Another installment in the weird and somewhat depressing world of
Interesting Times!
This time, we're leaving the rump USA behind and going west, young people. West to the Republic of California!
California has been independent since 2072. It has not done that badly as an independent nation, although it is known to rely on Cascadia for water (Cascadia gets investment into its green industry in exchange). True to form for a traditional "blue" state, the California Democrats used to dominate it.
As labor strife gets worse and the rising techno-corporates alienate the masses, the Democrats found that they were losing their working-class base and increasingly relying on middle-class technocrats. Where was the working class going? Not to the incompetent California Republicans, for one!
They went to the heir of the "People's Movement" (a Occupist protest movement with a socialist twist), the Laborers' Movement.
Maria Durantez was elected President of California in 2082, defeating incumbent President Hilda Thomas and bringing a sea-change to California.
In Durantez's first term, the techno-corporates and the labor co-operatives (now covering many white-collar jobs as well) managed to work out an understanding, creating California's social market economy. This mode of economy has been a bit shaky, but it's strongly popular.
The rising threat of the USA, especially with the popular firebrand Jorge F. Velasquez openly threatening war if he was to get elected, and the incumbent President trying to use jingoistic rhetoric in order to leech American Party votes, has made Californians jittery.
This election was in a sense a referendum on President Durantez's policies, but foreign policy played a key part in it.
President Maria Durantez promised to continue her foreign policy of building up California's troops and cementing alliances with the Pacific. This is known as the "Grand Pacific Co-operative Alliance", but many doubt it will work. Especially with China's current isolationist Premier.
The Laborers' Party affiliate the Nevadan
Workers' Unity party has endorsed Durantez.
Senator Joseph Ruan is campaigning for an "North American Defense Organization" (NADO) that will focus on alliances with Canada, New England, New York and possibly the European Federation. He also promises to continue the social market economy, although make it "friendlier to business".
The traditional Democratic affiliate in Nevada the
Silver Democrats has begrudgingly endorsed Ruan, but warned against "the lure of the right".
Calaveras Governor Abigail Smith is serving the same old Republican gruel, although with less "pan-American" policies than before. She promises a "defensive treaty" with Cascadia, Canada and Hawaii, but in general supports cordial relations with the USA, an unpopular position. Regarding the social market economy, she sees it as "bad for business" and supports its repeal, or at the least, an "opt-out" for businesses.
The Nevadan libertarian-ish
Party for Prosperity has of course endorsed Smith.
General Justin Gonzalez is running on a Californian nationalist platform. Build up California's military, ally with
Mexico (something the others haven't thought of) and make it hell for any invading American troops. Regarding the social market economy, he says "If it works for us, keep it."
The
Sagebrush Party, a Nevada secessionist party, has chosen not to run in the presidential election. They instead advocate "non-political" ways of showing disaffection with California, like occupist rallies, protests, picketing "illegal Californian occupation stations" (i.e. government buildings). Protests in Nevada's cities are somewhat common this election. In three years, it'll escalate to a full-blown rebellion that the party swears they had nothing to do with.
The election was a walkover for President Durantez as she easily won a majority of the vote and a huge lead over her opponents. The next election is in 2094 due to the somewhat major inconvenience of military occupation by American forces preventing the holding of the election of 2090.
The remaining 7% that did not go to the main four candidates went to, in order of how much...
1) Write-ins for Nevada parties like the Sagebrush Party. The party in question, even though it isn't officially running
this election, encourages write-ins.
2) Votes for minor California parties like the fringe Libertarians.
3) Write-ins for a different Dem/GOP candidate. That's legal, BTW, even though those candidates aren't running a write-in campaign.