East of the Merrimack: A 2006 CD Game (Discussion and Sign Up)

[KaiserDave]

[1]

The Granite State has 1.3 million people, it boasts of the Great North Woods and Mount Washington, the Connecticut River runs through it from north to south. It has some of the north east's greatest lakes and heights, and is scattered with some of what many say are the best places to live in the country. Naturally it is not without its issues and a great many of them, but it considered one of the more quiet, perhaps even tranquil spots in the country.

But it is here, in New Hampshire where some of the marquee political battles are being fought. On the east side of the Merrimack River, the long march to Election Day is just beginning. Almost as soon as President Bush was projected to win re-election, the march began. And east of the Merrimack the battle is poised to be pitched and one long remembered.

The nation debates energy, immigration, the future of Social Security and Medicare, the environment, taxes and spending, same-sex marriage, and of course the ongoing War in Iraq. Despite New Hampshire's outward tranquility, in few places are these debates more contentious than here. The President won New Hampshire's First Congressional District twice, but Governor Lynch won it at the same time. It's got a long Republican tradition but it's been won by Democrats before. Come November 2006, it will be close, and may foretell the nation.

So let the battles begin....

[2]

Welcome to East of the Merrimack! A Congressional District game and perhaps the first of its kind on this site. It is not unlike most election games, with your schedules, endorsements, debates, interviews, and heart rocking election nights. But given the circumstances, it is unique. Debates are broadcasted on local TV, interviews are more likely to be in local papers than national broadcasters, and national political figures are very calculated in their endorsements, if they endorse at all. Knocking on doors means a lot, but money may mean more, but knowing what you're doing means most of all.

I'm looking forward to the joy and excitement of this game, and I suspect we'll all learn a lot as we go along. I also suspect the most fun part of this game is the cornerstone, that is the custom characters. You will not play as real life figures, while the real world exists around us of course, you will create your own characters. They can be wealthy businessmen, a state legislator, a row office holder, a grassroots activist, or a veteran. As long as they are interesting, make sense, and are well rounded, I urge you to get creative. I will lay out the character application form below. But first, some ground rules and some helpful bits of information.

Rules

1. No Violating the Rules of this Blog

2. No Powergaming, Metagaming, etc.

3. Be polite please , rudeness ain't needed. Be considerate and kind towards your fellow players and blog posters.

4. Be reasonable and stick to realism.

5. If you commit to playing a big role, please stay active. And lengthy and complete inactivity without any message or reasoning will result in removal.

6. No cheating, I don't know how you would but don't do it

7. Characters, and this is very important, must be well rounded and sensible. I will not accept God-like characters. Within those constraints, get creative!

7. Have fun!

8. If you have any suggestions, please provide!

Info

1. Expect everything you would usually expect from an election game, schedules, debates, interviews, etc etc. But there will also be unique things that I am still ironing out to really shine on the unique setting of the game.

2. We'll see how time works, but the in game time will start in the late spring and early summer of 2005, although nothing from before the summer is really mandatory. Of course detail is always nice and helpful on exploratory committees, showing interest, etc etc

3. There will be news dice rolls, I'll lay out the specifics later but expect something along the lines of rolling a 1-3 you get bad news, 8-10 you get good news. 4-7 is nothing. News will never be a campaign ender, I am strongly against deciding games by randomness

4. Detail is always rewarded, but more casual players should not live in fear

5. There will be a local news station and local paper that will motivate the game forward with information, outside news, and things to get people excited

6. Go in depth into location! What local places, towns, and places are you going to! Research the area if you can!

7. News from the outside world will be the same as RL, so no surprises like Osama Bin Laden being killed early

8. Let's pretend that RL characters who conflict with the existence of our characters either don't exist or exist in a way that doesn't conflict

9. Something else if I remember!

Character App
Name:
Gender:
Age and DOB:
Hometown:
Current Residence:
Political Party:
Occupation:
Background:
Political Record*:
Visual Description**:
Additional Information:


*Tell us more about your characters time in politics, if they're a local lawmaker what have they prioritized, what are some important votes they've taken on controversial issues. If they're a private sector outsider who have they fundraised for or publicly supported, what are some issues where they've been vocal?

