2040 U.S presidential election (Porvenir)

The United States presidential election of 2040 was the 64th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 6, 2040. Libertarian nominee and incumbent President Diego Braun defeated Democratic candidate and U.S Senator from New York Chelsea Clinton, and TEA Party candidate and Governor of Florida George P. Bush.

Braun was re-elected in the largest electoral landslide since Ronald Reagan's victory in the 1984 election.

Vice President Gary Johnson stepped down from the ticket, and was replaced by actor, businessman and retired pro wrestler John Cena.

Background
By 2040, the Second Great Depression was over. Unemployment had taken a nosedive, the economy soared, and poverty/homelessness were at their lowest levels in American history. President Braun's Teddy Roosevelt-esque programs following the principles of "Good trusts, and bad trusts" had given him and the Libertarian Party wide popularity among the American people. Braun had proven that not only was the two-party system obsolete and ready to die, but also that Democratic-Socialism could work and thrive in America.

While the Depression had spared the country, it had claimed at least one victim: the Republican Party. Former President Young's heavily criticized handling of the economic crisis compounded by Marco Rubio's dismal performance in the election of 2036 had left the party in shambles. The GOP's strategy of focusing on congressional races had also backfired, as they had seen their presences in both Houses of Congress destroyed in 2036 and 2038, the latter cycle being a final death rattle before the party disbanded that December. With the last socially liberal and pacifist Republicans jumping ship for the Libertarian Party and the neoconservatives fleeing for the Democrats, a group of conservative donors and far-right statesmen founded the TEA Party, inspired by both the historical event and the early 2010s movement. The Party remained the final bastion of hope for social conservatism and free-market capitalism in the United States, taking staunch anti-regulatory and theocratic stances, largely tiptoeing around anti-Hispanic rhetoric but still preaching nativism in the face of Muslim and Chinese refugees nevertheless. With several members of Congress already in place, the party was ready to compete against Braun's supposed big government policies.

The Democrats, bruised by the FEC leaks of the last presidential election, were terrified they'd go the way of the Republicans, With the vast majority of progressives having defected to the Libertarians, they firmly embraced centrism, planning to once more nominate the "safe choice" in 2040.

Democratic Party nomination
Democratic candidates
 * Chelsea Clinton (60), U.S Senator from New York (Nominee)
 * Ricky Dobbs (52), U.S Senator from Georgia
 * Michael Tubbs (50), U.S Senator from California
 * Josh Gottheimer (65), U.S Senator from New Jersey
 * Tim Ryan (67), former U.S House Majority Leader from Ohio

With few progressives left in the party, and even fewer politicians left to represent them, the Democratic Party finally embraced the centrism they'd pushed in the post-Obama era.

Chelsea Clinton, the carrier of the Clinton legacy, quickly made moves to consolidate neoliberal donors. After several meetings and luncheons with Wall Street executives and big bankers, Clinton launched her campaign in 2039. Clinton ran on a platform of "radical centrism", championing the social justice policies President Braun had followed while castigating the Libertarians for their reluctance to maintain America's global presence. Like Jeramey Anderson, she slammed Braun for his friendly tone towards Russia and China, adamant that some nations were natural enemies of the U.S.

Many neoliberals were reticent to embrace Clinton. Despite aligning with her views almost precisely, many feared running another Clinton would imply Democratic support for the hated Bush-Clinton oligarchy of old, and that Clinton would be tied to the baggage of her late parents. Navy Veteran and Georgia Senator Ricky Dobbs provided anti-Clinton neoliberals with exactly what they wanted: a young, fresh face who followed Clinton's politics while still being quite likable. Regardless, many status quo Dems had reservations about Dobbs as well, believing him to be untested. Thus, Clinton succeeded in cornering most Democratic support, while Dobbs was more popular among grassroots activists.

The primary battle between Clinton and Dobbs evoked memories of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in 2008. Debates were respectful yet contentious, with both conceding their belief that the other was a good person, despite fervently rejecting each other's approach to neoliberalism. Dobbs ended up carrying Iowa, which was not unanticpipated by Clinton who bounced back in New Hampshire and Nevada. In the end, Clinton's experience and influence won out, and she captured the nomination by March. To avoid losing Dobbs' supporters however, Clinton chose him as her running mate, giving the ticket the perfect balance of experience and youth. The Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, saw the pair crowned in front of a crowd much smaller than previous years, an early indication of the uphill battle the DNC faced.

