2048 Election

## Presidential Election

The 2048 United States presidential election was the 65th quadrennial presidential election, held in January of 2048. The Socialist Unity Party incumbent ticket of Ron Swanson defeated the tickets of Andre Copeland, representing the National Progressives Party, Herb Berger, representing the Republican Party, and Grace Landon, representing the Democratic Party.

The election took place against the backdrop of recent Malaysian aggression towards the Singaporean city state, and related economic fallout caused by the delayed response of the United States Government.

## Background

### Procedure

Article Two of the United States constitution states that for someone to serve as President of the United States, they must be a natural born citizen of the nation, be at least 35 years old, and have been a United States Resident for at least 14 years. Candidates for presidency typically seek nomination by signing on to a ticket with a major registered political party, and in a situation where a party has more than one ticket register, they hold primary elections to select the final presidential candidate that will represent the party.

The Presidential Candidate will typically select a running mate, whom will serve as Vice President of the United States, should theit ticket win. The general election held in November is an indirect election, where voters cast ballots for a slate of members of the Electoral College, who then directly select the winning presidential ticket. If no candidate obtains the minimum amount of electoral votes needed, the House of Representatives will select the president from amongst the top three candidates.

### Simultaneous Elections

The presidential election occurred simultaneously with elections for a third of the Senate, and the House of Representatives.

## Nominations

Incumbent president Ron Swanson became president after former President Donald Demo killed himself, and won his first full term in 2044. Under the 22nd amendment, he is eligible for another term in office and declared his candidacy for President under the newly formed Socialist Unity Party. He nominated his Attorney General Damian Ramirez as his vice presidential candidate and was endorsed by the Green Party.

The fledging National Progressive Party nominated former Speaker of the House and 2040 Presidential Candidate Andre Copeland for President and Senator Xavier Ward for Vice President. The Republican Party nominated populist Herb Burger for President, and the Democrats nominated Grace Landon and Frenkie de Jong for President and Vice President respectively.

Because of the number of candidates running, many predicted that the election will go to congress.

Candidates for President and Vice President
 Herb Burger
 Grace Landon | Democratic Party | Political Activist

## Campaign

### Main issues

#### Malaysia-Singapore Conflict

When Malaysia invaded Singapore in 2047, Ron Swanson chose not to directly intervene in the conflict, causing Singapore to fall within 2 months. In the ensuing fallout, many called this a failure of US foreign policy and a letdown for American allies. Copeland, Landon-Levesque, and Burger all heavily criticized Swanson's response, and said that they would have directly intervened and sent troops to Singapore. Swanson countered by claiming that Singapore did not want the US to intervene in the conflict and that he was simply respecting the country's wishes. He also insisted that he had chosen the best course of action, as US intervention would likely lead to conflict with China, who openly supported Malaysia.

#### Economic crisis in Pacific

Fateema el-Farman, one of the most controversial SUP politicians in the US at the time, had signed several radical pieces of legislation that were meant to bring equality to the Pacific. However, many of her bills caused significant economic downturn in the Pacific so large that it had the potential to bring the entire country into a recession. Riots broke out, and the Pacific went into a state of disarray. Swanson's lack of response to the crisis was heavily criticized, and many accused him of siding with Fateema simply because of a shared political affiliation.

### Campaigns by candidates

#### Interview by The Workers Friend

The Workers Friend, a left-wing news channel, interviewed all the candidates in the Presidential election. Many of the topics asked included the war in Singapore and the newly formed 5th International, which many conservatives feared had revolutionary ideals. The interviews were highly well-received by many, and the channel received a boost in viewership. However, there were some criticisms as some of the questions were deliberately socialist in nature and designed to trip up more right-wing interviewees.

#### Burger's Holocaust Controversy

During the Presidential debate held between all candidates, Herb Burger stated that the number of deaths from the holocaust were exaggerated and that the real number was closer to 50,000. This created a huge controversy, with many politicians from all around the spectrum condemning his statements as holocaust denial. This controversy was the likely result of Burger's sharp decline in the polls. Despite this, some republicans defended Burger's statements as free speech, although a few started to be more doubtful about their support of their nominee.

## Results

### National Results

Results of the 2048 election by Popular Vote
 Burger
 Landon/de Jong
 Total

### Results by State

Results in the Northeast
 Copeland/Ward
 Landon/de Jong
 Total

Results in Freedonia
 Swanson/Ramirez
 Burger
 Landon/de Jong
 Total

Results in the Pacific
 Copeland/Ward
 Landon/de Jong
 Total

Results in the Midwest
 Swanson/Ramirez
 Landon/de Jong
 Total

Results in Frontier
 Landon/de Jong
 Copeland/Ward
 Burger
 Total

## Analysis

Contrary to what many analysts predicted, the election did not go to congress. Rather, Ron Swanson won another term in office with a larger margin than his previous run, and won the same number of electoral votes, although he failed to hold onto the Midwest. This can be attributed to several reasons. The rise of the SUP as a political force likely resulted in Swanson comfortably winning the Pacific and Northeast, where the SUP has large support. In addition, his inclusion of Green Damian Ramirez into the ballot carried him over in the Frontier, where the Greens have large support.

Despite their loss, many analysts believe that this election was a success for the National Progressives Party. This can be seen through their success in the South, which, despite being a prominent republican stronghold, voted heavily for former Democrat Andre Copeland for President. This is not only evidence of the South becoming much more of a swing state, but also attests to the centrist nature of the new party, which appeals to both the left and the right.

The Midwest voted for Republican Candidate Herb Burger, despite his many controversies including not having a running mate and his statements on the holocaust. This came as a surprise to many observers, and many concluded that this was a sign of the state's rightward shift in recent years. This can also be observed in other trends, such as the election of controversial Governor Begula, and long-time Representative and Socialist Jeremy Primemewtwo's loss in the 2048 House elections.

For the Democratic Party, this election was a disaster. Their candidate failed to win any electoral votes, a first in the Party's history, and received just 11% of the popular vote. This was a new low in the Democratic Party, which just 12 years ago swept every electoral vote in the country. Analysts predict that this will be the start of the Party's decay and collapse, as many of its former leaders splinter into the new third parties and the new leaders who take their place continue to run it to the ground.