2017/18 Groupy McGroupface Presidential Elections

**The** **2017/18 Groupy McGroupface Presidential Elections** were the fourth Groupy McGroupface Presidential Elections to take place within the Group Chat (in canon), but only the second to be performed by group chat members. Incumbent President Frank Underwood chose to run for a second term, which he was allowed to do. Other major candidates included Hercule Poirot, Will Conway, Batte S. Casey and Alex Twickenham. The original election ended in a tie between Frank Underwood and Hercule Poirot, each gaining 150 electoral college votes. A tie breaker was then held, which Underwood won with 390 electoral college votes. Underwood and his running mate, Tim Kaine, were later re-inaugurated into office in February.

## Candidates

### Republican Party Candidates

* Will Conway (WINNER; Chosen by Republican Party leadership)
* Arthur Conan Doyle (WINNER OF POULAR VOTE; Withdrew candidacy after results)
* Kelsey Grammar
* Francis Urquhart
* Paul Atishon
* Arlene Foster
* Aaron Burr
* Robert Terwilliger, Jr.
* Donald Trump
* Evan McMullin (Withdrew candidacy before vote took place)

### Libertarian Party Candidates

* Batte S. Casey (WINNER)
* Figel Narage
* Rick Sanchez
* Vermin Supreme
* Zoltan Istvan
* Gary Johnson

### Baker Street Party Candidates

* Hercule Poirot (WINNER)
* Heather Dunbar
* Clancy Wiggum
* Hershel Layton
* Tom Barnaby
* Jane Marple

### Green Party Candidates

* Pees'lubn Andistan'dhin (WINNER)
* Johnny Appleseed
* Jill Stein
* Harambe
* Caroline Lucas

### Third Party and Independent General Election Candidates

* Alex Twickenham [INDEPENDENT]
* Wagahai Natsume [CAT PARTY]
* Doug the Dog [DOG PARTY]
* God [INDEPENDENT]
* Yuuri Katsuki [INDEPENDENT]
* Kiyotaka Ishimaru [HOPE PARTY]
* Paul Golding [GROUP CHAT FIRST]
* Arlene Foster [DEMOCRATIC UNIONIST PARTY]
* Gerry Adams [SINN FÉIN]
* Donald Trump [INDEPENDENT]
* Barney Stinson [LEGEN... WAIT-FOR-IT... DARY PARTY]
* The Spirit of the Bells [INDEPENDENT]

### Vice Presidential Candidates

* Tim Kaine [DEMOCRATIC PARTY]
* Ted Brockhart [REPUBLICAN PARTY]
* Larack Tobama [LIBERTARIAN PARTY]
* Arthur Hastings [BAKER SREET PARTY]
* Inga Karkhuul Khura'in [GREEN PARTY]
* Harley Quinn [INDEPENDENT: Alex Twickenham]
* Larry the Cat [CAT PARTY]
* Stephen the Dog [DOG PARTY]
* God #2 [INDEPENDENT: God]
* Victor Nikiforov [INDEPENDENT: Yuuri Katsuki]
* Kazuichi Soda [HOPE PARTY]
* Jadya Fransen [GROUP CHAT FIRST]
* Nigel Dodds [DEMOCRATIC UNIONIST PARTY]
* Martin McGuinness [SINN FÉIN]
* Mike Pence [INDEPENDENT: Donald Trump]
* Alan 'Howling Lawd' Hope [LEGEN... WAIT-FOR-IT... DARY PARTY]
* Courtney Act [INDEPENDENT: The Spirit of the Bells]

## Pre-Primaries

Months before full-time media coverage on the Presidential Election began, a number of candidates announced their intention to run for the Presidency. The first to announce his candidacy was Donald Trump, who took the decision to declare his Presidential bid after the media hack conducted by James Moriarty in March 2017. In the following months, Arlene Foster, Francis Urquhart, Wagahai Natsume and Alex Twickenham also all publicly announced they would be pursing the Presidency. Incumbent President Frank Underwood declared he would be running for re-election after the GroupWorks bill was passed through The Senate.

Full-time media coverage surrounding the Presidential Election began in early November 2017. During this much anticipated announcement on GCNN, delivered by Stohk Ihmage, the television studio was attacked and taken over by a scientist known as Rick Sanchez who then hijacked the broadcast. Once Sanchez had made his way to the cameras, he announced that he would be running for President himself. Sanchez delivered a speech, during which he alleged that all group chat members were simply part of something named 'a role-play'. Sanchez proclaimed that none of what happened within Groupy McGroupface was real, and the evidence for this was that there were so many plot-holes. Eventually, Rick finished his speech and peacefully left the studio, after which GCNN had believed that they had re-gained control of their channel. However, soon after these events took place, God took advantage of the chaos and attacked newsreader Stohk Ihmage, shortly before announcing his own candidacy.

