2016 US Elections (No Party Switch)

Scenario Summary
This scenario (known as No Party Switch) takes place in a timeline where the two political parties never switched. The Democrats are still right-wing, and the Republicans are still left-wing. Furthermore, I also made some changes (i.e. Donald Trump still being liberal, third parties performing better) to keep things interesting. THIS SCENARIO IS CURRENTLY A WORK IN PROGRESS.

Summary
The 2016 US Presidential Election took place on November 8, 2016. The Democratic ticket of Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Indiana Governor Mike Pence defeated the Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, the Libertarian ticket of former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and CIA agent Evan McMullin, and the Progressive ticket of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. This was the first election since 1968 that a third party candidate won a state. This was also the first election since 1988 that a presidential candidate won over 400 EVs. This was also the first election that the Progressive Party participated in. Republican Incumbent President Barack Obama was unable to seek re-election to a third term due to term limits stated in the Constitution.

Democratic Primary
Although the Democratic Primary was very crowded, one candidate stood out and won the nomination by a comfortable margin. This candidate was Texas Senator Ted Cruz. The other candidates were:

- Florida Senator Marco Rubio

- Ohio Governor John Kasich

- Dr. Ben Carson

- Ex-Florida Governor Jeb Bush

- Ex-Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore

- Ex-CEO of Hewlett-Pickard Carly Fiorina

- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

- Kentucky Senator Rand Paul

- Ex-Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum

- Political Commentator and Ex-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee

- Ex-New York Governor George Pataki

- South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham

- Ex-Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal

- Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker

- Ex-Texas Governor Rick Perry

Perry, Walker, Jindal, Graham, and Pataki all withdrew from the election before the primaries begun.

Background
Shortly after the 2012 Presidential election, speculation about 2016 begun immediately, with most political analysts predicting Texas Senator Ted Cruz becoming the 2016 Democratic nominee. Cruz led comfortably from when polling began in early 2013, until New Jersey Governor Chris Christie received a surge in polling due to his work as a Democratic governor in a traditionally Republican state. By late 2013, Christie was in 1st place in the polls, while Cruz lagged behind. On January 8, 2014, however, leaked emails revealed that Christie's administration purposely caused traffic jams on the George Washington Bridge due to political disagreements with Fort Lee's Republican Mayor. This was known as the Bridgegate scandal and it caused Christie to plummet in polls as polling started to once again favor Texas Senator Ted Cruz. From early 2014 until mid 2015, Cruz once again led comfortably in the polls as many predicted that he would become the Democratic nominee. However, Doctor Ben Carson, who held no prior political experience, begun to pose a threat against Cruz's lead in the polls, as polls showed them both neck-and-neck. However, in late 2015, Carson, when asked about the recent terrorist attack on Paris, had a hard time answering the question. This made Democratic primary voters think that Carson is inexperienced in foreign policy, this caused his numbers to plummet, as Cruz, once again, regained his 1st place spot. Many political analysts say that Cruz held the 1st place spot most of the time due to his appeal towards conservatives (who make up the majority of Democratic primary voters). Sure enough, Cruz managed to easily slide to victory in the Democratic primaries and become the Democratic nominee.

Running Mate Selection
Cruz, after winning the Democratic nomination, was reportedly considering the following individuals for the running mate position:

- Indiana Governor Mike Pence

- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (primary opponent)

- Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich

- Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions

- Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin

- Tennessee Senator Bob Corker

- North Carolina Senator Richard Burr

- Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton

- Iowa Senator Joni Ernst

- Retired Lt. General Michael Flynn

After months of speculation, Cruz picked Pence as his running mate.

Republican Primaries
The Republican Primary may have not been as crowded as the Democratic primary, but the Republican primary was just as competitive as the Democratic primary was crowded, with businessman Donald Trump and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton neck-and-neck in polling. In the end, Trump managed to narrowly win the Republican primary. Other candidates were:

- Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders

- Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley

- Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig

- Former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee

- Former Virginia Senator Jim Webb

Lessig, Chafee, and Webb withdrew before the primaries begun.

Background
Shortly after the 2012 Presidential election, speculation about 2016 begun immediately, with most political analysts predicting either Secretary of State (at the time) Hillary Clinton or Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders becoming the 2016 Republican Presidential Nominee. Both were neck-and-neck in polling from when polling began in early 2013, until late 2015, when Sanders was pushed down to third place, and a new candidate, Donald Trump, gained traction, and was neck-and-neck with Clinton in polling. By the end of the state-by-state primary, Trump was declared the Republican nominee with very few delegates ahead of Clinton.

Running Mate Selection
Trump, after winning the Republican nomination, was reportedly considering the following individuals for the running mate position:

- Virginia Senator Tim Kaine

- California US Representative Xavier Becerra

- New Jersey Senator Cory Booker

- Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown

- Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro from Texas

- Los Angeles, California Mayor Eric Garcetti

- Labor Secretary Tom Perez from Maryland

- Ohio US Representative Tim Ryan

- Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren

After months of speculation, Trump picked Kaine as his running mate.

Libertarian Primary
Former New Mexico Governor and 2012 Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson was selected as the Libertarian nominee for President. He selected former CIA agent Evan McMullin as his running mate.

Green Primary
Massachusetts Physician Jill Stein was selected as the Green nominee for President. She selected DC activist Ajamu Baraka as her running mate.

Constitution Primary
Tennessee Attorney Darrel Castle was selected as the Constitution nominee for President. He selected Utah businessman Scott Bradley as his running mate.

Party for Socialism and Liberation Primary
California Activist Gloria la Riva was selected as the Party for Socialism and Liberation nominee for President. She selected DC activist Eugene Puryear as her running mate.

Progressive Primary
The Progressive Party was not formed until mid-2016, when the election was in full swing. It was formed by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, after leaked emails showed that RNC leadership was working with Trump and Clinton to prevent Sanders from winning the primary, out of fear that a Sanders primary victory would lead to a Democratic election victory. Due to a high government official forming the party, it quickly got ballot access in all 50 states. However, by the time the party was formed, it was too late to file for the presidential election. So, Sanders chose to run as a write-in candidate for the newly-formed political party, selecting Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren as his running mate.