Elections that you wish went differently with hindsight

[darklordoftech]

What, if any, elections do wish turned out differently with hindsight?

[OSR stands with Israel]

From their actual result or

differently from how you wanted it to go

[darklordoftech]

From their actual result or

differently from how you wanted it to go

Both

[OSR stands with Israel]

From their actual result or

differently from how you wanted it to go

Both

2000 primaries(McCain over Bush)

[TheSaint250]

Presidential:

-1976: Ford was a great president and would have done a better job than Carter, whose economic and foreign-policy mistakes cost us.
-1992: Either Jerry Brown or Ross Perot (especially the latter) being president might have done wonders for us, though Bush 41 getting a second term would be preferable as well. Bill Clinton was a fine president but a horrible person.
-2008: McCain would have been a much better president.
-2016: Only if there were another Republican as the presidential nominee who could still beat Clinton.

Senate:

-2010 (DE): If it weren't for the Tea Party, Senator Mike Castle might be in Washington, D.C., wondering how he became the face of the Anti-Trump Republicans (and leader of the moderates).
-2012 (IN): Richard Lugar should have remained senator.
-2012 (MA): Scott Brown was the model moderate Republican. If only there were more like him.
-2014 (NH): See above.

[Dr. MB]

Alaska 1980 Senate Democratic primary.

Texas 1970 Senate Democratic primary.

[Mr. Smith]

Presidential

2000: We needed Gore
1988 Primaries: Someone besides Dukakis
1980 Primaries: Ted never entering might've kept the base enough to get Carter over the top and keep
1968: Nixon was just not the one


Senate

2010: Wisconsin, Pennsylvania
2006: Connecticut, Rhode Island
2002: Missouri, Georgia

Governor

2003: California Recall never should've happened

[HillGoose]

Presidential:

2008 - McCain would have f!cked up Putin
1996 - Cowardly Bill Clinton didn't deserve a second term after what he let happen in Rwanda
1992- Bush wouldn't have let what happened in Rwanda happen in the first place
1964- Barry Goldwater would have been a better President, he would have been tough on the Soviet Union
1960- Nixon would have bombed Cuba out of existence
1932- FDR was America's first communist President and Hoover was done wrong by history

[darklordoftech]

1932- FDR was America's first communist President and Hoover was done wrong by history

Are you aware that Hoover supported tariffs and opposed intervention in WWII?

[HillGoose]

1932- FDR was America's first communist President and Hoover was done wrong by history

Are you aware that Hoover supported tariffs and opposed intervention in WWII?

Yes. But he would have respected the two-term tradition and left office in 1937, so he wouldn't have had to make the decision about World War II.

I dislike tariffs but it's not the end of the world. I also believe they were more useful back in the past.

[dw93]

Presidential:

2000: Don't let Trump being awful cloud your memory, Bush was a horrible President and we're still dealing with the horrendous effects of his Presidency today. Gore would've been a far better President. If not Gore, have McCain win the Republican primary instead of Bush.

1976: Sorry President Carter, but President Ford was the best President of the 70's and  got a bum rap. While the late 70s still would've sucked regardless of who won, they still would've fared better under Ford than they did under Carter. Added bonus is 1980 most likely sees a Democrat beat Reagan or Dole after what would be 12 difficult years of Republicans in the White House.

1968 (and this is solely with hindsight): HHH winning means the Vietnam war doesn't needlessly drag on for an additional five years, the Supreme Court stays Liberal a little longer, and Watergate doesn't happen, meaning that the Country doesn't completely lose faith in its Government. The economy in the 70s (and in the long term in general) might fare better without Nixon's meddling for the sake of getting re elected.

1960: Ironic given the fact that 1968 is also on this list. The Nixon of 1960 was not the paranoid and bitter Nixon we got in 1968. No Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam is likely avoided, Civil Rights is most likely still pushed, but with less unrest. This would also make for a unique Political dynamic. The New Deal Coalition likely lingers on longer and movement conservatism is weakened and the rise of it is likely delayed.

2008: I've debated this back and forth a lot since the 2016 election but after a year and a half of debate and at times saying otherwise, I can honestly say (as I did pre 2015) that I wish Hillary had been nominated in 2008. Any Democrat would've won in 2008 after the events of September of that year and I don't think she'd take the race for granted (at least not to the extent that she did against Trump). She, like Obama, would have issues going into 2012, but if the GOP is anything like it was OTL, I think she beats Romney or whoever the GOP puts up. She still wins with most of Obama's coalition, but she also keeps working class whites in the Democratic Party. Plus, Obama would be a much better "heir" to Clinton's legacy than she was to Obama's, and he'd have more experience than he did in 2008 and have less baggage to boot. The only potential downside is Trump probably stays a Democrat, the upside of that of course is he isn't President today.

