The Democratic Party and the Republican Party are the two largest parties in the United States and have been since the end of the Civil War in 1865. The two parties have gone through many iterations, and the U.S. currently operates under the 12th Party system that began in the late 2090s under Democratic President Douglas Grayson. The Democrats are the dominant party, having won 7 of the past 10 presidential elections, stretching back to 2096. They have long held control of the U.S. House of Representatives and are gaining ground in the U.S. Senate. Democratic technocracy has institutionalized and entrenched within the government, though there are still strong undercurrents of liberal syndicalism and Third Wave neoliberalism. The Democrats have the support of city machines, Big Labor, blue collar workers, minority groups (racial, ethnic and religious), intellectuals, agrarians and frontiersts, while the Republicans do very well with business leaders, educated professionals, clerks, small business owners, suburbanites and the educated middle class. Democratic support is generally found on Venus and across the Outer System, while Republican support is found on Luna, Mars, Pallas and the Belt, but it is making strong head way on Venus and the Jovian moons due to a rising, educated middle class. The Democrats are very corrupt, relying on the support of major city machines and Big Labor to deliver votes, which the Republicans frequently criticize but there is little they can do. The Democrats are also becoming more and more expansionist--largely being boosted by frontiersts and Manifest Destiny types as old school paternalist expansionism dies away. Both parties have centralist/statist and libertarian wings, with the difference primarily being whether it's beneficial to the working class and minorities (Democrats) or to the middle class and business (Republicans).
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The 2133 Reagan City mayoral election was held in the shadow of an ongoing federal investigation into the local Democratic Party. Because Reagan City is home to 2.9 million Americans, many of them who are miners, drivers, engineers and mill workers who make the various mines and factories work and hum. Due to the large number of blue collar workers, local politics are thus dominated by the Reagan City Democratic Party. Incumbent Mayor Allen Rankin had ascended to the mayorship in 2132 following the resignation of Dale Kimmel was indicted by a federal grand jury on tax evasion charges. Rankin is the leader of the Council of Democratic Workers, the largest faction within the Democratic Party and is backed by blue collar unions like the United Mineworkers of America and the United Steelworkers. Rankin's leadership was rocky throughout 2132 and going into 2133, as there were questions about his own corruption, and many saw him as potentially weak. Rankin's primary opposition came in the form of Theresa Hollard, the leader of the Urban Democratic Movement. The UDM was backed by various ethnic and religious minorities from Reagan City's middle class. It had a strong urbanist bent to it, with Hollard taking a strong social progressive lean in the primary. Other opponents included businessman Arthur Gomez from the good government New Reform Caucus, City Councilwoman Elizabeth Tren Tingh from All Together for Democracy and Professor Alexander Harman Nicholas from the mis-named Grange Circle.
Rankin ran in the primary on a standard Red Dog Democrat platform, which included calls for more workplace democracy and larger profit sharing programs for the workers. He also proposed nationalizing the helium-3 refineries, something that was opposed by Hollard and Gomez. Hollard took a more social progressive platform, with gun control, alcohol prohibition, tobacco restrictions and gambling being her primary bread-and-butter to fight the rising crime rates on Reagan City. Gomez was a recent settler to Reagan City, and ran as the primary anti-corruption candidate. Elizabeth Tren Tingh ran to the left of Rankin, proposing nationalization of more mines and refineries, while Professor Alexander Harman Nicholas was just a center-left social liberal academic. Corruption and the rising crime rate were big issues, something that benefited Hollard and Gomez early, as Hollard's law-and-order platform and Gomez's good governance platforms resonated with voters. However, Rankin received the endorsement of President Benjamin G. Thurman and the federal AFL-CIO, which vaulted him ahead of his opponents. Rankin won the Democratic primary by nearly 80,000 votes over Theresa Hollard, and while Hollard and Gomez all alleged corruption, the U.S. Department of Justice declined to investigate.
Because of Reagan City's heavy Democratic bent, the Democratic primary was tantamount to election. As such, Allen Rankin went on to easily defeat Republican nominee Curtis Nielson by more than 75 points in the general.
