A Jovian Election Night's Dream
The
2135 Gailelo premier election was held in the shadow of the February 20, 2134, terrorist attack in Tarsus, Yellowstone, Hyperborea, just across the Northern Ocean. The initial panic following the attacks saw Premier Alex Blackledge and the Democratic-controlled Legislature to crackdown on crime. These armed Minutemen presence on the streets of Galileo's large cities quickly proved to be unpopular with the population. Blackledge also reformed labor laws, making it easier for unions to call strikes. When lumberjacks in Blackledge's homestate of Turing went on strike, Republican Governor David Holmstead attempted to use the National Guard to break up the strikes. But the Turing National Guard was quickly federalized by Blackledge, who personally lead negotiations with the International Woodworkers of America to end the strike. While he was praised by the AFL-CIO for the handling of the situation, Republicans and the Chamber of Commerce were critical of how involved he was. Likewise, many Republicans criticized Blackledge for being too involved when he helped to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement between American Motors and the United Autoworkers. However, the economy was strengthening, budget deficits were falling and corruption wasn't quite as apparent.
The early frontrunner for the Republican nomination to challenge Alex Blackledge was Lieutenant General Jack Bolden, a retired U.S. Rocket Force officer who'd risen to prominence in the early 2130 when he captured the notorious priate Annie Teach and the Black Lotus. However, Bolden declined to run. Instead, the established frontrunner quickly became Shane Talbott of Owatonna, a prominent lumber baron who had clashed with Blackledge during the IWA strikes of 2133. Talbott was challenged by two insurgent campaigns in the form of magazine editor Carrie Stephens and political pundit Dave Lincoln. Stephens was a vocal supporter of a flat tax, a balanced budget amendment and government term limits while Lincoln was a social conservative backing school prayer, an abortion ban and censorship of pornography. While Talbott had a strong lead early, Stpehens and Lincoln both won several early victories, but the establishment quickly coalesced around Talbott, who managed to defeat Stephens and Lincoln. Talbott, in an attempt to shore up his right-wing, named Commonwealth Representative Carter Munoz--a social conservative supporter of Lincoln's--as his running mate.
Reverend Raymond Russell turned his ultimately failed 2131 premier bid in a lucrative television contract. By 2135, Russell had become one of the Jovian system's largest and most well known televangelist, with an audience of up to 15 million across Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. He used his televised sermons as political stump speeches. His sons, Matt and Luke Russell, took the various organizations and groups that had supported him into 2131 and formed them into the Family Values Party. Russell took a leave of absence from his ministry in early 2135 to once again run for Premier. He ran on a platform very similar to his 2131 platform--opposition to abortion and pornography, supporter for school prayer and vouchers, and an anti-corruption populist message. The Family Values Party won many seats in state legislatures ahead of 2135, and Russell chose Tycho State Senator Taylor Heyland as his running mate.
Talbott and the Republicans managed to out raise and outspend the Blackledge campaign. While Blackledge was regarded as handsome and charismatic, he was becoming largely seen as an empty suit. The Republicans accused him of being controlled by special interests and labor unions. His campaign was also hobbled in the fall of 2135 when his chief of staff, Roseanne Hollande, amidst a federal Department of Justice investigation into campaign finance irregularities (Hollande, along with several members of Blackledge's campaign and administrators in the AFL-CIO would later be indicted on those charges). Russell proved to be a tough opponent to debate, while Heyland was a much better debater than Cody Hollander, Russell's running mate in 2131. Russell saw a strong increase in support, mostly at the expense of Blackledge, winning over many who were disillusioned with the Democrats but unwilling to vote Republican and many Christians who were becoming increasingly wary of Columbianism.
Harriman v. Peña
Ionian Mutiny
2127 Dacia
2131 Dacia
2131 Galileo
2133 Xanadu
2135 Dacia
Second Whaling War
John Lyman Sears
2137 Xanadu
2139 Dacia
2141 Xanadu & 2143 Barasses
2145 Xanadu & 2147 Barasses
2149 Xanadu & 2151 Barasses
2153 Xanadu