United States presidential election, 2044 (Fester)

The 2044 United States presidential election was the 65th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 8, 2044. Progressive nominee Michael Perry defeated incumbent Republican Ron DeSantis. Due to the rise of progressivism following Perry's victory, some historians consider the election to be a realigning election that marked the start of the "Progressive Era".

In 2042, the Democratic Party had collapsed after vote-splitting with the Progressives after a series of moderate presidents. Many Democrats had defected to the Progressive Party.

DeSantis' unpopularity and poor relations with Democratic leaders encouraged an intra-party challenge by Senator Rena Haley, a daughter of former President Nikki Haley. DeSantis defeated Haley in the majority of the Republican primaries, but Haley remained in the race until DeSantis was officially nominated at the 2040 Republican National Convention.

The Progressive primaries were contested between Michael Perry, former Governor of Oregon, former Senator Sofia Sanchez of New Mexico, Congresswoman Erika Martinez of Texas, and several other candidates. All of Perry's opponents had dropped out by the end of the primaries, and the 2044 Progressive Party National Convention nominated a ticket consisting of Perry and New York Governor Cadence Royson.

DeSantis was one of the most unpopular presidents in history, with approval ratings at 21%. He took the U.S to war in Iran and the economy plunged into one of the deepest recession's in its history, worse than the 2008 Financial Crisis. Perry campaigned on a "new progressive agenda" and campaigned on healthcare-for-all and taxing the rich at a higher rate.

Perry won in a landslide, taking a large share of the popular and electoral vote. He would go on to implement his progressive agenda and would start an era of Progressive dominance that would last until the 2090s. This election was the first of five straight electoral victories for the Progressives.