A Gotham City Municipal Election Series (1998 Runoff).

[Bigby]

1998 Gotham City Mayoral Runoff:

The establishment in Gotham has not always been uniform. It has been liberal at certain points in the past, and at other times it has been conservative instead. A politician may find themselves in the establishment's favor in one election, and then find themselves running against the same establishment the next. However, this year saw the fall of Gotham's traditional establishment period. The Court of Owls was emptied from both ideological flanks, and the Gotham Gazette finds its reputation ruined beyond repair by its dirty mudslinging, particularly in regards to its treatment of the now deceased Mayor Hamilton Hill. From at least some sort of perspective, the survivors of the 1998 general would be considered largely outsiders by the Gotham City public, Slade Wilson moreso than Sarah Gordon. As a result, both candidates have shunned further discussion of traditional ideology in favor of localizing Gotham's politics.

Of course, the election turned strange once again with the arrival of Koriand'r of Tamaran. Gordon and Wilson already showed their differences with Gordon's insistence on proper procedure in the hunt against Maroni while Wilson insists on acting as legally ruthless and swiftly as possible before Maroni further decays the city. When the issue of metahumans, particularly the Tamaranians surfeced into the Mayoral discussions, Gordon focused on the positives while Wilson focused on the negatives. Gordon extended Gotham's friendship to Koriand'r and Tamaranian exiles and refugees, repeating in her campaign speeches that "all races have a right to enjoy the freedoms that we Americans take for granted." Wilson also supported the Tamaranians in their struggle, but his speeches expressed a desire to wipe out any of Komand'r's potential assassins and troublemakers who found themselves on Earth. Gordon refused to antagonize any future arrivals to Earth or any humans who showed themselves to have metahuman characteristics while Wilson railed against villainous metahumans "like that wingnut Ra's al-Ghul who tortured [Wilson] during Operation Fertile Crescent." The two candidates were previously thought to overlap on several issues, but Gordon's kinder approach and Wilson's more relentless approach widened the differences between the two very visibly.

The Candidtes:

Former Deputy Mayor Sarah Essen Gordon - "A Kind, Respectful Gotham."

Sarah Gordon has not shied away from her support for the Gotham PD, her pro-law and order platform, or her desire to arrest and convict Maroni. What differentiates Gordon from Wilson, however, is her tone in regards to dealing with Gotham's woes rather than the policies. Gordon has utilized her motherly image to represent herself as the "kind, nurturing soul" that Gotham City desperately needs. Without the left-wing of Gotham running to make her seem far-right, she has upped her pro-constitutionalist rhetoric.  "Gotham City's police and administration offices must remember that as a republican government with checks and balances, we cannot lose that valuable gift in our zeal against the Maroni crime family." Gordon has paid limited attention to rumors about the fabled metahuman named Scarecrow haunting Gotham's streets at night. She promises to catch this villain should he exist and should be commit any provable crimes, but has expressed a fear that overt ghost-chasing would divert valuable resources away from the Maroni investigations. The Gotham Gazette has attacked her as craven, too polite to the enemies of of Gotham, and too involved with the GCPD (as her husband is a police officer there) to fairly represent the interests of those who are charged by the GCPD for whatever reason. Some voters see these complaints as valid, but the majority of Gotham's voters refuse to listen because of the Gazette's discredited reputation.

Orient War Veteran Slade Wilson - "A Fearless, Victorious Gotham."

Like Gordon, Slade Wilson runs a platform hellbent on upholding the law and stopping the Maroni crime family. Unlike Gordon, Wilson wants to pursue any legal cost to achieve that goal. He has not called for openly breaking any laws or protocols, but demands that the administration be allowed some leeway. "Look, Gordon's got her heart in the right place, but not her mind's judgement. If we continue to let the law get subverted by Maroni and his goons, soon Maroni will turn Gotham into his own little Cosa Nostra kingdom of chaos." Wilson has given credence to the rumors about the metahuman Scarecrow, and pledges to begin hunting for the villain as soon as he is sworn in. "Gotham's already shown us that strange things like to creep out against us at the last minute. This Scarecrow probably does exists, and we need to safeguard against him for the good of the city." Like with Gordon, the Gotham Gazette has attacked Wilson. For Wilson, they are reporting the rumors that circulated about Wilson being turned into a metahuman sleeper agent alongside Johnathan Crane and Floyd Lawton. The United States government has debunked these claims with scientific tests done on the three war heroes, and the public likewise dismisses these claims. Some of Wilson's detractors, however, are repeating these claims on the campaign trail.