**Image not required


Democrats
SouthCarolinaAaron: Brian Wilson (Endorsed Jennifer Annika)
GoTfan: Michael Ashdown
jakobisgood: Jennifer Annika
Orwell: David O'Connor
FalterinArc:  Kyle Millenburg
Alcibiades: Bill Fiske
Kuumo: Lauren Winters
Republicans
RGM2609: Francis McGuinty
RogueThing: Ethel Beavers
Brother Jonathan: Jabez A. Parsons
mrappaport1220: Tyler Medford
Oregon Blue Dog: Buck Wilton
S019: Benjamin Smith
Ishan: Anna Hammond
joshva: David McLeod


[1] Wikimedia Commons

[2] Wikimedia Commons

[KaiserDave]

Date of Birth

[KaiserDave]

Honestly, I'd prefer to play as a real person (which I've said on multiple occasions).

For some reason, I have a hankering to play as Kelly Ayotte (does she even live in the district?)

If that's not allowed, I'll come up with a non-real person later.

We're gonna stick to custom characters as to not alter the timeline

[KaiserDave]

Name - Francis McGuinty
Gender - Male
Age and DOB - 42, 1 October 1963
Hometown - Barrington, NH
Current residence - Dover, NH
Political Party - Republican
Occupation - Founder and activist at the Initiative for Smaller Government
Background - Graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a bachelor degree in Business Administration and Finance, had a successful business in his hometown Barrington and expanded it in the nearby towns too. In 2000, he has founded the Initiative for a Smaller Government, which has been pressuring and working with local governments in New Hampshire to cut wasteful spending and balance their budgets.
Political Record - The Initiative for a Smaller Government has generally supported moderate Republicans in local elections, through there have also been some exceptions as he has not been afraid to endorse Democrats who align better with him politically. He campaigned for John McCain the 2000 Republican primary and voted for Bush both times but has not campaigned for him. As far as the issues are concerned, he is a proud and vocal fiscal conservative who will make budgetary issues his first priority in Congress.
Visual description - White, brown hair, blue eyes, 1.75 m, 65 kg (I am pretty sure this was not what I had to write here lmao)

A little more info about his background and record would be helpful, but otherwise accepted!

Name: Brian Wilson
Gender: Male
Age and DOB: 34 years old. February 16, 1971
Hometown: Manchester
Current Residence: Manchester
Political Party: Democratic Party
Occupation: Small business owner
Background: Owner and founder of Brian's Pub in Manchester, which he created right after he graduated from Saint Anslem College. Brian met his wife Mary at Saint Anslem, they have 3 kids (2 boys, 1 girl). In his free time, Brian enjoys fishing. His father was drafted during the Vietnam War, his brother George was deployed to Iraq, where he tragically died. After George's death, Brian felt enough was enough and he had to serve others.
Political Record*: After his brother's death in Iraq, Brian was elected to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen in Manchester. After one term, Brian successfully ran for the State Senate (District 16), where he's prioritized increasing education funding, passing a bill that requires all income, interest, and dividend tax revenue to be used on education funding. He's been considered a reliable ally to Governor Lynch.
Visual Description**: 6'3", black hair, caucasian, blue eyes (Not sure what else to include here, hopefully this is enough).
Additional Information: Strong supporter of John Kerry in 2004, been part of a few policy discussions and humanitarian efforts at the Clinton Foundation, spoke briefly at the 2004 Democratic National Convention after the success of Wilson's book "Service Before Self"

Looks good to me! Accepted!

Name: Michael Ashdown

Age and DOB: 37, born January 7th, 1969

Hometown: Portsmouth

Current Residence: Portsmouth

Party: Democratic

Occupation: Civil engineer, New Hampshire National Guardsman

Background: Ashdown was born to a middle class family in Portsmouth and from a young age, his father drummed into him the value of service, no doubt rooted in his on service in Vietnam. He joined the JROTC in high school, and proved himself adept at leading others, quickly going up the ranks. After high school, he studied engineering at the University of New Hampshire and upon graduation, he immediately enlisted in the Army Corps of Engineers.

He began his military career serving in Kosovo, followed naturally by the Invasion of Afghanistan, where he worked as a combat engineer. His unit came under fire while clearing IEDs in Afghanistan, and he distinguished himself greatly in the fighting. Following Afghanistan, he was deployed to Iraq, a war he found less than justified. On the day Mission Accomplished was declared, two of his friends were killed by a roadside bomb, leading to him becoming fundamentally disgusted with the incumbent President. He was eventually wounded in action and discharged in 2004, joining the Democratic Party when he returned home.

He landed a job as a civil engineer with the Portsmouth city government shortly after returning and joined the National Guard, but has found his adjustment to civilian life difficult, having lashed out athis wife Miranda and daughter Clara more than once. His work also leaves something to be desired, as he has grown more accustomed to seeking out roadside bombs than building things.