Eventually, the interruptions at GCNN were put to an end, meaning full-time coverage surrounding the Presidential Election resumed. After this, 27 more candidates announced their intention to run for the Presidency. This was a record-breaking number of presidential candidates.

During the first week of campaigning, the Democratic Party National Convention was held. As a result of being incumbent office holders, President and Vice President Frank Underwood and Tim Kaine were the presumptive nominees. Those who spoke at the convention included: First Lady Claire Underwood, Senate Leader Hillary Clinton, Senator Ed Milliband, Senator Cory Booker, Secretary Bernie Sanders, Secretary Al Gore and former Presidential candidate Nicola Sturgeon. All speakers declared their support for President Underwood and his campaign for re-election. The convention ended with both President Underwood and Vice President Kaine delivering speeches.

The following day, President Underwood, alongside Vice President Kaine, held a rally at Northlake Park with the purpose of commemorating those who died at that location during the attacks on the group chat by deceased Martian President Lord Dampnut. After giving a speech, Underwood took the decision to meet with protestors, asking them as to why they disagree with him. During an exchange with one of the protestors, a young man pushed his way to the front, before firing his gun at President Underwood. Secret Service agents immediately rushed to the President and fired shots at the young man. The scene erupted into chaos. Tim Kaine was driven away in a car to the White House, whilst Underwood was taken to the nearest hospital. Soon after this assassination attempt, a special report was conducted by GCNN declaring that Underwood was in critical condition. It was confirmed soon after that the assassin died at the scene, as did Underwood's security guard Edward Meechum. Tim Kaine assumed the office of Acting President, the second time that he had been forced to do so throughout the duration of his tenure in the Vice Presidency.

Later that night, an intruder broke into Senator Damon Gant's house. The intruder was a shadowed figure that went by the name of Altamont. Altamont accused Damon Gant of murdering a man named Joe Darke. Gant simply laughed at the allegations put before him, claiming that all evidence against him could be easily destroyed. As a result, Damon Gant was impaled by Altamont, who then disappeared into the night. It was soon reported by GCNN that Gant had died in this attack.

DNC Chairman Barack Obama released a statement on behalf of the Democratic Party, speaking of his sadness regarding Senator Gant's death and the assassination attempt of President Underwood. Obama asked all party members to stay strong throughout these uncertain times, and to pray for the President.

Two days after the assassination attempt took place, the assassin was revealed to be a former journalist named Lucas Goodwin. Goodwin's home was searched where suicide notes were soon found and were consequently released by GCNN. These suicide notes claim that the President was responsible for the death of journalist Zoe Barnes. Acting President Tim Kaine, First Lady Claire Underwood and White House Press Secretary Seth Grayson soon held a joint press conference, during which they called Goodwin 'disturbed', categorically denying all of the allegations made in the suicide notes.

Shortly afterwards, the GCPD scheduled a press conference to speak of the recent attacks. Those attending the press conference were Police Commissioner James Gordon, Presidential Candidate Chief Clancy Wiggum and policemen Eddie and Lou. The four of them declared that they would all be working together to investigate the assassination attempt on President Underwood and the murder of Senator Gant. Immediately, reporters questioned the capability of Wiggum and whether there was a potential conflict of interest due to the fact that he was running for the Presidency.

Towards the end of the week, GCNN released a story alleging that Baker Street Presidential Candidate Heather Dunbar had met with Lucas Goodwin days before the assassination attempt. Dunbar soon put out a statement stating that she did indeed meet with Goodwin, but the attack was not hinted or discussed in any capacity whatsoever.

On the final day before Presidential primaries commenced, Underwood gave a speech for his hospital bed. He responded to suggestions that he should withdraw from the race by claiming that doing so would mean that the attacker had won. He announced his intention to continue campaigning, claiming that he would not allow the assassination attempt to stop him.

