2048 Republican Presidential Primaries

The 2048 Republican Presidential Primaries was a series of nominating contests beginning on May 12th, 2048 and ending on June 6th, 2048. The race was held to determine who would be the Republican Party's Nominee to Succeed Incumbent Democratic President, Michael Darby, who was ineligible to run again due to term limits.

Following a narrow Presidential Loss by The Previous Nominee, D11 Senator and 2 time Presidential Nominee, Jacob Reese by about 2 electoral votes and 2 million popular votes to President Michael Darby, a growing consensus emerged that Republicans needed to nominate a candidate who was electable, could appeal to all party's and unite the GOP and have a good ground game. As a result, a total of 11 candidates entered the race, but only half of them ended up competing in Actual Contests: Former FED Chair EST, Representative Trey Williamson, Representative Giovanni Capone, House Speaker and 2044 VP Nominee Alexander Franklin and Louisiana Governor Henry Bankshaft.

Following the Second Super Tuesday held on May 24th, Bankshaft, Capone and Franklin were mathematically eliminated from getting the Nomination Outright. While Bankshaft has since suspended his campaign, Franklin and Capone continue to campaign in hopes of a brokered convention.

As of May 27th, only 2 candidates can get the nomination outright: EST and Williamson, but are both close to being eliminated themselves, making the odds of a brokered convention in Boston this Summer increasingly more likely, and as of now, 4 candidates remain actively campaigning for the nomination.

Active Candidates

 * 1) Former FED Chair EST
 * 2) D10 Representative Trey Williamson
 * 3) House Speaker and 2044 VP Nominee Alexander Franklin
 * 4) D18 Representative Giovanni Capone

Suspended During The Primaries

 * 1) Louisana Governor Henry Bankshaft (Suspended May 24th, 2048)

Suspended Before The Primaries

 * 1) Former President William Rose (Suspended April 27th, 2048)
 * 2) D4 Senator JD Caldrone (Suspended April 28th, 2048 and later endorsed EST)
 * 3) Senate Majority Whip Bela Warclow (Suspended May 7th, 2048 and endorsed Franklin)
 * 4) California Governor Joseph Pitts (Suspended April 27th, 2048 and endorsed EST)
 * 5) Virginia Governor Daniel Galdi (Suspended April 27th, 2048)
 * 6) Dr. James Willington of Alabama (Suspended April 27th, 2048 and endorsed EST)
 * 7) Former D4 Representative Greg Peake (Suspended May 5th and endorsed EST)

Campaign
The Campaign for the 2048 Presidential Nomination began right after the 2044 Presidential Election was verified. The Republican Party, reeling over their narrow loss at the Presidential level and loosing control of the Senate, began to seek out new candidates who met a certain criteria: a candidate who was electable, could appeal to all party's and unite the GOP and have a good ground game. In the following weeks, several candidates formed exploratory committees to gauge support for a possible presidential run.

Former President William Rose, Senator JD Caldrone, House Speaker Alexander Franklin, Former D4 Represenative Greg Peake and Senate Majority Whip Bella Warclow were initially viewed as the leading candidates, while Willington, Bankshaft, Galdi and Pitts were viewed as lower tier contenders. Fox held a debate between all the candidates on April 26th, 2048. The debate was widely criticized as the candidates clashed at times and lobbed personal attacks at one another.

However, Rose dropped out the next day, saying he had personal matters to attend to. He was followed by Caldrone and Galdi the same day, which opened up the field and put the state of the race into question. That changed when Former FED Chair EST, a widely respected economist, made a late entrance into the race. He quickly sucked up support and received support from Pitts and Willington, who dropped out to support him. EST also recieved a lot of support from the party's establishment, such as Former President Chuck Alevato, Former President and Maryland Governor Paul Wolfe, D7 Represenative John Nash and others. This led to some calling him the front runner as he took the lead in several states.

Despite EST's enterance, it did not close the field, as Trey Williamson announced he'd make a second run of the White House, and Giovanni Capone jumped in the same day as EST. Their entrance divided the libertarian leaning vote while the establishment vote was split among EST, Franklin and Warclow. Warclow later dropped out and supported Franklin.

Primary Season
5 candidates: EST, Williamson, Franklin, Capone and Bankshaft were the only remaining candidates by the time voting started.

Iowa Caucuses
The lead up to Iowa wasn't as intense as in previous cycles. Capone was the only candidate that seriously campaigned there while the other candidates focused their time elsewhere, and it was to no surprise that he ended up winning 2/3rds of the vote in Iowa, with Franklin and EST tieing for 2nd. Williamson, who finished 3rd in Iowa last time, finished in 4th with only 9%, and Bankshaft received less than 1% support.

