# If Jay Nixon had ran for president in 2016 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 25, 2015, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506 "2015-11-25T03:33:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GloryDays](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@GloryDays](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GloryDays)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/1 "2015-11-25T03:33:17Z")
If Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D-Missouri), a \*\*centrist Democrat \*\* who is a two-term governor since 2009 and former attorney general of Missouri from 1993 to 2009 had ran for president in 2016, as a Democrat, would he have won the Democratic nomination; and would he have won the presidency of the United States? > **[5 Democrats Who Should Run Against Hillary Clinton](https://www.nationaljournal.com/s/72495/5-democrats-who-should-run-against-hillary-clinton)** > > The former secretary of State could be vulnerable in a Democratic primary, but only if qualified candidates decide to challenge her. > **[Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon's veep dreams are dead](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2014/8/14/1321571/-Missouri-Gov-Jay-Nixon-s-veep-dreams-are-dead)** > > Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, no longer on the veep shortlist. > > Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has spent the last several years grooming himself for a vice presidential pick -- pitching himself as one of those "... > **[Bill McClellan: Jay Nixon could make presidential bid in 2016](https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/bill-mcclellan/bill-mcclellan-jay-nixon-could-make-presidential-bid-in/article_21c02e01-1968-5a2e-8758-f6d0f2405cb3.html)** > > Sure, it's a longshot, but.... ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/2 "2015-11-25T03:43:56Z")
Nixon might have had some chance (maybe more likely as a VP candidate) before the unrest in Ferguson. But he was widely seen as being grasping and ineffective when the shit hit the fan. That probably sunk his chances for higher elected office, at least for a few more years. I think I’ve heard him discussed as a possible cabinet pick though. ISTR him being thought of as a good administrator but bad crisis manager. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/3 "2015-11-25T03:46:38Z")
Did Hillary die? Or do you not mean 2016? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/4 "2015-11-25T04:28:17Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Did Hillary die? > > Or do you not mean 2016? Yeah, it’s kind of weird to be using unreal past conditionals when you’re talking about next year. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/5 "2015-11-25T05:02:28Z")
Weird question. But as a Missourian, while I’m a fan of Nixon and think he has been a generally very high-quality governor, his handling of the Ferguson situation probably ruined any shot of nation-wide elected office. If MO was still more purplish than solid red he would have made a good VP pick too (again, had Ferguson not escalated quite the way it did). ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/6 "2015-11-25T10:39:40Z")
Hahahaha! No, sorry. Again, it wasn’t obvious before the Ferguson incident, but Nixon seems to be the sort of Democrat who doesn’t know how to deal with a) the black population’s issues nor b) the fact that some police officers and prosecutors, _not to mention some of his own longtime political allies and supporters,_ are actively in favor of police murdering the citizenry (black variety). It’s a shame. I’m not saying he’s really a racist himself. I think maybe he didn’t get just how racist his friends were. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/7 "2015-11-25T16:12:55Z")
Just out of curiosity, which dialect uses “had ran” instead of “had run”? (Edit: I’ll guess Missouri for a start.) I don’t think I’ve ever heard this, but you did it twice so I don’t think it’s a typo. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/8 "2015-11-25T22:13:53Z")
Um…that is nonstandard, but yeah, probably a Missouri hick thing. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/9 "2015-11-25T22:25:18Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Um…that is nonstandard, but yeah, probably a Missouri hick thing. In another thread the OP claimed to be from New Jersey. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/10 "2015-11-25T22:36:22Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Um…that is nonstandard, but yeah, probably a Missouri hick thing. I live in Missouri – although not in the sticks, but in one of our fine metro areas. In defense of my rural cousins, they don’t say “had ran.” If anything, they’d say “ranned.” As for Nixon, his original appeal was that he was a rural Democrat who would work with both big-city Democrats and rural Republicans. He really hasn’t worked out with either power base. Right now, I doubt he could even win a Democratic party primary in Missouri. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/11 "2015-11-26T00:22:04Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Um…that is nonstandard, but yeah, probably a Missouri hick thing. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > In another thread the OP claimed to be from New Jersey. They’re just variant names for the same place – you know, like Holland and the Netherlands, or England and Britain, or China and Japan. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/12 "2015-11-26T00:34:43Z")