## Baker Street Party Presidential Primaries

Whilst Hershel Layton, Jane Marple and Tom Barnaby remained fairly quiet throughout the course of the primaries, Heather Dunbar, Hercule Poirot and Clancy Wiggum all campaigned vigorously throughout the week. Dunbar gave multiple speeches and held several rallies, and also appeared in an interview with Jeremy Paxman. Throughout all of her campaign events, she spoke of economic issues, law enforcement and unemployment levels within the group chat. Poriot also delivered several speeches, outlining his major policies, such as immigration reform. Towards the end of the week, Clancy Wiggum held a meet and greet, during which he made multiple major errors. He began his meet and greet by awkwardly approaching a group of children and asking them whether they wanted candy from his van. He went on to harass and anger several citizens. The meet and greet was concluded after Wiggum went up to a lady asking if he could kiss her baby, as he wanted to be like the 'average politician'. After wrestling with the child's Mother, he eventually dropped the baby on its head.

On the final day of the primary, a debate between the six candidates was held and was moderated by party chairman Sherlock Holmes. Throughout the course of the debate, Heather Dunbar made the argument that she would be the best candidate going forward into the General Election, to which Tom Barnaby and Professor Layton responded to by accusing her of being arrogant. Jane Marple soon leapt to Dunbar's defence, as did Clancy Wiggum who agreed that Dunbar was most likely the best candidate. Wiggum declared the he would have withdrawn his candidacy, had it not been too much effort for him to do so.

#### **Baker Street Party Presidential Primary Results**

**1ST PLACE: Hercule Poirot - 4,000 VOTES**

**2ND PLACE [JOINT]: Heather Dunbar and Clancy Wiggum - 1,000 VOTES EACH**

**4TH PLACE [JOINT]: Tom Barnaby, Hershel Layton and Jane Marple - 100 VOTES EACH**

Soon after the results were announced, Heather Dunbar released a statement stating that she was deeply disappointed by the results. She claimed she could not support Hercule Poirot in the upcoming General Election, due to the fact that she considered a portion of his policies to be unrealistic. She stated that she would look at options for the upcoming General Election, and would explore a potential independent Presidential candidacy.

Clancy Wiggum soon tweeted his endorsement for Hercule Poirot, but declared that he felt 'too lazy' to speak at the convention. As a result, he planned to send fellow policeman Lou to speak on his behalf.

At the convention, Party Chairman Sherlock Holmes and Deputy Party Chairman John H. Watson both endorsed Hercule Poirot's Presidential candidacy. Candidates Layton, Barnaby and Maple all conceded the race and declared their support for Poirot's campaign. Poirot gave a speech thanking all of his supporters, before naming Arthur Hastings as his running mate.

## Republican Party Presidential Primaries

On the first day of primary campaigning, Senate Whip Evan McMullin withdrew his candidacy for the Presidency. The reason given by McMullin was that he felt the campaign did not have enough support to run a nation-wide campaign in the upcoming General Election. He had previously been the favourite candidate of the Republican leadership. He went on to endorse Governor Will Conway for President.

Later that day, Republican Senate Leader Alexander Hamilton wrote an open letter criticising Governor Aaron Burr's Presidential campaign. Hamilton made claims that Aaron Burr was simply a 'people-pleaser' and did not have any real beliefs of his own. Burr responded to this by holding a rally, during which he stated that he held 'no respect' for Senator Hamilton. He argued that Hamilton was in fact responsible for Underwood's election to the Presidency, due to the fact that he was 'unelectable'.

The following day after these events took place, Robert Terwilliger gave a speech on television branding his fellow candidates as 'murderers, drug addicts, women abusers, people who are simply incompetent and one that even believes in fairies'. This speech forced Kelsey Grammer to speak of his former drug addiction during an interview that took place with John Doe.

On Wednesday, a leaked audio tape was given to GCNN which showed a conversation with Will Conway on an airplane speaking to a pilot, during which Conway became exceedingly aggressive and threatening. Several minutes after the tape was released, Conway scheduled an emergency press conference. He stated that the argument was about a minor point which had absolutely nothing to do with his Presidential candidacy.

On that same day, a joint statement written by Chief Clancy Wiggum and Police Officer Lou made allegations that Robert Terwilliger had attempted to kill people in their hometown of Springfield when they were situated in Penguin Club. They revealed that he had spent time in a Penguin Club jail and that he used to be known by the name of Sideshow Bob.

At the Presidential debate, the issue of Terwilliger's murder allegations were brought up moderator David Dimbleby. Terwilliger claimed that the allegations were unimportant and false, going on to deflect from the claims by saying that all of the other Republican Presidential candidates could potentially lead to the apocalypse. Arthur Conan Doyle spent the large majority of the debate antagonising Terwilliger, continually referring to him as Sideshow Bob. Doyle also made arguments that the group chat needed to become more fairy friendly. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, Arlene Foster and Paul Atishon spent the majority of the debate insulting their fellow candidates and praising themselves.