You have 48 hours to vote. Polling closes around this time on Monday. The 1998 General can be found here: https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=257313.0

[Mr. Smith]

Wilson for teh shiggoos.

[Bigby]

Wilson for teh shiggoos.

His eyepatch and awesome goatee are what we need to make supervillains cave.

[Maxwell]

Essen Gordon.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I know this is the DC universe, but Wilson looks like a supervillain by DC universe standards!

Gordon (normal/sane)

[Bigby]

I know this is the DC universe, but Wilson looks like a supervillain by DC universe standards!

Gordon (normal/sane)

In Wilson's defense, not everyone in this story is exactly like their canon counterparts. Falcone has no known mafia connections in my story so far, for example. You're totally right about his looks, though. Still, I implore and expect you to make your own judgement calls.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I know this is the DC universe, but Wilson looks like a supervillain by DC universe standards!

Gordon (normal/sane)

In Wilson's defense, not everyone in this story is exactly like their canon counterparts. Falcone has no known mafia connections in my story so far, for example. You're totally right about his looks, though. Still, I implore and expect you to make your own judgement calls.

Of course, I know that. I'd never vote based on candidates' looks. I voted for Gordon because I'm very fond of her motherly rhetoric/appeal and I think politics needs more of that.

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

Gordon, Wilson is too brash for my liking.

[Bigby]

Polling closes around 3:30 Eastern. Don't forget to cast your ballot!

[Bigby]

Actually rather close, but Sarah Gordon wins! I'll write up the epilogue and start 2002 ASAP.

[Bigby]

Gordon Triumphant!

The primary season went rather well, all things considered. Despite Wilson's brazen rhetoric, he refrained from excess attack against Former Deputy Mayor Gordon. Wilson was lauded for his surprising restraint, and it even helped him rise in the polls. However, Wilson turned out to act too cautiously as Gordon soon surpass his numbers. Out of fear of political reprisal, Wilson refused to get dirty. It kept his 40% margin constant, but this sense of chivalry failed to buoy him back to first place. Gordon won by a slim (in terms of raw numbers) 56.5% total of the vote, winning comfortably for the percentage margin. Wilson was deeply upset, in private, by his first political endeavor ending in failure, but he let the soldier in him appear professional publicly. It turns out that his good behavior would reward him anyway, as Gordon would later name Wilson Deputy Mayor.

Constitutionalists were the most pleased in Gordon's victory address. She cited the importance of adhering the to the Fourth Amendment in the hunt against Maroni, and that he will be given a fair and speedy trial in accordance with the Sixth once found. Some read this as Gordon finding Maroni guilty before a trial even began, but considering how the average Gothamite thought worse about how Maroni should be treated with clear intentions on saying so, few found themselves bothered by her remarks. Upon the end of her speech, she announced her choice of Slade Wilson for Deputy Mayor and allowed him to speak. Luckily for her, Wilson retained civility, though his ruthless undertones did creep in on a few occasions. Gordon and Wilson both promised justice for those wrong by the Owl Hunting, which garnered support from the public despite the unpopularity of the Court of Owls. However, the likes of the Waynes and Bob Zellerbach who died were still well regarded as Gotham's poster families and esteemed members of society, beacons of hope and progress that were taken away by Maroni. As evidence continued to appear in regards to Scarecrow's existence, Gordon began to entertain the idea of the villain's existence, but not much else.

As promised, Acting Mayor Regina Zellerbach appointed Gordon to Deputy Mayor and then promptly resigned from the Mayorship herself. This little fun fact will allow Gordon to become the longest-serving Mayor since Burton, should she not be assassinated, removed from office, or resign before her full term ends. Of course, this would happen should she be re-elected anyway. Gotham's future looks bright, but it will be up to the Gordon administration to match the reality to the image.

(The 2002 election will likely begin Wednesday or Thursday. I have less to study for thanks to a cancelled class, so I should be freer than normal. Should be.)