Results Turnout: 34,552
 * 1) Giovanni Capone: 22,493 (66%). Won 20 Delegates
 * 2) EST: 4,392 (12%). Won 4 delegates
 * 3) Alexander Franklin: 4,392 (12%). Won 4 Delegates
 * 4) Trey Williamson: 3,203 (9%). Won 2 Delegates
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 42 (0%). Won 0 Delegates

New Hampshire Primary
""Like Iowa, the lead up to New Hampshire was met with little fanfare. Franklin was the only candidate that seriously competed there, and ended up winning 70% of the vote, far outperforming Reese's standing there when he won NH in a landslide.

Results Turnout: 29,517
 * 1) Alexander Franklin: 19,106 (70%). Won 17 delegates
 * 2) EST: 4,912 (15%). Won 3 delegates
 * 3) Giovanni Capone: 3,867 (11%). Won 2 Delegates
 * 4) Trey Williamson: 1,547 (4%). Won 1 Delegate
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 84 (0%). Won No Delegates

South Carolina Primary
Unlike the Previous 2 Contests, The Battle to Win South Carolina was a close race. Initially after New Hampshire, Capone led Franklin by 10 points, but after a few days of hard campaigning, Franklin was able to close the gap between them, which was aided by the endorsement of Lt. Governor Dabo Swinney, but Capone retained a narrow edge in the polls heading into the actual primary., Capone's team and Franklin's team were out in full force as both men campaigned hard to win the crucial state. Returns on Election Night showed the lead swinging between Capone and Franklin, but ultimately Franklin carried the state by about 1 percentage point, narrowly edging him out.

Results Turnout: 86,474
 * 1) Alexander Franklin: 33,201 (41%). Won 20 Delegates
 * 2) Giovanni Capone: 32,196 (40%). Won 19 Delegates
 * 3) Trey Williamson: 11,692 (14%) Won 6 Delegates
 * 4) EST: 5,510 ( 6%). Won 3 Delegates
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 3,875 (3%). Won 2 Delegates

Nevada Caucuses
Nevada's Caucuses Were Personal for Franklin, since it was his homestate and he had represented it in the House for sometime. However, in an attempt to gain an edge, EST spent most of his time during the early stages of the primary campaigning to win Franklin's homestate. The race for Nevada also posed highstakes for EST as well, who had not won a state up to this point. EST campaigning in Nevada, as Franklin's team had expected to win the Caucuses easily. The days leading up to Nevada were marked with aggressive campaigning on both side, and polls showed the lead swinging between the two. Both sides heavily organized for the Caucuses, and both had a natural advantage: Franklin was the incumbent Representative for the state, and EST lived in neighboring Califronia, and his message of intense financial literacy appealed to many Nevadans, and many analysts expected the race to be close.

In an effort to win the state, both sides courted the state's Governor: Henry Crawfeild. His endorsement was seen as pivtol for winning the state. On election day, Crawfeild announced his support for Franklin, which was seen as a death blow to EST in the state. Franklin ultimately won by a larger then expected margin over EST, and turnout in the state reached over 100,000. It was also noteworthy that Williamson carried the state last term, but fell from 54% all the way down to less than 1% in favor of campaigning hard to win Texas. Only Franklin and EST got delegates from Nevada.

Results Turnout: 137,849
 * 1) Alexander Franklin: 71,569 (51%). Won 16 Delegates
 * 2) EST: 64,338 (46%). Won 14 Delegates
 * 3) Giovanni Capone: 3,390 (2%)
 * 4) Trey Williamson: 1,887 (1%)
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 55 (0%)

Super Tuesday: Part 1
Unlike the early states, Super Tuesday marked a new direction in the Republican Primary. All the states starting on Super Tuesday and beyond would now be Winner Take All, rather than proportional.

After winning 3 of the 4 early states, Franklin went into Super Tuesday with a burst of momentum, targeting Vermont, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Tennessee, Wyoming and Colorado. EST targeted Georgia, Alabama, Virginia, Arkansas, Texas, Minnesota and Colorado. Willmason went after Texas, Tennessee (his home state) and Virginia. Capone targeted North Dakota and Wyoming while Bankshaft campaigned in Oklahoma.

The competition between the 5 candidates was fierce, and it reflected in the Second Fox Debate in Denver, Colorado where Capone, Williamson and Franklin took on EST's economic policies and foreign policy.

Super Tuesday proved to be a good night for Williamson, EST, Capone and Bankshaft. Williamson got on the board for the first time by successfully winning Texas by a wide margin and campaigned last minute to surged in Tennessee and Virginia, defeating Franklin and EST in those states. EST managed to get on the board for the first time as well, he won Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia and Alabama and managed to tie with Franklin in Colorado while narrowly loosing Minnesota. Capone also notched victories in Wyoming and North Dakota. Banksahft got on the board as well by winning Oklahoma.