#### **Republican Party Presidential Primary Results**

* **1ST PLACE: Arthur Conan Doyle - 3,000 VOTES**
* **2ND PLACE [JOINT]: Will Conway, Kelsey Grammer, Francis Urquhart - 1,000 VOTES EACH**
* **5TH PLACE [JOINT]: Paul Atishon, Aaron Burr, Arlene Foster, Robert Terwilliger Jr. and Donald Trump - 100 VOTES EACH**

When the results were announced, Arthur Conan Doyle interrupted the declaration by announcing that he would not accept the Republican Presidential Nomination in protest of their policies, as well as the fact that the fairies had allegedly stated their dislike for the party. As a result of this, the results were declared null and void. Party Chairman Kissinger arranged a meeting with Senate Leader Alexander Hamilton, Speaker Paul E. Esther and House Leader Abraham Lincoln. They then took the decision to vote amongst themselves to choose the new nominee. They decided to choose out of Conway, Grammer and Urquhart, as those were the three candidates to receive the most votes. They chose Governor Will Conway, who was then made the Republican Presidential Nominee.

Robert Terwilliger gave a speech at a town hall speaking of his disappointment regarding this news, refusing to support Will Conway. Towards the end of the speech, Clancy Wiggum burst into the room with police officers Lou and Eddie to arrest him on charges of murder.

Donald Trump had a breakdown at Trump Tower, launching a gigantic tweet storm. He soon declared that he would not be speaking at the Convention, and would be launching an independent Presidential campaign.

Aaron Burr, Kelsey Grammer, Francis Urquhart, Paul Atishon and Evan McMullin all spoke at the Republican National Convention, endorsing Governor Conway for the Presidency. Arlene Foster also spoke, but instead of endorsing Conway she declared she would be launching a third-party Presidential bid with the political party known as the Democratic Unionist Party. Her nemesis, Gerry Adams, was in the audience and began to heckle her, announcing he would also run for President under the party banner of Sinn Féin. Will Conway gave a speech calling for party union, and announced that Ted Brockhart would become his running mate.

## Libertarian Party Presidential Primaries

All campaigning for the Libertarian Presidential Nomination proved to be rather chaotic. Senator Batte S. Casey took the decision to focus on creating campaign posters with short and simple messages on them, with simple messages such as 'PONIES' and 'WEED'. Zoltan Istvan's main campaign event was a town hall meeting, during which he showed Libertarian voters his latest creation: 'Bob the Robot'. At the event, Istvan was able to make the robot do impressive tricks, however it soon began to malfunction. Bob the Robot began to launch fire into the audience, before attacking Zoltan, meaning the event was a disaster for his Presidential campaign. Governor Gary Johnson's main campaign event was a Q&A with potential voters, during which he answered every single question incorrectly. Rick Sanchez delivered his first speech since announcing his candidacy, taking the time to rant about McDonalds Szechuan Sauce. In the meantime, Vermin Supreme held a rally with only 5 supporters, during which he pretended to be a pony. Figel Narage did not appear in public, until the Presidential Debate took place.

At the Libertarian Presidential Debate, Batte S. Casey was shown to be mentally unstable, frequently breaking down into tears. Rick Sanchez spent the entirety of the debate antagonising Zoltan Istvan, calling him an 'idiot' and a 'moron'. At the end of the debate, Batte S. Casey challenged Figel Narage to a dance-off, in consequence to Narage marrying Casey's ex-wife. The debate descended into anarchy, with everyone beginning to dance. Moderator David Dimbleby walked out, and was followed shortly by Zoltan.

### **Libertarian Party Presidential Primary Results**

* **1ST PLACE: Batte S. Casey - 3,000 VOTES**
* **2ND PLACE [JOINT]: Figel Narage, Rick Sanchez and Vermin Supreme - 1,000 VOTES EACH**
* **5TH PLACE: Zoltan Istvan and Gary Johnson - 100 VOTES EACH**

Zoltan Istvan held a press conference soon after the results were announced, declaring that he would not stand for President again within his lifetime. He declared he would not be endorsing Batte S. Casey, but that did not necessarily mean that he would not vote for him. Istvan stated that he would be staying quiet in the election unless a candidate were to reach out to the scientific community.

