It's January 20, 2025. What happened if the previous poster's person is president megathread?

[Hope For A New Era]

Unexpectedly defeats an asleep-at-the-wheel R incumbent in 2022, an unusually D-friendly midterm.

Neither Biden nor Harris run in 2024. He somehow manages to get the nomination running on what amounts to a Generic D platform (probably because of a very crowded field), and narrowly wins the general thanks to the home-state effect just barely putting him over the top in Florida.


Alyse Galvin

[NewYorkExpress]

Alyse Galvin runs an independent campaign for President. However, voters for some reason can't vote outside of Alaska, and Galvin wins Alaska against Joe Biden and Donald Trump. All 49 other states and D.C agree to respect Alaska's results, and award their electoral votes to Galvin.

Lady Gaga

[kaikea1]

She pokes everyone else’s faces on the debate stage.

Joe Crowley

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Biden dies. Separately, there’s a January 6-level attack on democracy by radical leftists during the Biden-Harris term, with the tacit support of AOC. Crowley runs for his old seat back and becomes Speaker, and then ascends to the presidency when Harris (who never got a VP confirmed) somehow dies or resigns.

Stephen Breyer.

[NewYorkExpress]

The entire government, other than Stephen Breyer, is killed at next year's State of the Union.

Breyer is President at dawn on January 20, 2025, but as he didn't run in 2024, someone else is sworn in that day.

John Ashcroft

[beesley]

John Ashcroft is the surprise establishment choice to take on Trump, after many other candidates do not feel confident enough to run. He wins the primary due to a fear of another Democratic term.

Nate Silver

[Medal506]

John Ashcroft is the surprise establishment choice to take on Trump, after many other candidates do not feel confident enough to run. He wins the primary due to a fear of another Democratic term.

Nate Silver

America decides they’re in love with the establishment and choose the ultimate establishment goat Nate Silver.

Jeff Kuhner

[JoeInator]

Jeff Kuhner gets elected to succeed Charlie Baker as Governor of Massachusetts in 2022 and is almost immediately seen as a potential Presidential frontrunner. Oh, you're asking about eligibility requirements? Those were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2022. Honestly, I didn't expect it either but anyways, back to the story. Former President Trump teases a runs throughout early 2023 but chooses not to run again in March. Governor Kuhner consistently polls in 2nd or 3rd place nationwide and finishes in 2nd in Iowa and Nevada, and winning in New Hampshire. Then, during the debate just before the South Carolina primary, he has an out-of-the-park performance at the expense of the other two frontrunners, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley (Mike Pence dropped out after finishing 5th in Iowa).  This new momentum causes Kuhner to have massive victories in SC and on Super Tuesday, and becomes the presumptive nominee after DeSantis and Haley drop out. He chooses Kim Reynolds as his running mate to win Midwestern support and the Kuhner/Reynolds tickets goes on to beat the Harris/Beshear ticket.

Gary Johnson

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

The GOP gets hit with a Tangentopoli-meets-Profumo-meets-Madge Oberholtzer-level scandal in 2023 and almost the entire field bows out. Johnson, who rejoined the GOP for personal reasons in 2022, is the last man standing and is intended to be a sacrificial lamb until a similarly thermonuclear scandal hits Biden late in the general election campaign.

Nick Rahall.

[beesley]

The GOP gets hit with a Tangentopoli-meets-Profumo-meets-Madge Oberholtzer-level scandal in 2023 and almost the entire field bows out. Johnson, who rejoined the GOP for personal reasons in 2022, is the last man standing and is intended to be a sacrificial lamb until a similarly thermonuclear scandal hits Biden late in the general election campaign.

Nick Rahall.

Nick Rahall is appointed to the Senate following the resignation of Joe Manchin after Neera Tanden exposes him for something. He starts a new party called America for Rahall after Ned Lamont wins the Democratic nomination in 2024. He wins #populist voters against Lamont and Steve Mnuchin and wins Lincoln style.

Omar Navarro

[jentri78]

A massive scandal comes out against Maxine Waters and she gets a ton of Democratic opponents to the point that the top two candidates are both Republicans. Navarro then gets to use the argument that if he could win the district of Maxine Waters, he can win anywhere.

Amy McGrath

[Medal506]

Amy McGrath wins her congressional race in 2022 and goes on to win the Democratic nomination for President against Joe Biden. She then goes on to defeat Donald Trump in both the popular and electoral college vote in the general election.

Ana Kasparian

[jentri78]

Ana Kasparian is seen as the only progressive candidate with enough media attention to mount a serious primary challenge to Biden. Biden dies between Nevada and South Carolina allowing Kasparian to compete against a dead man for the nomination and win. She picks Cori Bush for VP and defeats Trump in November.

Lacy Clay Jr

[beesley]

Ana Kasparian is seen as the only progressive candidate with enough media attention to mount a serious primary challenge to Biden. Biden dies between Nevada and South Carolina allowing Kasparian to compete against a dead man for the nomination and win. She picks Cori Bush for VP and defeats Trump in November.