***
The 2133 Lakshmia premier election was the second consecutive election that saw the Republicans win a majority in the electoral college but fail to win even a plurality in the popular vote. Republican nominee J. Carter Dellenback defeated Democratic nominee Hollis Jones in 2127 by winning a large majority in the electoral college, but lost the popular vote by nearly 2%. Democrats managed to hold onto both houses of the Commonwealth Congress, and they proved obstinate and opposed Dellenback's attempts at reform. They were opposed to his social progressive program, and attempts to curtail alcohol and tobacco died in committee, while his attempts at expanding police power were met with mixed reactions, but little was done due to a split Democratic caucus. The Lakshmia economy also began to flounder heading into the 2129 mid-terms, which saw the Democrats make even more gains in Congress. Dellenback's personal approval ratings were rather middling, and he was seen as a vulnerable incumbent heading into 2133. While the 2133 mid-terms saw slight Republican gains, there were questions about whether Dellenback himself would run for re-election for a second 6 year term. Social progressives in the party were unhappy with his progress, while business nationalists saw his economic regulations a hindrance to business. Despite that, Dellenback chose to run for a second term and faced only token opposition in the primaries and he cruised to a renomination.
The Democrats were slightly more split. The establishment quickly rallied around Senate Majority Leader Nathan Kim-sen of Assyria. Kim-sen would be the first Venusian American nominated if he won, which would be a historic feet for a party that relied on the Venusian and nagina vote. He was a social libertarian who'd led the charge against Dellenback's social reforms, but not everyone fell in line behind him. Two fellow Commonwealth Senators--centrist Graham Spencer of New Virginia and social progressive Arlene Abrams of Tigris--both dropped out or declined to run. Spencer was named the chair of Democratic Hill committee for the Lakshmia Senate, while Abrams failed to gain any support from the donor class. Kim-sen's primary opponent took the form of Dylan Lafferty, a Columbianist televangelist who took a strong law-and-order and social conservative stand. Lafferty was a strong fundraiser and had a built-in support base as he backed expanded police powers and a crack-down on minority groups. Magazine publisher and pamphleteer Karen Molinari also joined the group, holding down the liberal syndicalist camp from more left-wing unions. Kim-sen did surprisingly well, but the only trip up was in Va-Jen Tana, which was Lafferty's home state, as Kim-sen lost a close primary there. However, it proved only a minor setback as Kim-sen won the other contests handily as Lafferty and Molinari dropped out before the convention.
Dellenback and Kim-sen kept the election close after the Democratic nomination was settled. Dellenback proposed further tax cuts and simplification of the tax code to encourage growth, while Kim-sen took a page from the liberal syndicalist playbook (his running mate, former Commonwealth Budget Director Walker Ortega was a prominent liberal syndicalist) and campaigned for more workplace democracy and union control of key industries. However, the Lakshmia economy was shifting and changing. It was becoming less industrial and less blue collar, and more of a white collar, post-industrial economy, much like Earth. Unemployment was spiking for blue collar workers, and no amount of workplace democracy was going to save it, as liberal syndicalists like Karen Molinari called for nationalization of the steel and auto industries to keep them afloat. Dellenback and the Republicans were also eating away into the Democratic base. Despite Dellenback's own low personal approval ratings, he was able to keep it close based on his social progressive views and flagging blue collar economy that saw many laborers question Kim-sen and his economic platform. In the end, Dellenback won another close one. The electoral map remained the same, but Dellenback made gains in the popular vote. He won the key states of Da-hana (70 electoral votes) by 6,600 votes and Va-Jen Tana (78 electoral votes) by 21,700 votes, but still failed to win the popular vote. However, Congressional Republicans made huge gains, and while they failed to win a majority in either chamber, it was enough to cause panic in the Democratic Party.