Senator Hyatt A. Kite, Governor Gary Johnson, jurist Jim Gray and candidate Vermin Supreme all endorsed Batte S. Casey at the Libertarian National Convention. Figel Narage did not speak at all, and instead he simply entered the stage, ate from a bucket of chicken and left once again. Rick Sanchez delivered a speech declaring that the Libertarian Party members were too stupid to understand that he had been the best candidate. Congressman Grub entered the stage to deliver a song regarding 'crackers and snacks'. Batte S. Casey soon entered the stage to give a speech, during which he endlessly ranted about Groupy McGroupface, before choosing Larack Tobama as his running mate. A large amount of weed was then smoked by all of those in the Convention Hall, causing the entire centre to be covered with smoke.

## Green Party Presidential Primaries

The Green Party Presidential Primaries were scheduled to be held in late December, however the Swiss Convention Hall (which is used for all party conventions) was temporarily unavailable due to the large amounts of mess left by Libertarian Party members during their own Convention. As a result, the Green Party took the decision to wait until after the Christmas break to hold the primary.

Johnny Appleseed, Harambe, Jill Stein and Caroline Lucas held a variety of campaign events throughout the primary, during which every single one of them spoke of the environmental issues that were facing Groupy McGroupface and fellow group chats. The methods of campaigning used included posters, town hall meetings, rallies, meet and greets, television interviews and posters. Pees'lubn Andistan'dhin remained quiet, until the debate took place.

At the Green Party Presidential Debate, Senator Johnny Appleseed began to viciously attack all of his fellow candidates, arguing that none of them would be able to make a sufficient President. Jill Stein stood up to him on behalf of all of her fellow opponents, arguing that Senator Appleseed was being exceedingly small-minded and pointing out all of the flaws in his arguments.

#### **Green Party Presidential Primary Result**

* **1ST PLACE: Pees'lubn Andistan'dhin - 3,000 VOTES**
* **2ND PLACE [JOINT]: Johnny Appleseed and Jill Stein - 1,000 VOTES EACH**
* **4TH PLACE [JOINT]: Harambe and Caroline Lucas - 100 VOTES EACH**

After these results were announced, Harambe gave a speech outside of 'Obscurity Forest' to give his reaction. Harambe stated that he wished Pees'lubn luck and endorsed his candidacy for the Presidency. He then declared that it was time for him to fade into obscurity, before sulking off into the 'Obscurity Forest' forever.

Caroline Lucas, Harambe and Johnny Appleseed all declared their support for Pees'lubn's Presidential campaign at the Green Party National Convention. Jill Stein, on the other hand, declared that whilst she held Pees'lubn in high esteem, she did not feel that he would make an effective President and as a result she refused to endorse his Presidential campaign. Congresswoman Granny Vega also spoke at the Convention, endorsing Pees'lubn for President. Green Party Presidential Nominee Pees'lubn Andistan'dhin soon took to the stage, announcing that Inga Karkhuul Khura'in would be his running mate. Khura'in had previously been Paul Atishon's running mate in his independent bid for the Presidency in 2017.

## General Election

After returning to the UKGC to carry out his duties as a Member of Parliament, Francis Urquhart was met by Altamont the assassin on the roof of the Palace of Westminster. Altamont accused Urquhart of the murder of Mattie Storin, to which Urquhart did not deny. Altamont then preceded to impale Urquhart, therefore murdering him.

Meanwhile in Groupy McGroupface, Barney Stinson, the spokesman of the GNB Bank, scheduled a press conference of an unknown topic. At this press conference, Stinson revealed that former member of the Monster Raving Loony Party Alan 'Howling Lawd' Hope had convinced him to run for the Presidency, and as a result he was therefore launching his Presidential campaign right there and then. Additionally, The Spirit of the Bells, leader of the Land of the Bells, also announced that he would be running for the Presidency, due to the fact that the Presidential election needed 'more glamour, fun and fairy magic'.

The first main Presidential Debate was moderated by Stohk Ihmage and saw Frank Underwood, Will Conway, Batte S. Casey and Hercule Poirot go head to head against one another. The topics discussed included taxes, GroupWorks, terrorism and the Mars War. Tensions back to rise once Conway demanded that Underwood tell the public live on television what had happened to former Martian President Emcee Pink. Underwood responded to these demands by evading the questions, claiming that Conway had 'sympathy for terrorists'. Conway exploded, asking the President how he dared to say such a thing when he himself had served in the military and Underwood had never done so. Once again, Underwood ignored Conway's comments and simply referred to him as a 'traitor'. In response to this, Conway branded Underwood a 'dictator'.