Franklin did not have the night he wanted: only winning Vermont, Massachusetts and narrowly defeating EST in Mainnesota, which sent him down to 3rd in the delegate race while EST and Willamson rose to First and Second respectively.

Results

Alabama Total: 72,419
 * 1) EST: 28,589 (40%), Won 50 Delegates
 * 2) Trey Williamson: 24,319 (34%)
 * 3) Alexander Franklin: 12,592 (12%)
 * 4) Giovanni Capone: 6,828 (6%)
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 91 (0%)

Alaska Total: 20,076
 * 1) EST: 11,327 (61%), Won 28 Delegates
 * 2) Giovanni Capone: 3,442 (17%)
 * 3) Alexander Franklin: 3,442 (17%)
 * 4) Trey Williamson: 1,839 (6%)
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 26 (0%)

Arkansas Total: 38,155
 * 1) EST: 20,520 (54%), Won 40 Delegates
 * 2) Giovanni Capone: 10,381 (27%)
 * 3) Alexander Franklin: 6,064 (16%)
 * 4) Trey Williamson: 1,123 (3%)
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 67 (0%)

Colorado Total: 43,430
 * 1) Alexander Franklin: 18,736 (44%), Won 15 Delegates
 * 2) EST: 18,736 (44%), Won 15 Delegates
 * 3) Giovanni Capone: 4,448 (10%)
 * 4) Trey Williamson: 1,472 (2%)
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 38 (0%)

Georgia Total: 65,979
 * 1) EST: 25,427 (40%), Won 76 Delegates
 * 2) Trey Williamson: 15,587 (24%)
 * 3) Alexander Franklin: 14,924 (22%)
 * 4) Giovanni Capone: 8,668 (13%)
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 1,373 (2%)

Massachusetts Total: 29,526
 * 1) Alexander Franklin: 13,335 (46%), Won 42 Delegates
 * 2) Trey Williamson: 7,534 (25%)
 * 3) EST: 5,340 (18%)
 * 4) Giovanni Capone: 3,269 (11%)
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 48 (0%)

Minnesota Total: 29,700
 * 1) Alexander Franklin: 12,432 (43%), Won 38 Delegates
 * 2) EST: 11,014 (41%)
 * 3) Giovanni Capone: 3,706 (10%)
 * 4) Trey Williamson: 2,516 (6%)
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 32 (0%)

North Dakota Total: 28,058
 * 1) Giovanni Capone: 11,271 (41%), Won 25 Delegates
 * 2) Trey Willamson: 8,409 (30%)
 * 3) EST: 5,053 (19%)
 * 4) Alexander Franklin: 3,207 (11%)
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 118 (0%)

Oklahoma Total: 53,675
 * 1) Henry Bankshaft: 21,481 (41%), Won 43 Delegates
 * 2) Giovanni Capone: 15,413 (29%)
 * 3) Trey Williamson: 7,836  (14%)
 * 4) EST: 5,624 (9%)
 * 5) Alexander Franklin: 3,321 (5%)

Tennessee Total: 48,678
 * 1) Trey Williamson: 22,421 (47%), Won 58 Delegates
 * 2) Alexander Franklin: 17,819 (36%)
 * 3) EST: 5,187 (11%)
 * 4) Giovanni Capone: 3,216 (6%)
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 35 (0%)

Texas Total: 110,245
 * 1) Trey Williamson: 53,546 (49%), Won 155 Delegates
 * 2) EST: 37,104 (34%)
 * 3) Alexander Franklin: 14,734 (13%)
 * 4) Giovanni Capone: 3,495 (3%)
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 1,366 (1%)

Vermont Total: 23,453
 * 1) Alexander Franklin: 12,412 (57%), Won 16 Delegates
 * 2) EST: 5,809 (24%)
 * 3) Giovanni Capone: 3,911 (14%)
 * 4) Trey Willamson: 1,279 (5%)
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 42 (0%)

Virginia Total: 57,323
 * 1) Trey Williamson: 24,580 (44%), Won 49 Delegates
 * 2) EST: 22,611 (40%)
 * 3) Giovanni Capone: 6,240 (11%)
 * 4) Alexander Franklin: 3,871 (5%)
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 21 (0%)

Wyoming Total: 21,820
 * 1) Giovanni Capone: 11,429 (55%), Won 26 Delegates
 * 2) EST: 5,436 (25%)
 * 3) Alexander Franklin: 3,717 (15%)
 * 4) Trey Williamson: 1,219 (5%)
 * 5) Henry Bankshaft: 19 (0%)