Well, I think Clinton still wins in 92 if the economy goes south, but who knows. But Kemp would have been able to prevent a Perot run because he wouldn’t have raised taxes and been more conservative.
Ironically, also, in 88 Kemp could well have chosen Dole as his VP after beating him in the primaries as a greybeard to match up against Bentsen. Or, maybe he would have gone with new Senator and war hero John McCain from Arizona.
It’s interesting to think about.
But Regan selecting Bush really shaped the future of the party and conservatism in ways I’m sure he never really considered. Not that I blame him. No one imagines how their VP pick will affect things 20 years down the road or that their son will end up running. But that really did have a huge influence on the future.
Excellent points all!