United States presidential election, 2040 (Stefanik, O'Rourke)

The 2040 United States presidential election took place on Tuesday, November 3, 2040. It will be the 64th quadrennial presidential election. Voters selected presidential electors who voted on December 14, 2024,[2] to select a new president and vice president. The election will occur simultaneously alongside elections for the House of Representatives, Senate, and various state and local-level elections.

Despite peace in the world, Stefanik had some obstacles during her presidency. She oversaw the 2039 economic recession and by 2040 the economy was still recovering. By 2040, Stefanik lost much control over the Republican Party, and her efforts to pass green energy legislation were blocked by her party in the Senate. Environmental problems became worse than ever before with states in the South getting flooded, and states in the North experiencing rainforest fires. Many white Southern conservatives also felt alienated by the Republican Party's support for minority rights.

Despite efforts by former vice president Ted Cruz, Stefanik secured Republican renomination by gaining enough delegated on 17th May.

In the meantime, despite still having a lot of support Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced she wouldn't run for president. Frontrunners for the democratic nomination included South Carolina Senator Joe Cunningham, former Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, former Georgia Governer Keisha Lance Bottoms, Texas Senator Beto O'Rourke, and Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz. By mid-April, it appeared as if the race was between O'Rourke and Bottoms. In a close race, O'Rourke secured enough delegates to become the Democratic candidate on 13th June. He selected Whitmer to be his running mate.

Stefanik campaigned on her foreign policy successes, minority rights policies, and defended her administration's management of the economy and the environment. O'Rourke attacked Stefanik on the economy and the environmental crisis and tried to appeal to traditionally Republican white southerners. O'Rourke led Stefanik in the polls for the duration of the campaign and Stefanik had trouble catching up as environmental issues only worsened with every month. A week before the election, O'Rourke was polling at 50% and Stefanik was polling at 46%.

Beto O'Rourke won the election getting 354 electoral votes and 49.1% of the popular vote. Stefanik finished second receiving 184 electoral votes and 46.6% of the popular vote. This was the first time Mississipi voted Democratic since 1976. Gretchen Whitmer became the first woman to become vice president of the United States.