***
The 2134 Vega premier election was held in November 2134, alongside the federal mid-term elections. Incumbent Premier Jo Beyer was term-limited after one six-year term. Her Deputy Premier, Corie Correa, declined to run to succeed her, leaving the Democratic nomination wide open. Beyer had been elected in 2128 in a sweeping landslide over Republican Travis Lambert, but she still had to contend with a Republican-controlled Senate who proved to be obstinate. She had trouble getting her agenda pushed through Congress, forcing her to compromise on education funding and new trade deals. Things grew worse following the 2130 mid-terms as the Republicans made gains in the House and Senate. The primary issue of the middle 2 years of her term were around land reform in the southeast, as small yeoman farmers wanted to protect their land from encroachment by larger landowners. The Republican-controlled Congress kept regulations loose, dangling education funding as a carrot. But after the 2132 U.S. presidential election, the Vega Democrats rode Benjamin G. Thurman's coattails into majorities in both chambers. However, many Jeffersonian Democrats were still annoyed at what they saw at Beyer's betrayal that passing legislation grew difficult for her and her administration.
With Beyer ineligible and Correa declining to run, the Democratic filed was anyone's game. Governor Darnell McCraken of Natal was the early frontrunner and was widely supported by the western establishment. McCraken was a chemist by trade, and quite personable, but many factions of the party weren't happy with his selection. Red Dog Democrats and union leaders were wary of McCraken after his inaction during the Ford factory strike of 2131--likewise, national Red Dogs like President Thurman mistrusted McCraken, who was backed by former Attorney General Jordyne Blythe. Vega Red Dogs quickly lined up behind Willie J. Dwyer, the Regional Director of the United Autoworkers' Region 23B in Magellan. The agrarian Jeffersonian Circle was still smarting from the farm crisis, and backed Commonwealth Senator Alex Winant of Vega for President. Winant was a charismatic populist who'd railed against Breyer and her administration, often attacking them and the western establishment. Finally, there was former Commonwealth Representative Nassim Shalala of Arcturus. The former House Majority Leader sought the socially liberal western establishment, and was the major opponent of McCraken for the establishment vote.
McCraken did very well amongst the Democratic elite, gaining support from major donors and the party intellectuals. Jordyne Blythe made several campaign appearances for him, but he was still hindered by the populist attacks from Dwyer and Winant. Meanwhile, the southern urbanists sat on their hands and were making noises about backing Shalala. However, only McCraken was able to bring enough disparate support to come out on top. He won several early primaries, and won big on the east coast. Dwyer's campaign proved to be a flop due to several gaffes and missteps. However, while he won no states, Dwyer's campaign excelled at state-level caucuses, allowing his machinery to do just well enough to finish second in total delegate count. McCraken won a comfortable majority of delegates and moved onto the general, with Venusian American Miranda Su Suth of Polaris as his running mate. As her Vega law, each candidate had selected their running mate during the primaries. Su Suth was a former member of the Polaris State Senate and was the current president of the College Democrats of Vega.
The Republicans weren't nearly as divided as the Democrats, but their primaries weren't any less contentious. Former U.S. Secretary of Education Elizabeth Behan was the early frontrunner, but was trailed early by Commonwealth Senator Hayden Randolph of Mosquito and former Commonwealth Senator Derrick Lambert. Lambert was the brother of 2128 Republican nominee Travis Lambert, and while he frequently trailed Behan and Randolph, he was within striking distance. But his campaign was derailed following a series of sex scandals, forcing him out. The Republican nomination became a two horse race. Behan was the experienced, steady hand while Randolph was the young, charismatic insurgent who was running a shoe-string campaign on a slim budget. The primaries and caucuses were a constant back and forth between the two, with neither candidate able to land a decisive, killing blow. The election came right down to the wire as the final primaries were over and the last states tallied convention totals. Behan was able to just edge out Randolph, moving onto the general to face off against McCraken with her running mate, airline president Willem Flanders.
McCraken and Behan were also joined by the Reverend Dwight McCollum, who ran on a Progressive Party ticket. While McCraken ran with the support of prominent progressive Democrats like Jordyne Blythe and Samantha Alvarez, there were some in the movement who were uncomfortable with him. Most of it stemmed from his connections from Lamont County Democratic Party boss Jeremy Bouck and his campaign contributions (Bouck is the father-in-law of U.S. Vice President Thaddeus K. Mercer). McCollum ran on a strong progressive campaign, based on campaign finance reform, electoral reform, increased welfare and more infrastructure spending (primarily in public transit). McCraken emphasized his social liberal credentials, and his willingness to take on big business and unions (which made some Democrats uneasy). Behan proposed strong education reform, including centralization of education standards and funding through the commonwealth, but also downsizing various job training in favor of private apprentice-ships.