He’d be polling worse than O’Malley and Webb though obviously better than Chafee ---
**Author:** ![GloryDays](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@GloryDays](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GloryDays)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/13 "2015-11-26T00:41:54Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > In another thread the OP claimed to be from New Jersey. Yes, I am from New Jerseyan. I am a Northerner. However, I’ve heard about Jay Nixon for years now and I was surprised by his Ferguson 2014 response. I thought he would be the ideal 2016 Democratic presidential nominee. I don’t think he will be the Democratic vice presidential candidate. Sad. **-Centrist Democrat -Two-term governor -Comes from red-leaning state -Southern white Democrat** ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/14 "2015-11-26T00:48:49Z")
> [@GloryDays](#): > > Yes, I am from New Jerseyan. I am a Northerner. However, I’ve heard about Jay Nixon for years now and I was surprised by his Ferguson 2014 response. I thought he would be the ideal 2016 Democratic presidential nominee. I don’t think he will be the Democratic vice presidential candidate. Sad. > > **-Centrist Democrat > -Two-term governor > -Comes from red-leaning state > -Southern white Democrat** Brian Schweitzer fits most of the bill although obviously not Southern and he’s simply a pro-gun progressive not a centrist. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/15 "2015-11-26T01:09:32Z")
> [@GloryDays](#): > > Yes, I am from New Jerseyan. I am a Northerner. However, I’ve heard about Jay Nixon for years now and I was surprised by his Ferguson 2014 response. I thought he would be the ideal 2016 Democratic presidential nominee. I don’t think he will be the Democratic vice presidential candidate. Sad. > > **-Centrist Democrat** We’ve had Bill, we’ve had Obama, we do **not** need another centrist POTUS, we need a leftist and we need it bad. If we can’t have that, well, Hillary will be the best option available, I hope she’s just a **bit** leftier than Nixon. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/16 "2015-11-26T01:40:43Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Um…that is nonstandard, but yeah, probably a Missouri hick thing. Also just out of curiosity, I checked COCA and found people from various places using it: Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas; journalist Neil Karlinsy, from Michigan, used it on Nightline (Jan 25, 2008), as a past perfect; singer Etta James, from California, used it on Fresh Air (Jan 27, 2012), as past perfect, and I also found it actually published, in the journal _Analog Science Fiction and Fact_, written by author Justin Stanchfield, (I think from Montana?) as past unreal conditional in narration, not dialog (Oct. 2010, Vol. 130, Iss. 10; pg. 91). More common is _had went_, which is a similar substitution of the past form for the past participle. Even more common than that, though, is _have went_, especially with modals (e.g., _should have went_, _could have went_, _would have went_, etc. ) Notably, _has went_ is much less common. ---
**Author:** ![GloryDays](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@GloryDays](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GloryDays)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/17 "2015-11-26T01:43:29Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > We’ve had Bill, we’ve had Obama, we do **not** need another centrist POTUS, we need a leftist and we need it bad. If we can’t have that, well, Hillary will be the best option available, I hope she’s just a **bit** leftier than Nixon. What’s wrong with centrist presidents? I’m an independent who looks at both parties, and does lean Democratic sometimes, **but a leftist president would lead this country to Greece.** Nixon wouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/18 "2015-11-26T03:15:45Z")
> [@GloryDays](#): > > What’s wrong with centrist presidents? I’m an independent who looks at both parties, and does lean Democratic sometimes, **but a leftist president would lead this country to Greece.** This literally could not happen. > [@](#): > > Nixon wouldn’t. [Nixonomics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixonomics) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/19 "2015-11-26T04:00:35Z")
> [@GloryDays](#): > > What’s wrong with centrist presidents? I’m an independent who looks at both parties, and does lean Democratic sometimes, **but a leftist president would lead this country to Greece.** Nixon wouldn’t. Sanders would lead this country to Scandinavia. Not at all a bad place to be, and better than where we are now. ---
**Author:** ![GloryDays](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@GloryDays](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GloryDays)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506/20 "2015-11-26T04:09:02Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Sanders would lead this country to Scandinavia. Not at all a bad place to be, and better than where we are now. I don’t think the military would survive a Sanders presidency. He would decimate it to pre World War I levels. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-jay-nixon-had-ran-for-president-in-2016/738506.md?page=2)