Popular Republican Leadership Challenge, 585AER

The Popular Republican Leadership Challenge of 585AER was a planned election that would have been held to determine the Parliamentary Leader of the Popular Republican Movement to replace resigning incumbent Sheldon Whitehouse. The election was canceled when the early resignation of Imperial Chancellor James Brokenshire prompted an early federal election. 
== Background ==
Despite PRM getting the most votes in the Falleen Federal Election of 582AER, it was the second-place Coalition of Conservative Unionists who formed the government to follow with a 51% majority. Incumbent PRM leader Sheldon Whitehouse had campaigned hard against the CCU, but ultimately fell short of creating a substantial lead over the party's longtime rival on election day. When announcing that he'd be forming the official opposition, Whitehouse also stated that he would not be leading the party in the next election. The premature demise of the Brokenshire administration, however, left the party with no time for a contentious open primary campaign, and so Whitehouse stayed on as party leader. Whitehouse went on to win the Falleen Federal Election of 584AER and become Falleentium's next Imperial Chancellor.
== Procedure ==
Any PRM MP may run for Parliamentary Leader provided they are sponsored as a candidate by one of their peers and seconded by another. All those who meet this qualification will be on the ballot and will be given the right to debate their competitors in a public forum. Before public voting begins, the MPs of the party will endorse a candidate as a symbolic delegate. Paying PRM members vote for free, but anybody else who pays a 1 fall fee and pledges that they support Popular Republican values may also vote. The voting itself is broken up into two rounds; the first round of voting will see all of the competitors on the ballot. If no single candidate takes at least 50% of the vote in the first round, a second ballot will be held between the top two vote-getters after a brief campaigning period. The winner of this round will be the next PRM Parliamentary Leader. As a wide-open race, the 584 leadership contest is expected to go to two rounds.
== Candidates ==
The following are MPs who had been included in polls as being potential candidates for PRM leadership.
=== Jimmy Carter ===
Carter served as Foreign Secretary for the majority of the Third World War. As Falleentium's top diplomat, he was instrumental in all negotiations, including peace arrangements. Carter was broadly praised for his tenure at the foreign office for, among other successes, saving the majority of the Malruricaian Confederation from extremist rebels through frequent communication and pledges of aid.
=== Willi Stoph ===
Stoph is a moderately well-known figure of PRM's left wing. He served as the Secretary of Infrastructure and Transport under the first Brandt administration, where he passed a 10 billion fall infrastructure package. He was also the first chairman of the Activist Caucus. Stoph was one of the four participants in the previous leadership contest, where he took second place to incumbent Sheldon Whitehouse.
=== Cumbernick Bandersnatch ===
Bandersnatch is a member of PRM's conservative wing. He was the first chairman of the Budget Hawk Caucus, and was one of the four participants in the previous leadership election, coming in last. He gained some infamy when his caucus voted against an alliance with the United Left Coalition that would have given the Popular Republicans a larger parliamentary coalition than the CCU in 582AER, ensuring that Popular Republicans would be in opposition rather than government.
=== Donald Rumsfeld ===
Rumsfeld is the longest-serving PRM cabinet minister, having spent 11 years as the head of the Education Department. He is the current chairman of the Investor Caucus. He was one of the four participants in the previous leadership election, coming in third. Rumsfeld became known for his comparatively hardliner views on Hasti and Veld independence.
=== Jimmy Dore ===
Dore, a former comedian with a popular political radio show in Hastiga, has been a long-time leading activist of the party's left-wing. However, he has not previously held party leadership roles, and the question remains as to whether or not he would be suitable to lead a Falleen political party when his home state is currently negotiating its way out of the Falleen Empire.
=== John Fetterman ===
John Fetterman was the first chairman of the Investor Caucus and the author of the Buy Falleen, Hire Falleen Act. Fetterman is mostly known as a strongly protectionist voice of the party's center-left. His many public speeches have given him a small but loyal following.
=== Richard M. Nixon, Jr. ===
Richard Nixon is the former treasurer of the Popular Republican Movement and current chairman of the Budget Hawk Caucus. He is widely considered to be a rising star of the party's moderate-conservative wing.
=== Ernest P. Worrell ===
Worrell is a former labour union organizer and one-time convict who currently serves as chairman of the Activist Caucus.
=== Guy Fieri ===
Fieri is the first and thus far only whip of the Popular Republican Movement. He would have been the closest ally to Sheldon Whitehouse in the mix.
=== Luther Strange ===
Luther Strange is the incumbent treasurer of the Popular Republican Movement.Category:The Imperial Constitution
==Polling==
Polls Conducted by Ponsonby Press polling division
===First Round===
Date 	Cumbernick Bandersnatch	Jimmy Carter	Jimmy Dore	John Fetterman	Guy Fieri	Richard M. Nixon, Jr.	Donald Rumsfeld	Willi Stoph	Luther Strange	Ernest P. Worrell	Unsure
September 10th, 582	6% 	20% 	4% 	5% 	4% 	5% 	6% 	9% 	1% 	4% 	36%
February 3rd, 582 	6% 	23% 	4% 	4% 	3% 	4% 	7% 	8% 	2% 	3% 	37%