In the final election, McCollum took from both candidates (taking various economic liberals from McCraken and social liberals from Behan--the Republican platform had called for loosening restrictions on school uniforms and allowing for new casino licenses), but McCraken still won. He won a 5% victory in the popular vote, but also won a crushing majority in the electoral college on the strength of the west coast metropolitan regions. He did very strongly with the aborigine Venusian and nagina voters, winning more than 80% of both, continuing the trend of the past few elections. However, McCraken lost traditional Terran votes, with many blue collar Terran ethnics defecting to either Willie J. Dwyer (as a protest write-in) or Dwight McCollum. 13 faithless electors cast their ballots for Dwyer instead of McCraken--7 from Magellan and 4 from South Vega voted for Dwyer/Garber (Grant Garber had been Dwyer's running mate in the primaries, and was a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives), while 2 faithless electors from Rio Bravo cast their votes for a ticket of Dwyer/Winant.
***
Annie Teach (birth name: Annie Terrance) is probably one of the most notorious and infamous pirates of the Golden Age of Space Piracy. Born and raised on Mars, Teach was an average student with no criminal record as a youth (it was later revealed during her federal trial that she was actually very involved with street crime in her teen years). She did her national service with AmeriCorps working at a woman’s shelter, and attended Viking Metro Community College for one year before leaving Mars for the Belt to become a pirate. She became the captain of the Black Lotus at the age of 30 in 2135, and quickly built an advanced and intricate criminal network. Teach primarily operated in the Main Belt and within the Jovian Trojans, and at first, she struck automated drone freighters, but in 2138, she changed tactics and began to hit asteroid mines and refineries. Her change in tactics perplexed federal investigators, since she didn't seem to be actually taking anything from these attacks. She also wasn't adverse to hitting civilian targets, as she hit more than a dozen civilian space-liners between 2137 and 2140, most notably was the Pan Am liner Clipper Emerald Jet, which saw the destruction of the liner and the death of its 617 passengers and crew. Teach was finally arrested during a port call in the Jovian Trojans. She was arrested alongside her top lieutenant (and childhood friend) Klaire Kincaid. The rest of her crew and the Black Lotus itself was able to escape. Teach and Kincaid were both charged with 988 counts of first degree murder, 2,677 counts of attempted first degree murder, treason against the United States, use of weapons of mass destruction, money laundering and tax evasion. Kincaid plead guilty but was still sentenced to death because she refused to testify against Teach, and Teach's defense team simply tried to fight the treason charge. She was found guilty of all counts and sentenced to death. Teach and Kincaid are both awaiting their execution dates at the United States Penitentiary, Dulcenea, at Earth's L5 point.
***
The 2133 Reagan City mayoral election was held in the shadow of an ongoing federal investigation into the local Democratic Party. Because Reagan City is home to 2.9 million Americans, many of them who are miners, drivers, engineers and mill workers who make the various mines and factories work and hum. Due to the large number of blue collar workers, local politics are thus dominated by the Reagan City Democratic Party. Incumbent Mayor Allen Rankin had ascended to the mayorship in 2132 following the resignation of Dale Kimmel was indicted by a federal grand jury on tax evasion charges. Rankin is the leader of the Council of Democratic Workers, the largest faction within the Democratic Party and is backed by blue collar unions like the United Mineworkers of America and the United Steelworkers. Rankin's leadership was rocky throughout 2132 and going into 2133, as there were questions about his own corruption, and many saw him as potentially weak. Rankin's primary opposition came in the form of Theresa Hollard, the leader of the Urban Democratic Movement. The UDM was backed by various ethnic and religious minorities from Reagan City's middle class. It had a strong urbanist bent to it, with Hollard taking a strong social progressive lean in the primary. Other opponents included businessman Arthur Gomez from the good government New Reform Caucus, City Councilwoman Elizabeth Tren Tingh from All Together for Democracy and Professor Alexander Harman Nicholas from the mis-named Grange Circle.
