What Are Our Chances Against "A Pence For President" Campaign This Year?

[Vogon_Glory]

While I suspect that the Donald's ego might keep him in the Presidential race this year (At least I HOPE the Donald stays in) up to the bitter end on November 8th, I do wonder how Hillary would fare if Trump drops out in the next few days and Mike Pence becomes the Republican presidential nominee. Yeah, I'm talking about 2016, this year, NOT 2020. What are her chances? As much as it galls me to say it, Mike Pence would be a far more formidable candidate than Donald Thump is this first week of October.

Thoughts, predictions, anyone?

Crystal balls, tarot decks, and Nancy Reagan's old star-charts are welcome.

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. There will be no Pence for any such thing this year.

There. All fixed.

[Renew Deal]

2. Very good

Pence could not get enough votes. Ballots are printed. Some people have already voted. Many will stay home. And there is no way Pence can get enough votes to beat Hillary.

[onehandle]

3. The candidates are set. Impossible to change in many states.

A 'change' in their candidate would be an automatic win for us.

[missingfink]

4. I suspect that many of the Trump backers.....

would not vote for Pence out of spite for the GOP ganging-up on Trump.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. There will be no "Pence For President" campaign this year.

As has been explained many times already, Pence won't and can't be the nominee because (a) Trump has insisted he won't drop out and the RNC can't make him do it; and (b) he would have to be nominated by the RNC - he wouldn't automatically move to the top of the ticket if Trump did quit; and (c) it's too late for him or anybody else to get on the ballot in almost all states.

[LisaL]

6. Exactly. Even if Trump quit (which he repeatedly said he won't)

Pence wouldn't become the nominee. RNC would have to reconvene and come up with a nominee. Meanwhile early voting already started.

[meadowlark5]

7. I read today that if Trump drops out, the repubs have all the way till election day to put up a

candidate. You are not voting the the candidate/person, you are voting for the electoral votes from each state. The candidate just who is representing the party. So they could buy him out and put another candidate in. But that would mean all the delegates would have to convene and agree on someone. Some of the electoral votes are already pledged in writing to Trump so that could be a bit difficult to change, but doable. So it's not a given Pence is the guy. Trump selected him, no one else, no primary voters, no delegates. So it could be a clean slate.

Having said that, if they forced him out, the deplorables will rebel and revolt. The repubs would have to do some fast polling to see if any voters that would come over with the new candidate will offset those that may refuse to vote because they are loyalists to Trump and won't help the establishment.

[LisaL]

11. A lot of people would have voted by the election day.

And I don't think the votes would just transfer. People don't vote for a party, they vote for a person.

[Journeyman]

8. It could be six Pence, they'd be none the richer . . .

[Lucinda]

9. Pence, in his own way, is as bad or possibly worse than Trump.

He is not a problem.
His policies against women are draconian, and he is a proven liar, which is a bad thing for a guy who says he likes to spend some time on his knees everyday.

Women, Trumpers, and some evangelicals would flee in droves.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

10. Trump is not going to drop out.

I don't know why people are so eager for this to happen.

If, for instance, something truly terrible were to happen and Trump could no longer campaign or physically become President, Pence would no doubt campaign on, but he's already so tainted by his association with Trump, that the Republican ticket would probably end up with no more than 20% of the vote overall.

And in practical terms, think of the need to create new TV ads.

[Vogon_Glory]

13. Who's Eager For A Pence Candidacy? I'm Not

Who's eager for a Pence candidacy? I'm not. I WANT Donald Thump to be the Republican presidential candidate all the way to 12:01AM November 9th!

The reason I started this thread, though, is because I'm a Texas Democrat. Whatever the Texas Democratic Party's prospects a decade or three into the future, like many Texas Dems, I see no reason to be giddy about our short-term prospects, and I've learned to be a little paranoid.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

15. I just can't figure out why so many people here

are obsessed with the idea Trump will drop out. He won't. Period.

He honestly thinks he's fit to be President. He honestly thinks he won the first debate, is totally certain he'll win tomorrow night, and no one around him is telling him any different. Come November 8, I hope there are cameras on him when Hillary wins in what I hope is a ginormous landslide. It will make Karl Rove's meltdown on camera in 2012 look like reasoned discourse.

He will bluster and threaten and use his usual vile language and declare he's going to sue everyone in sight, and he'll probably never actually concede. Not that it matters, because the loser conceding isn't important.

In any case, while it's probably somewhat sensible to be a bit paranoid about your state's politics, Trump still isn't going to end his campaign before Election Day.

[grossproffit]

12. Penance for President?

[Vogon_Glory]

14. Tee, HeeHee!