Two days after this debate occurred , a Third Party and Independents Presidential Debate took place. All independent and third party candidates took place, with the exception of Kiyotaka Ishimaru. The debate was co-moderated by Vladimir Putin and John Doe. Issues that were discussed included climate change, LGBTQ+ issues, foreign relations, GroupCare and the economy. Whilst debating the topic of climate change, Barney Stinson, Arlene Foster and Donald Trump all claimed that climate change was either unimportant or a hoax. After the Spirit of the Bells proclaimed that forests were such a dull colour, he was attacked by God. As a result, God was removed from the stage. He returned minutes later, only to leave once again. Donald Trump announced his intention to introduce the 'Amalgamation Bill', which would once again merge both Groupy McGroupface and Penguin Club together. Paul Golding was arrested half-way through the debate, on the charge of hate crimes. Towards the end of the debate, anarchy broke out after Arlene Foster asked Gerry Addams to fight her. The two ended up with guns in their hands, and the chaos only stopped when Putin was able to disarm both of them.

As a result of not being able to attend the debate, Kiyotaka Ishimaru and Kazuichi Soda took part in a forum with journalist John Doe, where they discussed environmental problems and the group chat's relationship with Penguin Club.

In the second week of the General Election, Frank Underwood delivered a State of the Union Address, which brought both chambers of Congress together. During this speech, he spoke of all of his triumphs throughout the year. The following day, Governor Will Conway, Senate Leader Alexander Hamilton, Senate Whip Evan McMullin and Senator Boris Johnson all appeared on GCNN to point out all of the flaws in the speech.

The following day, Senator Alex Twickenham held a rally in which he attempted to bring all of those disillusioned with the political system together. At this rally, Senator Vince Cable, Congresswoman Ann Widdecombe, former Baker Street Presidential candidate and solider and statesman George Washington all endorsed Twickenham's campaign, all arguing that Senator Twickenham was the only candidate capable of bringing the entirety of the group chat together.

A Vice Presidential Debate was held, which was moderated by stuffed robotic bear Monokuma. Those attending the debate were Vice President Tim Kaine, Ted Brockhart, Larack Tobama and Arthur Hastings. The issues discussed included the economy, LGBTQ+ rights, gender pay gaps and immigration control. Ted Brockhart accused Vice President Kaine of being a doormat to President Underwood, arguing that Kaine had no real influence within the White House.

Shortly after the debate, GCNN began to report that there were allegations Nigel Farage, the former Secretary of State of Penguin Club who had previously been presumed dead after a plane crash, had been found on the shores of Penguin Club. Farage soon held a press conference outside of Lord Squidy's Presidential Palace, declared that he had survived the plane crash as a result of island natives discovering his body and nursing him back to health. Since then, he had been working on creating a flotation device to get back to Penguin Club. Farage made allegations that President Underwood, Chief of Staff Doug Stamper and Senior Advisor Mycroft Holmes had all threatened his life when he visited the White House. This was followed by Lord Squidy tweeting: "That was your final strike, Underwood. Game over." Frank Underwood responded to these events by holding a press conference, stating that the citizens of Groupy McGroupface should not believe the lies spread by Penguin Club. He argued that Nigel Farage should be ignored.

On the first day of the final week of the General Election, an article published written by journalist Tom Hammerschmidt made claims that Underwood's path to the Oval Office included deceit, manipulation and illegalities. In this article, former President James Hewett alleged that Underwood made himself his sworn enemy after he refused to make him the Secretary of State. He made claims that Underwood knew that Elizabeth Bennett, the deceased Vice President, was planning to betray him. Hewett went on to make further allegations, saying that he did not originally intend to endorse Underwood for the Presidency, and only did so as a result of being blackmailed. Former Martian Ambassador also made several allegations in this article, claiming that Underwood had deliberately misled the public throughout the Mars Operation. He alleged that Underwood already knew about life on Mars, but called for the operation as a result of wanting to boost approval ratings. He claims that when he tried to speak out about against the Mars War, Doug Stamper threatened his life. Senator Vince Cable also made several claims against the President, stating that Underwood had known about the corruption within the Senate and was quite happy to turn a blind eye.

Underwood responded to this article by calling it 'tabloid journalism', arguing that all of those that made claims only did so to help their dying careers. He stated that every single accusation made by the article was in fact false and incorrect.

Shortly after this, the Bell of Freedom which had been rung once Groupy McGroupface had gained independence from Penguin Club was stolen. This act of theft caused the National Park Service to increase security measures.

