If W Bush lost in 2000, does he ever run for prez again?

[Sir Mohamed]

What does Atlas think W would have done after losing the 2000 election? Just switch one of FL or NH and Al Gore very narrowly wins. Do you think W Bush seeks a rematch in 2004 or sits this one out and tries again in 2008?

I'm sure he would have been elected to an additional term as governor, perhaps even going for a 4th term in 2006 as TX doesn't have term limits.

[dw93]

I think he finishes out his term as Texas Governor and goes back into the private sector. I think McCain would get the nod to go against Gore in 2004 and likely wins. If Gore does beat McCain, I think 2008 is when Jeb would run.

[Agonized-Statism]

If he does, it's 2004 or bust, but I think he finishes out his term as governor and returns to the private sector. IIRC, he wasn't really into the job as anything other than a stepping stone to the presidency and Rick Perry was doing a lot of the work. Maybe he becomes the Major League Baseball Commissioner.

McCain probably beats Gore in 2004, with Republicans better able to appeal to the security-concerned post-9/11 electorate in spite of Gore's incumbency and any wars he starts, then Clinton wins in 2008 and 2012. After that, it gets fuzzy, but my guess is that a kind of Tea Party movement has formed and Rubio beats a Senator or Governor Obama in 2016, then someone from the Clinton administration wins in 2020 once COVID hits. Jeb Bush would run at some point but wouldn't get nominated.

[Schiff for Senate]

I think he finishes out his term as Texas Governor and goes back into the private sector. I think McCain would get the nod to go against Gore in 2004 and likely wins. If Gore does beat McCain, I think 2008 is when Jeb would run.

Whichever person won in 2000 would likely have the edge in 2004 because of 9/11. I don't see how McCain would be the favourite in 2004 GE at all if Gore is already president, assuming he doesn't completely mismanage the reaction to 9/11.

[dw93]

I think he finishes out his term as Texas Governor and goes back into the private sector. I think McCain would get the nod to go against Gore in 2004 and likely wins. If Gore does beat McCain, I think 2008 is when Jeb would run.

Whichever person won in 2000 would likely have the edge in 2004 because of 9/11. I don't see how McCain would be the favourite in 2004 GE at all if Gore is already president, assuming he doesn't completely mismanage the reaction to 9/11.

Iraq wasn't the only reason Bush was vulnerable in 2004, as the recovery from the "Dotcom" Recession was weak, and would still likely be weak even with Gore, and while I think Gore would've responded to 9/11 better than Bush, I doubt he gets the rally around the flag effect to the extent that Bush did, given the fact that the GOP would be quick to relentlessly attack Clinton/Gore over 9/11, something the Democrats didn't do with Bush.

[NewYorkExpress]

I doubt he goes the immediate rematch in 2004.

Assuming Jeb doesn't run in 2004 (and he'd probably beat McCain for the nomination if he did), W. probably runs in 2008 (either as an incumbent or after retiring in 2006), and wins the Republican nomination against some combination of Romney/Huckabee/Giuliani relatively easily, then goes on to defeat either one of Lieberman/Hillary Clinton/Barack Obama against the backdrop of the global financial crisis.