Rankin ran in the primary on a standard Red Dog Democrat platform, which included calls for more workplace democracy and larger profit sharing programs for the workers. He also proposed nationalizing the helium-3 refineries, something that was opposed by Hollard and Gomez. Hollard took a more social progressive platform, with gun control, alcohol prohibition, tobacco restrictions and gambling being her primary bread-and-butter to fight the rising crime rates on Reagan City. Gomez was a recent settler to Reagan City, and ran as the primary anti-corruption candidate. Elizabeth Tren Tingh ran to the left of Rankin, proposing nationalization of more mines and refineries, while Professor Alexander Harman Nicholas was just a center-left social liberal academic. Corruption and the rising crime rate were big issues, something that benefited Hollard and Gomez early, as Hollard's law-and-order platform and Gomez's good governance platforms resonated with voters. However, Rankin received the endorsement of President Benjamin G. Thurman and the federal AFL-CIO, which vaulted him ahead of his opponents. Rankin won the Democratic primary by nearly 80,000 votes over Theresa Hollard, and while Hollard and Gomez all alleged corruption, the U.S. Department of Justice declined to investigate.
Because of Reagan City's heavy Democratic bent, the Democratic primary was tantamount to election. As such, Allen Rankin went on to easily defeat Republican nominee Curtis Nielson by more than 75 points in the general.
***
The 2133 Lakshmia premier election was the second consecutive election that saw the Republicans win a majority in the electoral college but fail to win even a plurality in the popular vote. Republican nominee J. Carter Dellenback defeated Democratic nominee Hollis Jones in 2127 by winning a large majority in the electoral college, but lost the popular vote by nearly 2%. Democrats managed to hold onto both houses of the Commonwealth Congress, and they proved obstinate and opposed Dellenback's attempts at reform. They were opposed to his social progressive program, and attempts to curtail alcohol and tobacco died in committee, while his attempts at expanding police power were met with mixed reactions, but little was done due to a split Democratic caucus. The Lakshmia economy also began to flounder heading into the 2129 mid-terms, which saw the Democrats make even more gains in Congress. Dellenback's personal approval ratings were rather middling, and he was seen as a vulnerable incumbent heading into 2133. While the 2133 mid-terms saw slight Republican gains, there were questions about whether Dellenback himself would run for re-election for a second 6 year term. Social progressives in the party were unhappy with his progress, while business nationalists saw his economic regulations a hindrance to business. Despite that, Dellenback chose to run for a second term and faced only token opposition in the primaries and he cruised to a renomination.
The Democrats were slightly more split. The establishment quickly rallied around Senate Majority Leader Nathan Kim-sen of Assyria. Kim-sen would be the first Venusian American nominated if he won, which would be a historic feet for a party that relied on the Venusian and nagina vote. He was a social libertarian who'd led the charge against Dellenback's social reforms, but not everyone fell in line behind him. Two fellow Commonwealth Senators--centrist Graham Spencer of New Virginia and social progressive Arlene Abrams of Tigris--both dropped out or declined to run. Spencer was named the chair of Democratic Hill committee for the Lakshmia Senate, while Abrams failed to gain any support from the donor class. Kim-sen's primary opponent took the form of Dylan Lafferty, a Columbianist televangelist who took a strong law-and-order and social conservative stand. Lafferty was a strong fundraiser and had a built-in support base as he backed expanded police powers and a crack-down on minority groups. Magazine publisher and pamphleteer Karen Molinari also joined the group, holding down the liberal syndicalist camp from more left-wing unions. Kim-sen did surprisingly well, but the only trip up was in Va-Jen Tana, which was Lafferty's home state, as Kim-sen lost a close primary there. However, it proved only a minor setback as Kim-sen won the other contests handily as Lafferty and Molinari dropped out before the convention.
