideas and experience to turn the nation around after Trump and, yes, he wanted the job. But back then, as a rain of serious Democratic candidates jumped into the field and polls made it clear that he had little to no chance at the nomination, John realized that running for the Senate from his state was a better, and much safer step. Now, he wasn't only a popular former two-term Governor, but also had four years in the Senate under his belt. It was a protfolio as good as anyone's. And even better- he didn't need to give up on his seat to run, because his term wouldn't expire until 2026.

Still, Senator Hickenlooper knew that he wasn't getting older. He was 70 years old already, and come inaguration day in 2025, he'd be a few wees from 73. And so, he started preparing a run, regardless of who else enters the field. This was his last and only chance, and he was going to take it. What did he have to lose, after all? He'd gain name recognition and influence, that was for sure, and in 2026 could run for a second and, likely, last term in the Senate.

And of course, the great results in 2022 emboldened him- if he pulled off the primaries, he would almost certainly win the general election. Everyone talked about the Senate, and about how Dems won 11 seats in an amazing performance. But John, while certainly happy that they expanded their majority, also took notice of the Gubernatorial results, which he knew were important, as a former Governor. Given that so many fresh Democrats were elected four years ago, it didn't look like as much of a sweep as the Senate, but it was still a good result. The biggest one was Texas- Castro's win was huge news for the Democrats, who finally achieved victory in that state.

State of the U.S. State Governorships:
Democratic Party- 32  (+5)
Republican Party- 18  (-4)

Results of the 2022 Gubernatorial Elections

Alabama Gubernatorial Election: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Governor Kay Ivey (R)*- 64.3% ✓
Fmr. State Rep. James C. Fields (D)- 35.5%

Alaska Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott (D)- 51.4% ✓
State Sen. Anna MacKinnon (R)- 47.1%

Arizona Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC GAIN
U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton (D)- 51.9% ✓
Sec. of State Michele Reagan (R)- 47.8%

Arkansas Gubernatorial Election: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin (R)- 57.3% ✓
Attorney Conner Eldridge (D)- 42.6%

California Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Gavin Newsom (D)*- 77.6% ✓
Entrepeneur Peter Thiel (R)- 22.4%

Colorado Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Jared Polis (D)*- 55.7% ✓
Fmr. State Rep. Victor Mitchell (R)- 44.0%

Connecticut Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Ned Lamont (D)*- 60.3% ✓
Mayor Mark Boughton (R)- 39.4%

Florida Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Gwen Graham (D)*- 53.9% ✓
State Rep. Richard Corcoran (R)- 46.0%

Georgia Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Fmr. State Rep. Stacey Abrams (D)- 52.7% ✓
Governor Casey Cagle (R)*- 47.1%

Hawaii Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Lt. Gov. Alan Arakawa (D)- 67.6% ✓
State Rep. Andria Tupola (R)- 32.2%

Idaho Gubernatorial Election: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Governor Brad Little (R)*- 64.2% ✓
Businessman A.J. Balukoff (D)- 35.6%

Illinois Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Fmr. Ed. Sec. Arne Duncan (D)- 52.7% ✓
Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti (R)- 47.0%

Iowa Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Cathy Glasson (D)*- 51.9% ✓
Fmr. Gov. Kim Reynolds (R)- 47.7%

Kansas Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Josh Svaty (D)*- 50.3% ✓
Fmr. State Rep. Ed O'Malley (R)- 48.8%

Maine Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Janet Mills(D)*- 48.7% ✓
State Sen. Michael Thibodeau (R)- 31.4%
Fmr. Mayor John Jenkins (G)- 15.4%

Maryland Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Fmr. DNC Chairman Tom Perez (D)- 54.5% ✓
Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford (R)- 44.9%

Massachusets Gubernatorial Election: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Governor Charlie Baker (R)- 50.3% ✓
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D)- 49.4%

Michigan Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D)*- 55.7% ✓
Fmr. Lt. Gov. Brian Calley (R)- 44.2%

Minnesota Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Tim Walz (D)*- 54.2% ✓
Fmr. Mayor Mary Giuliani Stephens (R)- 45.4%

