2052 Presidential Election (U.S)

Overview
The 2052 Presidential Election was the first election since 2012 in which a "Liberal" was elected or re-elected president. This was due to the conservative vote being split between the incumbent Republican president, and an independent candidate.

Republican Primaries
President John Moses Smith saw the biggest economic collapse since the Housing Market Crash of 2008. Many critics blame this on his reduction of the federal budget by nearly 50%, focusing mainly on defense efforts. During the primaries, he faced off against former First Lady Abigail Rae as well as Senator James Wilkes (R-Pennsylvania). 

(Click link for primary map.) Gold denotes a state won by John Smith, Blue denotes a Rae victory, and Red denotes a Wilkes Victory.

President Smith won the Republican nomination, with both First Lady Rae and Senator Wilkes endorsing him. Smith later announced that the incumbent vice-president, James Moss, would be on the ticket with him. (Moss became vice president in 2049 after the resignation and subsequent death of vice president Phoebe Pace.)

Progressive Primaries
The Progressive party leadership chose to rally behind Therman Linus, the senior United States Senator from Missouri. However, Senator Katherine O'Dell of Rhode Island joined the race and later dropped out after losing the New Hampshire primary by almost 35 points. Linus then chose former Maryland Governor William White as his running mate.

General election
There were three televised debates between President Smith and Senator Linus. There was also a televised Town Hall style vice-presidential debate between James Moss and William White, held at Appalachian State University.
 * 1) A town hall style debate at The University of Arizona.
 * 2) A standard debate at the Georgetown University Hotel & Conference Center.
 * 3) A standard debate at New York University.