Dellenback and Kim-sen kept the election close after the Democratic nomination was settled. Dellenback proposed further tax cuts and simplification of the tax code to encourage growth, while Kim-sen took a page from the liberal syndicalist playbook (his running mate, former Commonwealth Budget Director Walker Ortega was a prominent liberal syndicalist) and campaigned for more workplace democracy and union control of key industries. However, the Lakshmia economy was shifting and changing. It was becoming less industrial and less blue collar, and more of a white collar, post-industrial economy, much like Earth. Unemployment was spiking for blue collar workers, and no amount of workplace democracy was going to save it, as liberal syndicalists like Karen Molinari called for nationalization of the steel and auto industries to keep them afloat. Dellenback and the Republicans were also eating away into the Democratic base. Despite Dellenback's own low personal approval ratings, he was able to keep it close based on his social progressive views and flagging blue collar economy that saw many laborers question Kim-sen and his economic platform. In the end, Dellenback won another close one. The electoral map remained the same, but Dellenback made gains in the popular vote. He won the key states of Da-hana (70 electoral votes) by 6,600 votes and Va-Jen Tana (78 electoral votes) by 21,700 votes, but still failed to win the popular vote. However, Congressional Republicans made huge gains, and while they failed to win a majority in either chamber, it was enough to cause panic in the Democratic Party.
***
The 2134 Vega premier election was held in November 2134, alongside the federal mid-term elections. Incumbent Premier Jo Beyer was term-limited after one six-year term. Her Deputy Premier, Corie Correa, declined to run to succeed her, leaving the Democratic nomination wide open. Beyer had been elected in 2128 in a sweeping landslide over Republican Travis Lambert, but she still had to contend with a Republican-controlled Senate who proved to be obstinate. She had trouble getting her agenda pushed through Congress, forcing her to compromise on education funding and new trade deals. Things grew worse following the 2130 mid-terms as the Republicans made gains in the House and Senate. The primary issue of the middle 2 years of her term were around land reform in the southeast, as small yeoman farmers wanted to protect their land from encroachment by larger landowners. The Republican-controlled Congress kept regulations loose, dangling education funding as a carrot. But after the 2132 U.S. presidential election, the Vega Democrats rode Benjamin G. Thurman's coattails into majorities in both chambers. However, many Jeffersonian Democrats were still annoyed at what they saw at Beyer's betrayal that passing legislation grew difficult for her and her administration.
With Beyer ineligible and Correa declining to run, the Democratic filed was anyone's game. Governor Darnell McCraken of Natal was the early frontrunner and was widely supported by the western establishment. McCraken was a chemist by trade, and quite personable, but many factions of the party weren't happy with his selection. Red Dog Democrats and union leaders were wary of McCraken after his inaction during the Ford factory strike of 2131--likewise, national Red Dogs like President Thurman mistrusted McCraken, who was backed by former Attorney General Jordyne Blythe. Vega Red Dogs quickly lined up behind Willie J. Dwyer, the Regional Director of the United Autoworkers' Region 23B in Magellan. The agrarian Jeffersonian Circle was still smarting from the farm crisis, and backed Commonwealth Senator Alex Winant of Vega for President. Winant was a charismatic populist who'd railed against Breyer and her administration, often attacking them and the western establishment. Finally, there was former Commonwealth Representative Nassim Shalala of Arcturus. The former House Majority Leader sought the socially liberal western establishment, and was the major opponent of McCraken for the establishment vote.
McCraken did very well amongst the Democratic elite, gaining support from major donors and the party intellectuals. Jordyne Blythe made several campaign appearances for him, but he was still hindered by the populist attacks from Dwyer and Winant. Meanwhile, the southern urbanists sat on their hands and were making noises about backing Shalala. However, only McCraken was able to bring enough disparate support to come out on top. He won several early primaries, and won big on the east coast. Dwyer's campaign proved to be a flop due to several gaffes and missteps. However, while he won no states, Dwyer's campaign excelled at state-level caucuses, allowing his machinery to do just well enough to finish second in total delegate count. McCraken won a comfortable majority of delegates and moved onto the general, with Venusian American Miranda Su Suth of Polaris as his running mate. As her Vega law, each candidate had selected their running mate during the primaries. Su Suth was a former member of the Polaris State Senate and was the current president of the College Democrats of Vega.