On the final day of the General Election, a final debate was held between the four main Presidential candidates. It was moderated by Comptroller Atkins. Topics discussed included the theft of the Bell of Freedom, the article published by Tom Hammerschmidt and so-called 'fake news'. Conway stated that he believed all of the allegations made by Hewett, Hunter and Cable; arguing that Underwood had 'dragged the office of the Presidency through the mud'. Frank Underwood responded to this by claiming that the article was 'trash'. Hercule Poirot stood up for Underwood in agreement, proclaiming that the article did not seem authentic and it was possible that the claims had been taken out of context. Poirot made the argument that several other colleagues of his, all of whom are detectives, have agreed that the article is most likely 'fake news'. Conway then proceeded to mention all of the incorrect choices and decisions made by detectives within the group chat over the past year, to which Poirot responded to by antagonising Conway over the 'flight incident'; the audio tape that had been released by GCNN during the Republican Presidential Primaries.

#### **General Election Results**

* **1ST PLACE [JOINT]: Hercule Poirot and Arthur Hastings (Baker Street Party), Frank Underwood and Tim Kaine (Democratic Party) - 150 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES EACH**
* **3RD PLACE: Alex Twickenham and Harley Quinn** **(Independent) - 120 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES**
* **4TH PLACE: Wagahai Natsume and Larry the Cat (Cat Party) - 90 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES**
* **5TH PLACE [JOINT]: Batte S. Casey and Larack Tobama (Libertarian Party), Will Conway and Ted Brockhart (Republican Party) - 66 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES EACH**
* **7TH PLACE [JOINT]: Doug the Dog and Stephen the Dog (Dog Party), God and God #2 (Independent) - 30 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES EACH**
* **9TH PLACE: Pees'lubn Andistan'dhin and Inga Karkhuul Khura'in (Green Party) - 6 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES**
* **10TH PLACE [JOINT]: Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin), The Spirit of the Bells and Courtney Act (Independent), Arlene Foster and Nigel Dodds (Democratic Unionist Party), Paul Golding and Jadya Fransen (Group Chat First), Kiyotaka Ishimaru and Kazuichi Soda (Hope Party), Yuuri Katsuki and Victor Nikiforov (Independent), Barney Stinson and Alan 'Howling Lawd' Hope (Legen... Wait-For-It... Dary Party), Donald Trump and Mike Pence (Independent) - 0 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES EACH**

This was the first tie for a Presidential Election in Groupy McGroupface history. These results were largely unprecedented. The first surprise was that Underwood, Conway, Casey and Andistan'dhin all majorly underperformed; The Democratic Party, the Republican Party, the Libertarian Party and the Green Party all received the worst results of any Presidential Election that they had contested in. Meanwhile, The Baker Street Party did phenomenally well. The Green Party appeared to be annihilated, whilst the Republican Party were no longer the main opposition to the Democratic Party. Additionally, it was soon revealed by GCNN that Alex Twickenham had won the popular vote of the election, meaning that this was the first time in Groupy McGroupface history that the winner of the electoral college would not be the winner of the popular vote.

In light of these results, Comptroller Atkins took the decision to call for a tie-breaker election between Frank Underwood and Hercule Poirot to determine a winner of the General Election. Both Underwood and Poirot delivered speeches, congratulating those that had dropped out of the race and encouraging people to support them in this tie-breaker election.

#### **General Election Tie-Breaker Results**

* **1ST PALCE: Frank Underwood and Tim Kaine (Democratic Party) - 390 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES**
* **2ND PLACE: Hercule Poirot and Arthur Hastings (Baker Street Party) - 330 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES**

## The Aftermath

As a result of this tie-breaker, it was declared that Frank Underwood and Tim Kaine had been re-elected to the Presidency and Vice Presidency. Hercule Poirot soon gave a speech conceding the race to his distraught supporters, asking them to throw their support behind President Frank Underwood. This was followed by Alex Twickenham giving a press conference, during which he wished Underwood the best of luck for his second term. During his speech, he reached out to Underwood and expressed a desire to speak with him personally regarding electoral reform. Will Conway also gave a press conference, apologising to the Republican Party for his electoral failure. He stated that the chaos during the primaries made the election unwinnable. He declared that there was a need for change within the party, or it would never re-emerge from the dust. Wagahai Natsume also had a speech in Arleville, where she had won her 90 electoral college votes, thanking all of her supporters.

Batte S. Casey, on the other hand, took a rather different approach than his fellow candidates. Supported by a small army of Libertarian voters, Casey and his army attempted to take control of a small National Park headquarters situated in the forest. Those working at the HQ proceeded to ship everything out of the HQ and evacuate the building. The HQ was then bombed, killing Larack Tobama. Casey then ran out into the forest, before having a nervous breakdown and conceding the race.

