Senator Ellie Debs (I(D)/CT)

Eleanore (Ellie) Debs is the current Senator of Connecticut after the sudden retirement of her predecessor, Thomas Dodd in early 1961 and also serves as public Co-Chair of the National Union of Voter Recruitment (NUVR) after the passage of the controversial 'Federal Election Security Act 1961'. She first came to national prominence in 1960 when she ran for president against current President Breckenfeld of Ohio. She won the popular vote in that election and was the first female on a major party ticket. Prior to this she has been mayor of Bridgeport and a state representative in Connecticut's general assembly.

## Biography

### Personal Life

Eleanor Debs was born on the 18th of June 1925 to Katherine Debs and Terry Eugene Debs in Terry Haute, Indiana. Terry (b. 1900-) was a railroad worker and son of Theodore Debs, the brother of Eugene Debs. Ellie was one of only 2 surviving children of the elder couple and admired her elder brother, Gene (1923-1945). She was taken with her father when he was lain off in the aftermath of the Great Depression, he would move to New York and then Connecticut taking his children with him, eventually settling in the town of Bridgeport as a journalist and construction worker. When she was growing up Ellie was often called a firecracker with adults noting her loud and firey nature which often led her to trouble with her speaking out of turn and having strong reactions to critics.

This nature was only slightly weakened when she, following her brother, motioned to join the armed forces in 1943 largely to help pay for college. She would become initially a private for the WAC and was sent to work with the Manhattan project as a part of the WAC Engineers sent there. She was set on a quick path of promotion and was projected to become a 2nd Lieutenant by the wars end, until her brothers death in February of 1945. This dampened her studies and ability as an enlisted WAC and she wouldn't be the same for a time. She was promoted after the wars end to Technical sergeant and was honourably discharged in mid 1946. She would graduate from the University of Connecticut with honours in Law, and would work to become a university lecturer by the next year, she would resign from her office in 1953 when seeking to run for the Connecticut general assembly.

She as of yet has not married and lacks any clear spouse. She has enjoyed a close friendship with various figures including Eleanor Roosevelt and her fellow enlistee in the WAC, Layla Hartford who serves currently in the CT general assembly. She was also a friend of former senator of Alabama George Wallace who she selected as her running mate in 1960, after meeting with him in the primaries.

In late 1964 following the funeral of Eleanor Roosevelt, Debs was assaulted in New York City, following which she has been very reclusive.

### Political career

Ellie Debs' political career started arguably when she left the WAC in 1946, She was a registered Democrat helping in local elections, but also joining marches and writing for Civil Rights and Labour Union movements and newspapers. She would defend Harry S Truman and Adlei Stevenson in the presidential elections of 1948, 52, but was silent in 56 not campaigning for either candidate.

She would run and win the democratic primary for her local assembly district in the 1953 Connecticut assembly election only narrowly. She would become a prominent figure in her state endorsing her successor when she left her role as a state representative to run for Mayor of Bridgeport in 57 as an independent. She cited that the situation concerning her home cities poor was too tragic to ignore any longer, on her split she said that she was sick and tired of the Democratic party bending over backwards for the Dixiecrats and left in protest more than anything substantive.

She in 1960, on the advice of Layla and a number of local trade unions, put her name in for the Democratic Primary. Her movement got a surprising amount of momentum in Connecticut and New England which carried her into conflict with southern Democrat George Wallace, eventually beating him for the nomination. She would witness the walkout and clusterfuck that was the 1960 DNC, where she would nominate George Wallace as her running mate in a bid to appeal to the leaving Dixiecrats. The Dixiecrats also nominated George Wallace for vice president, on a ticket with the republican nominee, Breckenfeld.

The 1960 Presidential election was one of the closest in history with 2,000 votes in Wisconsin separating Debs from the presidency. She would win the popular vote and called after the election for electors to 'follow the voice of all Americans.' Debs' campaign was mainly focused on infrastructure and civil rights. Debs attacked Breckenfeld multiple times on civil rights and his fiscal conservatism. she emphasised links to Adlei Stevenson II, FDR and also pushed for, on foreign policy, a series of marshall plan aid programs to reduce the spread of communism. In the first and only presidential debate Debs was on the attack pushing Breckenfeld to expand on policy and conceding agreement particularly on some specifics on foreign policy. The last question concerning civil rights however, devolved into chaos with Debs condemning Communists and Socialists whilst attacking Breckenfeld for dubbing the KKK a 'a small group of thugs' which she would later attack the President on during the SOTU the next year.

Debs was nominated to the senate after her predecessor, Dodd's, retirement. In the senate she has consistently attacked the FESA and put forward multiple times a civil rights bill.

She visited President Breckenfeld in hospital after his assassination attempt, what was spoken has of yet not been disclosed publicly.

During 1963 Debs announced her candidacy for president and ran against Jackson and McGovern. She rushed to try and get McGoverns delegates to support her but failed only getting McGovern to drop out as the ballot was counted leading to Jacksons nomination. She endorsed him on a caveat concerning civil rights. She has since the election founded a Liberal party with various supporters including close allies.

She has declared herself a 'modern liberal' in the spirit of FDR and Stevenson on domestic policy whilst a Willkie-ite Internationalist on foreign policy, keeping hard on communism and other foul ideologies whilst pushing for self determination and decolonising where it can be done with 'A polite, voluntary paternalism to prevent the growth of poverty as these nations begin to be able to stand on their own feet, to ensure communism does not and never does spread to those lands.'