United States Presidential Election, 1988 (New England Secession)

The United States presidential election, 1988, was a democratic election held in the United States to decide the nation's next president. The incumbent Christian Democrat, Bob Dole, was term limited. The Christian Democratic Party also collapsed in 1987, and the Conservative Party - who nominated Jack Kemp - largely took it's place.

This was the fist American presidential election since the "Secessions of 1986", in which the New England and West Coast Regions seceded from the United States to become independent nations. At the time of this election, the United States had not recognized the recently founded Republic of New England and Republic of the Pacific as independent, separate nations, and still considered the RNE and RoP as part of the United States.

The hardline anti-New England anti-West Coast and anti-secession Jack Kemp of the Conservative Party was widely believed to be the front-runner entering the election. Kemp won, but by a much smaller margin than initially predicted.

The Socialists united with the Progressives to put forth a unified ticket with governor of New York Mario Cuomo and Missouri representative Dick Gephardt (who would go on to be Progressive Al Gore's running mate in 1992). Initially thought to be dead-in-the-water against Kemp, Cuomo was able to battle back into the running, even taking the lead in the poles occasionally. Cuomo didn't share Kemp's same hardline attitude toward the new beakaway republics. Actually, Cuomo's position on the RNE and ROP was to the contrary of Kemp's, as he supported full acknowledgment of the new nations.

The Moderates only had ballot access in a few states, for the first time in their history. Considering that the biggest issue entering the election of 1988 were the Secessions of 1986, and that it was rather impossible to be "moderate" on that issues (you were either pro-secession or anti-secession), the only candidates who came forward were obscure ones.