Nebraska Gubernatorial Election: REPUBLICAN GAIN
Fmr. Attorney General Jon Bruning (R)- 52.3% ✓
Governor Bob Krist (D)*- 47.4%

Nevada Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Chris Giunchigliani (D)*- 51.1% ✓
Fmr. Sen. Dean Heller (R)- 48.8%

New Hampshire Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Stefany Shaheen (D)*- 56.2% ✓
Fmr. Commissioner Frank Edelblut (R)- 43.5%

New Mexico Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D)*- 57.9% ✓
State Sen. Cliff Pirtle (R)- 41.9%

New York Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Attorney Preet Bharara (D)- 61.7% ✓
Fmr. Commissioner Joseph H. Holland (R)- 37.6%

Ohio Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Richard Cordray (D)*- 54.8% ✓
Fmr. Rep. Jim Renacci (R)- 44.7%

Oklahoma Gubernatorial Election: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Governor Mick Cornett (R)*- 58.3% ✓
State Rep. Scott Inman (D)- 41.5%

Oregon Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Kate Brown (D)*- 59.7% ✓
State Rep. Bill Post (R)- 40.1%

Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Fmr. Chief of Staff Katie McGinty (D)- 52.2% ✓
Fmr. U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta (R)- 47.5%

Rhode Island Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Lincoln Chafee (D)*- 61.9% ✓
Fmr. State Sen. Giovanni Feroce (R)- 37.0%

South Carolina Gubernatorial Election: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Governor Henry McMaster (R)*- 54.4% ✓
State Sen. Thomas McElveen (D)- 45.4%

South Dakota Gubernatorial Election: REPUBLICAN HOLD
U.S. Rep Kristi Noem (R)- 62.5% ✓
Fmr. Mayor Mike Huether (I)- 29.3%
Educator Steve Jarding (D)- 8.0%

Tennessee Gubernatorial Election: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Governor Diane Black (R)*- 54.8% ✓
Fmr. Mayor Andy Berke (D)- 44.9%

Texas Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Fmr. U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D)- 49.8% ✓
Governor Greg Abbott (R)*- 49.4%

Vermont Gubernatorial Election: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Governor Phil Scott (R)*- 51.2% ✓
Fmr. Mayor Miro Weinberger (D)- 48.5%

Wisconsin Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Tony Evers (D)*- 54.7% ✓
Fmr. Gov. Scott Walker (R)- 45.0%

Wyoming Gubernatorial Election: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Governor Mark Gordon (R)*- 73.7% ✓
Mr. Ryan Greene (D)- 25.8%

[sverkol]

Texas Blue!

[Cold War Liberal]

Still, Senator Hickenlooper knew that he wasn't getting older.

I KNEW Hickenlooper was immortal!

Good timeline BTW, not thrilled with Gov. Perez but better than Barry Glassman or even Rutherford

[scutosaurus]

Georgia Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Fmr. Mayor Kasim Reed (D)- 50.7% ✓

Oh god no (Note: I absolutely want Democrats to gain the GA governorship, but I'd take a lot of Republicans over Kasim Reed.)

I like the other results though, and the rest of the timeline has been great so far. Keep it up; I'm excited to see what'll come of the 2024 election!

[America Needs R'hllor]

Jason

Did Nikki Haley just call Trump's leadership 'extremely damaging'? Jason read the WaPo headline where the former UN Ambassador's comments in some fundraiser were reported, raising his brows in surprise. She has more balls than any of the Republican men. Haley had been intensifying her rhetoric against the Trump administration ever since the midterm disaster, Jason knew, but this was a new high. And it showed just how interesting would the 2024 Republican primaries be, a clash between Trumpists and the establishment, trying to regain strength. And Trumpists, after the midterms, seemed to be losing their hold of the party.

