After a tumultuous Clinton presidency ended by a double-dip recession triggered by Greece's withdrawal from the Eurozone and tensions in the Middle East, Romney throws away his own narrow win by invading Iran. Obama has the good fortune of being passed over for a cabinet position by Clinton (Biden bowed out of politics altogether after a tenure as Clinton's Secretary of State) and so appeals to the public's desire for an outsider to pull the country out of its War on Terror/Great Recession nightmare.
President Mitt Romney (R-MA) / Vice President Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) / Fmr. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano (D-AZ) ✓
...Little does he know COVID is coming.