Libertarian Party nomination
Libertarian candidates Despite President Braun's popularity among the general populace, and near-universal claim by Libertarians, it was expected the small resistance in the Party of anarcho-capitalists or social conservatives would put on one last fight for the heart and soul of their party. The latter minority had railed for former Colorado Governor and Braun rival Howard Napier to make a second run for the presidency. In 2039 however, Napier gave an unequivocal endorsement of Braun which doubled as a Shermanesque rejection of a potential run. 2024 nominee Austin Petersen explored a run which was met with a firm rebuttal by moderate Libertarians who had still yet to forgive him for his disastrous showing at the top of the ticket which had been greatly attributed to the rise of Braun and the dawn of the new, leftist Libertarian Party. Finally, activist and perennial candidate Adam Kokesh emerged for the anarcho-capitalists, and was supported by most social conservatives.
 * Diego Braun (42), U.S President from Washington State (Nominee)
 * Adam Kokesh (58), activist from New Mexico

Surprisingly, Braun agreed to take part in one debate with Kokesh at the University of Iowa. Kokesh's efforts made little difference regardless, and Braun carried every state in what was considered the final battle between libertarian-leftists and the remnants of the radical libertarian-right.

To many in the party's disappointment but not surprise, Vice President Gary Johnson stepped down from the ticket, citing his advanced age (88 by inauguration day), and a desire to spend more time with his grandchildren. Several candidates were floated as replacements, but major party donor, businessman, actor, and retired professional wrestler John Cena was chosen in a surprise rally in Massachusetts, during which Braun introduced his running mate by referencing the 2015-16 internet meme based on Cena ("My running mate is strong, both figuratively and literally, he is big, both figuratively and literally, and his name is John Cena!"), after which Cena came on stage to his WWE theme The Time is Now.

Braun and Cena were nominated at the Party convention in Madison Square Garden, New York, New York. During the convention, Johnson appeared on stage and gave his blessing for Cena to replace him to a standing ovation from the delegates. After Cena and Braun's respective speeches, the convention closed to New York, New York performed by Ronan Sinatra Farrow.

TEA Party nomination
TEA candidates Having just been founded and coming off the catastrophic death of the GOP, most TEA Party donors and founders realized they had little realistic chance of defeating Braun, but instead prioritized putting together a strong ticket that could better position the party for 2044 or 2048.
 * George P. Bush (64), U.S Senator from Texas (Nominee)
 * Kyle Kashuv (39), U.S Senator from Florida
 * Steven Crowder (53), comedian from Michigan
 * Adam Kinzinger (62), former U.S Secretary of Defense from Illinois

With just a handful of congressional members, TEA Party founders such as Montana billionaire Taylor Schmook, Florida businessman Wyatt Koch, and comedian Steven Crowder were considered frontrunners for the nomination. However, two TEA Party officeholders and Floridians ended up tossing their hats in the ring: Florida Governor George P. Bush and Florida Senator Kyle Kashuv. Bush, like Chelsea Clinton, was the heir-apparent to a political dynasty, his father JEB being a Secretary of State, and his grandfather and uncle being Presidents. Like with Clinton and the Democrats however, Republicans were hesitant to nominate another Bush. Young Florida Senator Kyle Kashuv picked up on anti-Bush sentiment, running a campaign not dissimilar to Ted Cruz's 2016 campaign, rallying small donors and visiting rural communities. Believing neither Bush or Kashuv to represent true consrvatism, Steven Crowder ended up making a late entry into the race.

As the TEA Party was still building itself, no caucuses were held. Instead, delegates voted for their choice at the convention in Concord, New Hampshire. The first round of voting eliminated Crowder and other various candidates, leaving Bush to win on the second round. At the convention, Bush chose General Shaye Lynne Haver as his running mate.

General election campaign
Diego Braun wasted no time drawing a stark contrast between himself, and the "Clinton-Bush paradigm" as he described his two major opponents. Clinton for her part attempted to take advantage of Braun's attacks, basing her campaign around the premise that Braun was young and inexperienced, and that if the government was not soon retaken by an weathered statesman, the economy would once again collapse. The Third World War was also a major talking point for Clinton. She disparaged Braun for not sending troops to the Mediterranean to combat invading Ottoman forces. Braun defended himself by standing by his position of a self-defense oriented foreign policy that remained popular among most Americans according to polling.

Bush, unlike Clinton, attempted to run from his family's legacy, and position himself as the outsider candidate. This was widely viewed as a pandering attempt to win over independents and moderates, and benefited the TEA ticket little.

A major milestone in the campaign came following the death of former U.S President and Bush's uncle George W. Bush in September, 2040. All three candidates immediately suspended their campaigns and attended the elder Bush's state funeral. Braun drew particular praise from the press for his conduct during the time of the funeral, crossing across the rotunda to hug both George P. Bush and JEB Bush and offering his condolences, also castigating aging comedian Jimmy Dore and others for speaking ill of the former President after his death.

Results
Most pundits anticipated a Braun victory in both the electoral and popular votes. Few however could predict the absolute landslide Braun enjoyed on both fronts, carrying every state save for Clinton's homestate of New York and edging Bush in his state of Florida.

In his second inaugural speech, Braun gave all credit for both the restoration of the American economy and his victory to the spirit of the American people. He called on all Americans to unite and continue to work diligently for the betterment of their country, declaring "this is just the beginning."