Honorable Mention:

1992: On the one hand, Given the situation with Russia today, it would've probably been better that Bush Sr. got another term as we'd have had a steadier, more tested hand at the helm in the early post Cold War years, plus other international issues (Somalia, maybe North Korea and Rwanda) might've been dealt with better. No 1994 Republican revolution either.

On the other hand, the Court might drift further right if White and Blackmun  still retire, so Roe could easily get overturned. The Budget would be in worse shape, and we also risk someone even more centrist than Clinton getting the Democratic nomination and getting elected in 1996.

[darklordoftech]

I wish 1976, 1992, 1996, 2008, and 2012 went differently with hindsight. I was always sad about 2000, but with hindsight I feel even more strongly about it.

[dw93]

I wish 1976, 1992, 1996, 2008, and 2012 went differently with hindsight. I was always sad about 2000, but with hindsight I feel even more strongly about it.

You'd want a Dole/Kemp ticket elected in 1996 with Newt Gingrich as Speaker of the House?

[darklordoftech]

I wish 1976, 1992, 1996, 2008, and 2012 went differently with hindsight. I was always sad about 2000, but with hindsight I feel even more strongly about it.

You'd want a Dole/Kemp ticket elected in 1996 with Newt Gingrich as Speaker of the House?

I'd like to have seen the abolition of the Department of Education. It would certainly be better than No Child Left Behind.

Dole opposed many of the authoritarian policies advocated by Reagan, the Bushes, and the Clintons.

[Lechasseur]

Differently from how I would have wanted it to go at the time:
1976
2000
2004

Different from the actual result (but while still supporting the same candidate):
1992
2008
2012

[#gravelgang #lessiglad]

This isn't strictly in the spirit of what you're asking, but obviously I would change the outcome of MN-2002 so that Wellstone's plane doesn't go down.

Otherwise, I would change WI-2010 and IN-1976, both Senate.

[Lexii, harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy]

The 1932 German elections would probably be #1 on my list

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Presidential
-1928: If Smith or another Democrat had been president when the Depression started, then the GOP would be the dominant party today and over the last 80 years
-1960: If Nixon had won there likely would never have been Watergate
-1992: No Clinton realignment means no Obama, and by extension, no Trump either.
-2008: McCain would've revitalized center-right, mainstream conservatives within the GOP instead of the party catering to the alt right.  Not to mention it meant the first black president could still be a Republican.
-2012: Romney has been proven right on just about everything he was ridiculed for, especially Russia
-2016: Kasich or Christie should've been the GOP nominee.

Senate
-New Jersey 1982: Millicent Fenwick was a great Republican feminist, not to mention a respected fashion writer.  She would've been an amazing Senator.
-Minnesota 2008: Coleman would've won if it weren't for illegal votes from convicted felons being counted.  And Franken is not only a misogynist, but a hyperpartisan potty mouth.
-Delaware 2010: If it weren't for the Tea Party movement, the GOP would've picked up both Obama and Biden's Senate seats only two years into their first term.
-Nevada 2010: Again, if the Tea Partiers hadn't nominated such a lousy candidate, Harry Reid would've lost, and I would have loved to see that.
-Indiana 2012: Another seat thrown away by the Tea Partiers.  Lugar should've won the R primary.
-Massachusetts 2012: Scott Brown was the heir of the Yankee Republicans, and Elizabeth Warren is quite possibly the most dangerous woman in America
-Missouri 2012: Another Tea Party disaster set up in the primaries.
-Montana 2012: Democrats propped up a Libertarian candidate to split the GOP vote and get Tester reelected.
-Wisconsin 2012: Tommy Thompson was a great governor and likely would've been a great Senator too.
-Illinois 2016: Kirk could've been saved if the party hadn't written him off so early
-Nevada 2016: Heck was a far better candidate IMO than Masto
-New Hampshire 2016: Ayotte was a great Senator and I hated to see her lose.  Hopefully she'll make a comeback bid in 2020 or 2022.

Governor
-Washington, 2004: This election was stolen in a fashion similar to the aforementioned Franken election in Minnesota.
-Michigan, 2006: Our economic recovery would've started much sooner if DeVos had won.
-Illinois, 2010: Another casualty of ideological purity in the GOP.  Jim Ryan should've been nominated and would have won.

Other
-NY-23 Congress, 2009
-NY-26 Congress, 2011: A former Democrat ran as a "Tea Party" candidate, causing the Democrat to win with a mere plurality, and nobody thinks that's worth investigating?
-2016 British EU membership referendum
-2017 British general election: Conservatives should've won by a landslide, especially since Corbyn is a nutcase and Labour is openly Marxist and anti-Semitic.