Lacy Clay Jr

Lacy Clay Jr wins black voters in South Carolina and is apparently way more electable than the progressive guy who won Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. He therefore wins the nomination after doing well on Super Tuesday and goes on to win the general.

Paul Hodes

[NewYorkExpress]

Hodes is elected Governor of New Hampshire in 2022, and runs for President in 2024. He wins the New Hampshire Primary, and easily wins the Democratic nomination, then defeats Donald Trump in November.

Thaddeus McCotter

[beesley]

Hodes is elected Governor of New Hampshire in 2022, and runs for President in 2024. He wins the New Hampshire Primary, and easily wins the Democratic nomination, then defeats Donald Trump in November.

Thaddeus McCotter

Thaddeus McCotter runs as a Republican. The only other proper candidate is Donald Trump, but it was revealed Trump's campaign failed to get enough valid signatures in all states. McCotter did not make this mistake again after his 2012 signature incident. He makes Trump Jr his running mate as part of a deal for Trump's support in the general and defeats Kamala Harris by winning his home state of Michigan as well as Wisconsin and Georgia.

Adam Kinzinger, but as the Republican nominee.

[Amanda Huggenkiss]

Just before the midterms, Trump is found guilty in one of the various legal battles he's facing. The GOP fails to win back Congress and most blame Trump for it. Dissatisfied about how he is treated by the GOP, he does his Patriot Party thing and takes most of his minions with him. Kinzinger runs for president and is able to establish himself as the sane, centrist candidate who champions his early stance against Trump. The Democrats somehow nominate AOC, which enhances Kinzinger's standing among moderates. Another shocking story about Trump is revealed in the final weeks of the campaign so that his voter base is narrowed down as much as possible. Kinzinger wins.

John Edwards.

[NewYorkExpress]

John Edwards decides to make a comeback bid in the Senate election, and against all odds wins.  He then defeats Marjorie Taylor Greene in the general election for President, after being the only candidate on the primary ballot in 2024 for Democrats.

Betsy DeVos

[Pink Panther]

DeVos buys Trump's endorsement, especially after paying for his bail on some charges. She runs against Andrew Cuomo, who has been discovered to have been extremely corrupt. DeVos wins and is inaugurated.

Blanche Lincoln

[NewYorkExpress]

After Joe Biden and Kamala Harris both decline to run, Blanche Lincoln becomes the consensus establishment candidate...somehow. She beats a Marjorie Taylor-Greene/Lauren Boebert ticket in November.

Malala Yousafzai

[NYDem]

After Joe Biden and Kamala Harris both decline to run, Blanche Lincoln becomes the consensus establishment candidate...somehow. She beats a Marjorie Taylor-Greene/Lauren Boebert ticket in November.

Malala Yousafzai

Tomorrow all 9 justices of the Supreme Court spontaneously decide to retire. Biden appoints 9 fringe liberals in their places to appease the left. In the run-up to the 2024 Election the court takes a case about Duckworth's eligibility to be President. The court ends up ruling that any restrictions whatsoever on eligibility would violate the 3rd, 9th, 11th, 14th, and 21st Amendments. As a result, the non-American Yousafzai announces a run to make a political statement. After both major party nominees as well as the Libertarians, Greens, and Socialists are embroiled in simultaneous Roy Moore-tier scandals, Yousafzai wins with a plurality.

Greg Schmaltz, Mayor of Ruso North Dakota

[beesley]

After Joe Biden and Kamala Harris both decline to run, Blanche Lincoln becomes the consensus establishment candidate...somehow. She beats a Marjorie Taylor-Greene/Lauren Boebert ticket in November.

Malala Yousafzai

Tomorrow all 9 justices of the Supreme Court spontaneously decide to retire. Biden appoints 9 fringe liberals in their places to appease the left. In the run-up to the 2024 Election the court takes a case about Duckworth's eligibility to be President. The court ends up ruling that any restrictions whatsoever on eligibility would violate the 3rd, 9th, 11th, 14th, and 21st Amendments. As a result, the non-American Yousafzai announces a run to make a political statement. After both major party nominees as well as the Libertarians, Greens, and Socialists are embroiled in simultaneous Roy Moore-tier scandals, Yousafzai wins with a plurality.

Greg Schmaltz, Mayor of Ruso North Dakota

Ruso secedes from North Dakota and is granted statehood in exchange for DC and Puerto Rico statehood. Schmaltz proves to be a formidable Senator, destroying Schumer and McConnell's careers and removing the Senate Parliamentarian. A draft Schmaltz movement is successful and he wins with Loving County Commissioner Harlan Hopper as Veep.

Elizabeth McDonough, the Senate Parliamentarian

[beesley]

Nobody going for the Senate Parliamentarian? Okay then...

Kristi Noem

[Medal506]

Mask mandates continue into 2024 and Kristi Noem promises to end mask mandates. She ends up beating Joe Biden in both the electoral and popular vote.

Vincent James from Red Elephants

[ale62]

Biden does not run and Kamala Harris wins.
First woman President.