2214 Ishtar Premier Election

The **2214 Ishtar Premier election** was the 33rd quinquennial premier election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2214. The Republican ticket of Vega governor Adreana Oliveira Rogers and Businessman Wyatt Claxton defeated the Democratic ticket of commonwealth senator from Jemison Briyanna Chambers and New Houston governor Braelee Biddercombe, Oliveira Rogers took office as the 33rd premier, and Pence as the 33rd vice premier, on December 18, 2214.

Per the Ishtar Commonwealth Constitution, incumbent premier Vaughn Stewart was ineligible to seek a second term. Oliveira Rogers defeated Vice Premier Shiloh Barrett and Commonwealth Senator Sophie Shiver in the Republican primary. Chambers defeated Green Labor democrat and University of Iwo Jima president Trinity Lambert in the Democratic primary. Ishtar has little third party activity.

## Background

The Commonwealth of Ishtar is located on Venus, and is the center of scientific research and education on the planet. Home to beautiful beaches and large mountain ranges, the commonwealth also relies on tourism for its economy. Ishtar also has multiple swing states, and is home to two of the largest cities on the planet: Vega City and Victoria Beach.

Article Three of Ishtar Commonwealth Constitution says that the premier and vice premier of Ishtar must be natural-born citizens of the United States, at least 30 years old, and residents of the commonwealth for at least 7 years.

Incumbent Premier Vaughn Stewart, a Republican and businessman from Magellan, was ineligible to seek reelection to a second term due to the restrictions of the Ishtar premiership term limits established by the 12th amendment to the Ishtar Commonwealth Constitution. his term expired at noon Eastern Standard Time on December 18, 2214.

During his administration, Stewart was a hardcore conservative, championing bills that increased and expanded big business, lowered taxes, strengthened election laws, reformed government agencies, and expanding school vouchers. Stewart was responsible for the establishment of the Ishtar Council for Economic Growth, whose main purpose was to expand small businesses and increase the number of business owners in the commonwealth. He also spent much of his administration negotiating trade deals with the Ishtari Confederation, which borders the commonwealth to the northwest. Stewart was seen as an average premier, but was very popular with Republicans.

## Primary Process

Both the Democratic and Republican parties held a series of presidential primary elections and caucuses that took place between January and June 2214, staggered among the 13 states. This nominating process was also an indirect election, where voters cast their ballots for a slate of delegates to a political party's nominating convention, who in turn elected their party's premier nominee. In Ishtar, candidates must name a running mate before earning the nomination of the party.

Speculation about the 2214 campaign began almost immediately after the inauguration of Vaughn Stewart, with *Ishtar News* declaring that the race had begun almost December 20, 2209, just two days after Stewart was sworn in. On the same day, *The Magellan Times* released an article that predicted the 2214 general election would be between Vice Premier Shiloh Barrett and Commonwealth Senator Briyanna Chambers.

## Nominations

### Republican Party

Incumbent Premier Vaughn Sutton was ineligible to run for a second five-year term, and Republicans wanted to hold on to the seat. The Deputy Premier, Shiloh Barrett almost immediately declared her candidacy. Barrett was very soft spoken, however, knew how to run a ground campaign. A Rockefeller Republican, she was chosen to unite the party ticket in what was expected to be a very close election. Barrett supported the expansion of small business opportunities, more infrastructure projects, and investments in charter schools that would champion the sciences. Barrett chose a more conservative running mate, Commonwealth Representative Gavin Hostetler of High Plains to balance out the ticket.

Vega Governor Adreana Oliveira Rogers was the next to announce. Oliveira Rogers was a hardcore conservative who supported "union busting" and the "privatization of education". She also wanted Ishtar to become more isolated when it came to international affairs. Rogers was a charismatic speaker and a very unconventional candidate. She also showed that in her running mate pick of Businessman Wyatt Claxton.

Commonwealth Senator Sophie Shivers of New Houston was a member of the American Taxpayers wing. Shivers was the youngest in the field at 35, and probably the most unique candidate of the trio. She supported the abolition of business regulations, free trade, school choice, and giving businesses the choice on making their own energy regulations. She chose experience Commonwealth Secretary of Business Enrique Lopez as her running mate, which boosted her in the polls for a short time. Much of the race was on the ground campaigning as Both Barrett and Oliveira Rogers refused to debate. Oliveira Rogers' unconventional message and charismatic speaking style ultimately won her the nomination.

#### Defeated Tickets

**Tickets eliminated during the primaries**

 Sophie ShiversIshtar Commonwealth Senator from New Houston | Enrique LopezIshtar Commonwealth Secretary of Business from North Vega | 5
Campaign

**Tickets withdrawn before the primaries**

### Democratic Party

The Democrats have been out of power since in Ishtar 2209. Desperate to regain the premiership, the Democratic Premier Campaign Committee (DPCC) set out to recruit someone who could turn out democratic voters in the commonwealth. They chose Commonwealth Senator Briyanna Chambers of Jemison to run. Chambers was a popular Third Way Democrat and the ranking member of the commonwealth senate's judiciary committee. As premier, she wanted to increase free trade and improve international relations in the commonwealth. She also wanted to establish more trade schools and scientific institutions. In order to help her efforts, Chambers chose New Houston Governor Braelee Biddercombe as her running mate, who before her election was an economics professor at New Houston State University. Red Dog and Green Labor Democrats did not believe Chambers was going to help labor unions or discuss environmental protections during her campaign or her premiership, so they recruited someone they thought that could. Trinity Lambert, an environmental activist, and current president of the University of Iwo Jima announced her candidacy soon after. She supported loosened regulations for the creation of unions and the re-establishment of the commonwealth's Department of Environmental Protection. To unify the ticket between the Red Dogs and Green Labor, Lambert selected U.S. Representative Everton Massey of Magellan to be her running mate. The debates were very spirited, with Chambers and Lambert both winning and losing two. The primaries were very close, but Chambers' win in the state of North Vega ultimately got her enough votes to win the nomination.