The Republicans weren't nearly as divided as the Democrats, but their primaries weren't any less contentious. Former U.S. Secretary of Education Elizabeth Behan was the early frontrunner, but was trailed early by Commonwealth Senator Hayden Randolph of Mosquito and former Commonwealth Senator Derrick Lambert. Lambert was the brother of 2128 Republican nominee Travis Lambert, and while he frequently trailed Behan and Randolph, he was within striking distance. But his campaign was derailed following a series of sex scandals, forcing him out. The Republican nomination became a two horse race. Behan was the experienced, steady hand while Randolph was the young, charismatic insurgent who was running a shoe-string campaign on a slim budget. The primaries and caucuses were a constant back and forth between the two, with neither candidate able to land a decisive, killing blow. The election came right down to the wire as the final primaries were over and the last states tallied convention totals. Behan was able to just edge out Randolph, moving onto the general to face off against McCraken with her running mate, airline president Willem Flanders.
McCraken and Behan were also joined by the Reverend Dwight McCollum, who ran on a Progressive Party ticket. While McCraken ran with the support of prominent progressive Democrats like Jordyne Blythe and Samantha Alvarez, there were some in the movement who were uncomfortable with him. Most of it stemmed from his connections from Lamont County Democratic Party boss Jeremy Bouck and his campaign contributions (Bouck is the father-in-law of U.S. Vice President Thaddeus K. Mercer). McCollum ran on a strong progressive campaign, based on campaign finance reform, electoral reform, increased welfare and more infrastructure spending (primarily in public transit). McCraken emphasized his social liberal credentials, and his willingness to take on big business and unions (which made some Democrats uneasy). Behan proposed strong education reform, including centralization of education standards and funding through the commonwealth, but also downsizing various job training in favor of private apprentice-ships.
In the final election, McCollum took from both candidates (taking various economic liberals from McCraken and social liberals from Behan--the Republican platform had called for loosening restrictions on school uniforms and allowing for new casino licenses), but McCraken still won. He won a 5% victory in the popular vote, but also won a crushing majority in the electoral college on the strength of the west coast metropolitan regions. He did very strongly with the aborigine Venusian and nagina voters, winning more than 80% of both, continuing the trend of the past few elections. However, McCraken lost traditional Terran votes, with many blue collar Terran ethnics defecting to either Willie J. Dwyer (as a protest write-in) or Dwight McCollum. 13 faithless electors cast their ballots for Dwyer instead of McCraken--7 from Magellan and 4 from South Vega voted for Dwyer/Garber (Grant Garber had been Dwyer's running mate in the primaries, and was a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives), while 2 faithless electors from Rio Bravo cast their votes for a ticket of Dwyer/Winant.
***
Annie Teach (birth name: Annie Terrance) is probably one of the most notorious and infamous pirates of the Golden Age of Space Piracy. Born and raised on Mars, Teach was an average student with no criminal record as a youth (it was later revealed during her federal trial that she was actually very involved with street crime in her teen years). She did her national service with AmeriCorps working at a woman’s shelter, and attended Viking Metro Community College for one year before leaving Mars for the Belt to become a pirate. She became the captain of the Black Lotus at the age of 30 in 2135, and quickly built an advanced and intricate criminal network. Teach primarily operated in the Main Belt and within the Jovian Trojans, and at first, she struck automated drone freighters, but in 2138, she changed tactics and began to hit asteroid mines and refineries. Her change in tactics perplexed federal investigators, since she didn't seem to be actually taking anything from these attacks. She also wasn't adverse to hitting civilian targets, as she hit more than a dozen civilian space-liners between 2137 and 2140, most notably was the Pan Am liner Clipper Emerald Jet, which saw the destruction of the liner and the death of its 617 passengers and crew. Teach was finally arrested during a port call in the Jovian Trojans. She was arrested alongside her top lieutenant (and childhood friend) Klaire Kincaid. The rest of her crew and the Black Lotus itself was able to escape. Teach and Kincaid were both charged with 988 counts of first degree murder, 2,677 counts of attempted first degree murder, treason against the United States, use of weapons of mass destruction, money laundering and tax evasion. Kincaid plead guilty but was still sentenced to death because she refused to testify against Teach, and Teach's defense team simply tried to fight the treason charge. She was found guilty of all counts and sentenced to death. Teach and Kincaid are both awaiting their execution dates at the United States Penitentiary, Dulcenea, at Earth's L5 point.
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Can you please clarify? Thanks.