-2010 (DE): If it weren't for the Tea Party, Senator Mike Castle might be in Washington, D.C., wondering how he became the face of the Anti-Trump Republicans (and leader of the moderates).
-2012 (IN): Richard Lugar should have remained senator.
-2012 (MA): Scott Brown was the model moderate Republican. If only there were more like him.
-2014 (NH): See above.

Finally, someone who gets it, especially with the Tea Party movement!

EDIT: The Manchester attack is another big reason why the 2017 British election should've been a Conservative landslide.

[America's Sweetheart ❤/𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖞 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖗]

1964: Nelson Rockefeller is the Republican nominee, Kennedy isn't assassinated, and Rocky narrowly wins
1968: Wallace doesn't run and Humphrey wins
1972: Wallace is the Democratic nominee and Nixon crushes him in an absolutely epic fashion
1976: Ford wins
1980: Carter runs again and wins
1984: H.W Bush beats Carter
1988: H.W Bush wins reelection
1996: Pat Buchanan wins the GOP nomination and Clinton crushes him
2000: Gore wins Florida and the election
2004: Gore wins reelection
2008: Romney beats Joe Lieberman
2012: Hillary Clinton unseats Romney
2016: Incumbent President Clinton destroys Trump

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Any time a right-wing candidate won, I would have preferred a left-wing candidate instead would have won? What an easy question.

[darklordoftech]

Any time a right-wing candidate won, I would have preferred a left-wing candidate instead would have won? What an easy question.

What I had in mind was elections where someone supporter Candidate A at the time, but with hindsight wishes Candidate B won.

[Kingpoleon]

Presidential:
1976(Ford), 1992(Tsongas), 2012(Huntsman or Romney)

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I hate to say it but Pawlenty winning in 2006 was probably the better outcome. Hatch would've likely lost in 2010 and a GOP trifecta would've taken over both gerrymandering the congressional and legislative maps and implementing Scott Walker's agenda on MN.

[Peanut]

1976, by far. Reagan would probably be remembered as a former actor who tried to primary the President, and the 80s would've been probably a Democratic decade. Dole would get destroyed in 1980.

I'd say 2016 short-term, but I think it was a pyrhic victory since whoever won it, I believe, would get unseated in 2020, and if Hillary won we'd be decimated with this monstrosity of a Senate map.
Also 1968, since President Humphrey would have been great.

[Lamda]

Presidential
1968:Eugene McCarthy dafeats Nixon
1980:Ted Kennedy wins the primary and dafeats Ronald Reagen
1988:Dukakis could have been one of our greatist presidents
1992:Bush re elected,Bill Clinton and his stupid third way almost destroyed the Democratic Party and hopefully it would prevents from HRC getting into politics.
In 1996 every Democrat would smash Dan Quayle.
2000:Al gore wins without Lieberman.
2004:Bob Graham/Jim Doyle ticket dafeats Bush.
2008:Al Gore making a comeback,Al gore with experience would be a great president (no 2010 disaster hopefully), in 2016 VP Obama would dafeat Trump and Obama would entered to the office with more experience.
2016:Bernie Sanders Wins Primary and General

Senate
Florida 2004:Betty Castor wins,Mal Martinez was terrible and Betty Castor would've been a great senator and it would've save us from Marco Rubio
Wisconsin 2010:Russ Feingold re eleced
Lousiana 2014:Mary Landrieu re elected
Massachusetts 1996:Bill Weld dafeats John Kerry, it would've saved us from Kerry's failed campaign and Weld would lose in 2008 blue wave.
Tennessee 1994:Jim Cooper dafaets Fred Thompson.
Kentucky 1984:Dee Huddleston re elected
Missouri 2016:Kander dafeats Blunt
North Carolina 2016:Deborah Ross wins,another progressive professor in the senate? count me in!

gubernatorial
Florida 2010:Alex Sink wins,would've been much better than Rick Scott.
Wisconsin 2010:Tom Barrett wins,would've been much better than Scott Walker.
Missouri 2016:Eric Coster wins
Kentacky 2015:Grimes runs and wins
California 1966:If Reagen would lose he wouldn't run for president
California 1982:Tom Bradley would've been a great governor
California 1990:if Dianne Feinstein would've win this race,she wouln't run for senate in 1992

House
FL 26 2016:Annette Taddeo wins the primary and dafeats Carlos Curbelo
Idaho 1 2010:Walt Minnick re elected
KY 2012:Ben Chandler re elected
NY 19 2016:Zephyr Teachout wins