Speaking of 2024, Jason was pretty busy with it in the last months. He was working hard as Governor, true, maintaining approval ratings as high as 60%, but he also kept an eye on the upcoming Presidential race. He couldn't deny that he kinda wanted to run- if he won the nomination, he'd win the general in a landslide. But it wasn't his time- he needed to concentrate on his duties as Governor after failing to win the nomination four years ago. Instead, he worked to help his handpicked candidate- Pete Buttigieg, who looked increasingly likely to run, at least from their conversations. He sincerely believed that Pete would be the best guy for the job, and thought that it was time for a President like him, especially with big majorities for the Democrats. Besides, in President Pete's second term, Kander would be assured an important cabinet job.

Thus, he always kept an eye on the recent polls, and told his aides to bring as many internals as possible to him. On the Republican side, it looked good for them- a chaotic battle in which Vice President Pence, who was virtually running already, would try to keep opposition from the left and from the right at bay. A key figure was already out- Rubio said that he would not run for President after losing the Senate. However, Rand Paul kept the option open, saying that he was "concerned" with the direction of his party. It looked like it was going to be a bruising primary between opposing ideologies- Nikki Haley was poised to take the establishment mantle, Tom Cotton attempted to take the Trumpist one, and Pence balanced both. Then there were other factors like Cruz, Paul, the anti-Trump Sasse, the young Senator Hawley, moderates like Hogan and Kasich, and a recent candidate who started to make noises and surge in the polls, radical Senator Bevin.

Out of these candidates, who would you support in the Republican Presidential Primary?
Vice President Mike Pence (R-IN)- 29%
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR)- 11%
Fmr. Ambassador Nikki Haley (R-SC)- 10%
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)- 6%
Senator Matt Bevin (R-KY)- 6%
Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE)- 5%
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO)- 4%
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)- 3%
Fmr. Governor Larry Hogan (R-MD)- 2%
Fmr. Governor John Kasich (R-OH)- 2%
Fmr. Administrator Scott Pruitt (R-OK)- 2%
Fmr. Senator Jeff Flake- 1%
Secretary Rick Perry (R-TX)- 0%
Other\Undecided- 19%

The Democratic primary, on the other hand, was looking entirely different. Surprisingly, it looked like the many strong contenders who participated in the 2020 convention were slowly drifting away from a run- Jason himself was the first to rule it out, and he was since joined by Gillibrand, Warren and surprisingly, Harris, who gave a sherman-esque denial that many believed. It opened up an interesting race, with many fresh faces emerging. And the best part- the establishment-progressive differences were growing increasingly blurry, especially with figures like Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders starting to fade. Thus, it looked less like an ideological, bruising battle. At least, Jason hoped so. The polls were interesting, too:

Out of these candidates, who would you support in the Democratic Presidential Primary?
Governor Richard Cordray (D-OH)- 27%
Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)- 15%
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA)- 7%
Senator Joe Kennedy III (D-MA)- 6%
Governor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)- 6%
Fmr. Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA)- 4%
Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ)- 4%
Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI)- 4%
Senator John Hickenlooper- 4%
Governor Cathy Glasson (D-IA)- 3%
Fmr. Governor Ralph Northam (D-VA)- 3%
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ)- 2%
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)- 1%
Senator Amy Klobucher (D-MN)- 1%
Other\Undecided- 13%

Pete has recently been climbing, but it still looked like a battle between two well-known faces- Gillibrand's running-mate, Cordray, and runner-up Merkley. But the one who worried Jason most of all was Cathy- her lips were sealed about 2024, but it was clear that if she ran, she could sweep Iowa and become a favourite. But if she didn't, Jason knew, her endorsement would be extremely valuable- and could well go to Buttigieg, who worked closely with her as part of their newly-created League of Midwestern Governors.

These two next years were going to be very interesting.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Now that the 2024 primaries are getting into gear, I have a question for y'all. For obvious reasons, I'm going to cover these primaries much more closely than the 2020 ones. So with two fairly crowded fields on both sides (none as crowded as the 2020 Democratic one- both parties learned), there'll be a mass of some very interesting and unique candidates to cover. So my question is- should I consistently keep to the PoV format, and just constantly throw in the good ol' "convenient articles\news reports" that present the candidates announcing, or should I add news article formats to more easily present the various candidates? Tell me what you think\would prefer.
Also, if anyone could kindly send me the likely electoral map after the 2020 census, I'd be grateful.