2020: Governor Beau Biden the nominee

[President Johnson]

Let's say Beau Biden never suffers from cancer, gets elected governor of Delaware in 2016 (as he planed) and in 2020 decides to run for president rather than seeking reelection. Joe Biden obviously never enters the race, but forcefully campaigns for his son. How would Beau do in this election against Trump? I think it's perfectly reasonable to assume Kamala is still the vice presidential nominee since she balances the ticket on numerous terms and they already had a personal connection from their work as state attorneys general.

Anything else goes exactly as it did.

[NewYorkExpress]

Even with his father not running, I find it unlikely Beau Biden would get the Democratic nomination in 2020 if all things broke right for him. We saw with both Bullock and Hickenlooper  how hard it was for Governors of small to medium sized states to get noticed this cycle, and I see no reason why it would be different for Beau, even with his father's endorsement.

While I agree, that if he became the nominee, he'd pick a female running mate, I don't think he'd pick Kamala Harris. Kamala's shared record as a state Attorney General doesn't actually help Beau, who needs help with Foreign Policy, and needs someone with at least some stature in Domestic Politics. He's not going to get help with the first, but I think he can find someone who checks the same boxes as Kamala and fills his second need easily (assuming she's interested, of course)

Delaware Governor Beau Biden/Former FLOTUS Michelle Obama 54% 375 EV
President Donald Trump/Vice President Mike Pence 44% 163 EV

[Agonized-Statism]

You could say the outcome would depend on the kind of campaign he would run, but let's be honest, most people are voting against Trump. Unless you're someone who plans to rock the boat, like Sanders or Yang or Warren (theoretically), you'll get more or less the same map. As the poster above said, he would want a running mate stronger in foreign policy. He might still have been thinking about picking an ambitious VP, even as a young man, given his health.

President Donald Trump (R-FL) / Vice President Mike Pence (R-IN)
Governor Beau Biden (D-DE) / Fmr. National Security Advisor Susan Rice (D-DC) ✓