2032 US Presidential Election (Expecto Patronum's World)

Summary
After an election that went to the House of Representatives couldn't be decided by the House of Representatives, the Speaker of the House Eric Swalwell was elected President by the House of Representatives.

Background
In 2032, President Nikki Haley has had groundbreaking success in closing the gender pay gap, paying off the national debt, and mending international relations. However, climate change has still not been recognized as a threat by her Republican Party, leaving her vulnerable. A massive climate change protest in Miami boosted the national profile of Shaquille O'Neal, legendary basketball player, to a political status. The Technocratic Party collapsed with Andrew Yang's departure from the party to rejoin the Democratic Party. The Prohibition Party faded as a national party after Mike Pence's retirement from politics. On the other hand, the Democratic-Socialists gained the right to have an official primary in every state and became a third major established party.

Candidates
Former Senator Al Franken of Minnesota

Basketball Legend Shaquille O'Neal

Former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano

Governor Ben McAdams of Utah

Attorney Michael Avenatti

Summary of Primary
Governor Ben McAdams was long rumored to have been plotting a presidential run, so it can as no surprise when he was the first to announce his campaign that centered on pragmatism and incrementalist fixes to platform problems in early January 2031. Many activists who were frustrated by McAdams' seemingly retroactive positions on climate change started a Draft Shaq campaign to try and capitalize off of Shaquille O'Neal's emotional viral speech he gave at a climate change protest in Miami. Much to almost the entire population's surprise, Shaquille O'Neal launched his campaign in late January 2031. In an effort of nostalgia, former Secretary of Homeland Security under Obama, Janet Napolitano, launched her surprise campaign in early March 2031. Attorney Michael Avenatti launched his campaign in mid-April 2031, but received little publicity and never gained much traction in the contest. Disgraced former Senator Al Franken launched a comeback bid for the presidency and gained support on the east coast and in the deep south, but was unable to overcome his past of #MeToo scandal. All five candidates managed to qualify for the only debate stage of the campaign. Political analysts determined that Al Franken won, however the voting public seemed to prefer Shaquille O'Neal's performance. Shaquille O'Neal carried his debate momentum over into winning Iowa and eventually the nomination. While he technically only got 47.2% of the total delegate vote, Shaquille O'Neal reached an agreement with Janet Napolitano and made her his running mate in exchange for the delegates to win the nomination.

Candidates
Former Secretary of HUD Ben Carson

President Nikki Haley

President Nikki Haley was expected to go unchallenged in the Republican Primary. However, aging former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson launched a bid for the nomination. While his candidacy was viewed as viable and received a lot of publicity, it ended up only winning Michigan and Washington D.C. for a total of 78 delegates. Nikki Haley won the nomination easily and never engaged in a debate with Secretary Carson.

Candidates
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York

Governor Julia Salazar of New York

Senator Danny K. Davis of Illinois

Libertarian
Candidates

Former Secretary of the Interior Justin Amash

Wall Street Journal Editor Mary O'Grady

Green
The Green Party ended up endorsing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after she had effectively won the Democratic-Socialist primary and formed a fusion ticket.

Debates
O'Neal, Haley, and Ocasio-Cortez qualified for all three presidential debates. Amash qualified for the last one. Haley and Ocasio-Cortez both were considered to have won the first two debates, while Amash had a breakout showing in the third debate.

Election Night
Amash won an unexpected nine states for 117 electoral votes. O'Neal won an underwhelming seven states for 148 electoral votes. Ocasio-Cortez won 22 states for 130 electoral votes. Haley won 21 states for 158 electoral votes. No candidate won a majority of electoral votes, so the election went to the House of Representatives.

House of Representatives
A majority of liberals in the House of Representatives gathered behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, while a majority of conservatives in the House of Representatives gathered behind Nikki Haley. A group of 85 Amash-supporting congressmen held out on joining Nikki Haley and prevented her from becoming president. Because of the holdout, the speaker of the house became president. The speaker of the house at the time was Eric Swalwell. Therefore, Eric Swalwell was elected president.