2004: Gore-Kerry vs. Bush-Cheney rematch (With 9/11)

[Suburbia]

Former Vice President Al Gore runs for the '04 Dem nomination; he picks the same running mate he picked in 2000--John Kerry and runs against President Bush and VP Cheney.

Gore uses his foreign policy experience to slam Bush's handling of national security; Bush attacks Gore for not doing much as VP in the 1990s to prevent 9/11 from happening.

Who wins?

[NewYorkExpress]

Hillary Clinton was a more likely candidate in 2004 than Gore was.

If Gore did run and won the Democratic nomination (very likely, the only person in the 2004 IRL field was probably Edwards), I don't think he picks Kerry as his running mate.



Gore flips Florida this time.

Al Gore/John Kerry 48%
George W. Bush/Dick Cheney 48.097%

[Alben Barkley]

I don’t see how he does any better, frankly. Kerry did better in Ohio than Gore did. It’s not like Gore was way more charismatic or a massively superior candidate. I don’t think he makes Florida so competitive again. So hard to see what would change much. Kerry’s war credentials probably helped him at least a much as hurt him thanks to the “swiftboat” BS. So that’s not an advantage to Gore. I don’t see where the advantage is other than perhaps some people feeling he was the rightful president anyway. But those people were mostly partisan Democrats who voted for Kerry.