Doug the Dog, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Barney Stinson and the Spirit of the Bells all conceded the race to President Frank Underwood. Paul Golding, who had since been released from jail, was once again arrested for hate crimes. Arlene Foster and Gerry Adams simply continued squabbling, with neither of them conceding the race. God delivered a speech attacking all of his fellow candidates, giving hundreds upon hundreds of nonsensical insults. Donald Trump and Mike Pence did not appear in public after the race, and instead went straight to Lord Squidy to deliver the news. Lord Squidy did not originally believe the results, however after finally accepting that Trump had been telling the truth he had a nervous breakdown. Mike Pence branded Lord Squidy 'mad', to which Squidy responded to by sending Pence down a trap door. He then spoke to Trump of his new plan for world domination, where they would be forced to use brute force to conquer other group chats. After Mike Pence's 'disappearance', Nigel Farage was chosen as Lord Squidy's new Chief of Staff.

Frank Underwood gave a victory speech, thanking all of those that had supported him. He congratulated Poirot on a hard-fought race and admitted that it showed a large change in group chat politics.

Shortly after this, Congressional Election Results were also announced. The House of Representatives saw a large swing in favour of the Baker Street Party, whilst both the Democrats and Republicans lost seats. The Dog Party, the Cat Party and the Libertarian Party all gained seats, whilst the Green Party held onto their one seat. In order to form a majority in the House, the Democrats created a coalition with the Libertarians, the Cats and the Green Party. Meanwhile, the Senate was largely divided. The Democrats were still the largest party with 7 seats, but the Republican remains close behind with 6 seats. The Baker Street Party were less successful in the Senate, only gaining 3 seats. No coalition was formed, meaning that not a single party had a majority.

Several weeks later, the inauguration took place, during which Frank Underwood and Tim Kaine were re-inaugurated as President and Vice President of Groupy McGroupface.

## Cast

**Buttons999999**

* Will Conway
* Alex Twickenham
* Heather Dunbar
* Clancy Wiggum
* Aaron Burr
* Will Conway
* Kelsey Grammer
* Evan McMullin
* Robert Terwilliger, Jr./Sideshow Bob
* Zoltan Istvan
* Batte S. Casey
* Rick Sanchez
* Vermin Supreme
* Harambe
* Jill Stein
* Caroline Lucas
* Ted Brockhart
* Harley Quinn
* Barney Stinson
* The Spirit of the Bells
* Alan 'Howling Lawd' Hope
* Courtney Act
* Claire Underwood
* Hillary Clinton
* Bernie Sanders
* Nicola Sturgeon
* Ed Milliband
* Lucas Goodwin
* Barack Obama
* Seth Grayson
* Eddie
* Lou
* John H. Watson
* Alexander Hamilton
* John Doe
* Jeremy Paxman
* Paul E. Esther
* Jim Gray
* Boris Johnson
* Vince Cable
* George Washington
* Ann Widdecombe
* Nigel Farage
* Lord Squidy
* Stohk Ihmage

**GrandpaGames**

* Frank Underwood
* Batte S. Casey
* Johnny Applesed
* Tim Kaine
* Larack Tobama
* Duke the Dog
* Stephen the Dog
* Cory Booker
* Al Gore
* Henry Kissinger
* Grub
* Hyatt A. Kite
* Granny Vega
* National Park Employees
* Stohk Ihmage

**LEGOlord208**

* God
* God #2

**MarioDS**

* Kiyotaka Ishimaru
* Kazuichi Soda

**Red498**

* Hercule Poirot
* Tom Barnaby
* Hershel Layton
* Jane Marple
* Paul Atishon
* Arthur Conan Doyle
* Arlene Foster
* Donald Trump
* Francis Urquhart
* Figel Narage
* Pees'lubn Andistan'dhin
* Wagahai Natsume
* Yuuri Katsuki
* Paul Golding
* Gerry Adams
* Arthur Hastings
* Inga Karkhuul Khura'in
* Larry the Cat
* Victor Nikiforov
* Jadya Fransen
* Nigel Dodds
* Martin McGuinness
* Mike Pence
* Damon Gant
* Altamont
* James Gordon
* Sherlock Holmes
* David Dimbleby
* Stohk Ihmage
* Comptroller Atkins
* Vladimir Putin
* Monokuma
* Arsene Lupin
* Apollo Justice
* Natsume Souseki
* Stohk Ihmage