2020 American Presidential Election (Unexotic Galaxy)

The 2020 American Presidential Election was the 59th quadrennial election in American history, taking place on the 3rd of November 2020. The election determined whether or not incumbent President Hillary Clinton, eligible to run again due to the [https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-22/#:~:text=Section%201,the%20President%20more%20than%20once. 22nd Amendment] would be re-elected or replaced by a new presidential ticket for the 2021-2025 presidential term. A series of party caucuses and primaries took place from February to August 2020 to determine each party's nominee for the General Election; despite her relative unpopularity, Clinton was easily re-nominated by the Democratic Party from a field of just two candidates, while former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney emerged from a thirteen candidate field of Republicans to become their nominee for a second time following an unsuccessful bid for the presidency back in 2012. Ultimately, the Republican ticket of Romney and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott would go on to defeat the Democratic ticket of Clinton and Vice President Tammy Duckworth, earning a total of 293 electoral votes, the highest earned by a Republican ticket ever since the new millennium.

The election was set to a backdrop of immense global turmoil. The COVID-19 pandemic had devastated most of the world, and the threat of a second major recession had become a devastating reality by the second half of the year and prompted intense discussion on crisis management, governmental infrastructure and the looming threat of automation in America's workforce. Foreign policy crises had gripped the nation in fear; burgeoning tensions with the Middle East, China and Russia had led to what could only be considered a four-way Cold War. The new decade, and the Clinton Administration's promise of economic renewal, global peace and technological progress, had fizzled out and America already felt its dire consequences. Clinton's approval rating stagnated at a weak 41%.

Clinton began the election with a marginal lead in the polls over Romney that soon faded away entering into May 2020 when the former Bain Capital CEO experienced a significant surge. The election of 2020 was widely considered to have been one of the most polarizing in American history.