WI: Samantha Smith lives

dsp19

I always read this forum to check out some of the most interesting ALT HIST timelines and threads; some are chilling, others are more optimistic than our real timeline.

I always wondered what would have become of Samantha Smith had she not died in that plane crash in 1985. For those who remember, Samantha Smith was the 10-year old girl from Maine who wrote a letter to Soviet Premier Yuri Andropov in 1982 because she feared that the US and USSR would destroy the world in a nuclear war. She actually got a response from Andropov and was invited to the Soviet Union in 1983.

When Samantha went to the Soviet Union she was considered an American hero but many in the States were suspicious that she was being used by the Soviets for propaganda. However, she became a childhood TV star before her death, appearing on Charles in Charge and Lime Street...
 

Peelitebkearns

I've always promised myself I'd attempt a Samantha Smith lives TL sometime. I think president Smith isn't completely out of the question, though the tricky part will be the transition from child star to potential politician. Had she lived, I can see her disappearing from the limelight for a while to study, making occasional appearances to talk about things such as the end of the USSR, before reimerging sometime in the late 90's.

Question is, would she be a Dem or Repub? I believe the former to be more likely, in which case, if things pan out more or less like OTL, Obama will be in the way of her getting the 2012 nomination, though 2016 or 2020 are possible.

If you want a Smith 2012 TL, you'd probably need the Dems not to hold the presidency until then-perhaps the butterflies of Smith living lead to John Edwards being the 2008 nominee (or Obama's running mate), leading to Mccaine winning in 2008.

Or you could have Smith vocally support Kerry in 2004, her support managing to swing narrow states in favour of Kerry/Edwards. The crash happens and a Republican wins in 08, though does significantly worse than Obama in OTL, leading to Smith winning in 2012.
 

Lalli

If she enters to politics I think that on 2012 or even 2016 is bit early for her presidency. But on 2020 is possible that her could become president.
 

Cash

I can see her being elected to Congress as a Democrat in the 1990s, although she'd have to either join or overcome the party's left wing, which controlled Dem politics here in Maine in those days. That would likely butterfly away a Maine governor or two. She moves up to the Senate this year on Snowe's retirement and runs for President in 2016 or 2020.
 

dsp19

As thread starter

I believe Samantha Smith enters politics, but I'm not sure if she ever becomes POTUS. I agree with the poster who said that Smith becomes a Congresswoman in the late 1990s and wins Olympia Snowe's Senate seat in 2012. I also agree with previous posters that she joins the Democrats, but there is a chance she remains a left-leaning independent a la Angus King

She probably becomes an envoy to the Middle East in an effort to resolve Iran's nuclear issues and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She would also be an interesting candidate to attempt diplomacy with NKorea
 
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