Politcal record: Ashdown was a Republican, once. However, his experiences in Iraq drove him to become more liberal in his politics. Since his return home, he's been sharply critical of the administration's policies on everything from Iraq to the environment, occasionally penning op-eds in the local newspaper.

Visual description: Black haired and blue eyed, about 6 foot 1 and thin.

Other: He was quietly diganosed with PTSD upon his return from Iraq. This has been kept under wraps.

Great background!  Accepted!

[KaiserDave]

Name: Jennifer Annika

Gender: Female

Age and DOB: 36 years old, born February 23rd, 1984

Hometown: Farmington, NH

Current Residence: Portsmouth, NH

Political Party: Democrat

Occupation: Chiropodist

Background: Jennifer received her degree in Sports Science & Medicine with a minor in East Asian History from Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, NH. After receiving her Masters Degree, she worked for a Physical Therapy Clinic in Concord, NH for three years. She then entered into a Medical Program at the University of New Hampshire, graduating with Honors. After that, she moved back home to Farmington to take care of her mother, who had recently been diagnosed with Stage 3 Cervical Cancer. Her mother sadly passed away three months after she moved back home. Shortly after meeting the love of her life back home, Lavrentiy Borislav (a Russian immigrant who left the Soviet Union in 1978), she moved to Portsmouth with Lavrentiy to open up a Chiropodist Clinic. After struggling to receive the financial backing to open her own clinic, she worked at Port City Chiropractic for two years. Jennifer then, after finding her calling in the field of Chiropodistry, took a 1 year trip to Senegal to assist with Doctors Without Borders. There, she became great friends with the locals, and became very close with a local doctor, Ade Chikumbutso. Her and Ade later came back to the United States together to open up their own shared clinic. One year after their return to Portsmouth, they opened up a Medical Clinic entitled "The Offices of Jennifer Annika and Ade Chikumbutso, MD." Their clinic has been awarded multiple accolades of Medical Care, Precision, Dedication, as well as the "Medical Office of the Year Award" from local Portsmouth TV Station, WCVB. She was a volunteer for both Bill Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign, as well as John Kerry's 2004 Presidential Campaign.

Political Record*: Campaign Organizer for Portsmouth's 2nd Ward for Jeanne Shaheen's 2002 Senate Campaign, and John Kerry's 2004 Presidential Campaign. Political Activist for multiple progressive causes such as: a $10 minimum wage in New Hampshire, embracing and furthering women's rights, supporting to end the wage gap, working towards lower costs for medical coverage, and more.

Visual Description**: Cut for Quoting Purpose
 
Additional Information: She was treated for malaria after failing to receive her vaccine before going to Senegal, and has suffered from some surges of arthritis (kept under the wraps.)

Looks good, but there are some issues such as how she was volunteering for President Clinton as a twelve year old

Edit: Accepted!

[KaiserDave]

Name: Ethel Beavers
Gender: Female
Age and DOB: 76 years-old - October 30, 1930
Hometown: Rockingham, NH
Party: Republican
Current Residence: Manchester, NH
Political Party: Republican
Occupation: Courthouse Clerk

Background: Ethel Beavers was born on October 30, 1930 to a strong Irish Catholic family, who would later be a strong influence on her life, she had 3 brothers and one sister - two of the brothers were ran over by a train when she was just 8 years-old. Seeing her father work hard in a local in Amoskeag Manufacturing in Manchester, she would live her life seeing the power of men, and would continue to praise men for demonstrating their strength throughout her life and being there when she needed them. Ethel would graduate West High School with hopes to get into law, where she and all of the other men would be working together, like she wanted it.

Ethel would get into Dartmouth College where she would get a degree in law in 1953 by having "perks" by hanging around with the ever-powerful president of Dartmouth at the time. She would begin her work as a clerk at David & Son's Practice at Law where she would check in many men and women coming back and forth in the practice, where she would meet the local politicians, including future governors. After spending just short of 5 years at the firm, she would meet her husband, Jeffrey Beavers in May of 1958, and would have 9 children, (6 boys, 3 girls) one would die shortly after their 4th birthday due to complications of malaria. The death of her child would hit her hard, and she would be unemployed for almost 2 years, and would live off the income of her husband, who was in charge of a local home loaning association.

One day, a letter came to Beaver's door where she had a letter from the Former Vice Mayor of Manchester recommending her to run for city council. After deep consideration with her husband and now, 8 children, she initiated her run for city council - as a Republican - in 1964. She was the first woman to be on city council. She fought against the Women's Liberation Movement of the late 60s and early 70s, along with being a strategist for president Reagan in the 1980 and 1984 presidential campaign in the state of New Hampshire. In 1996, she was unseated in the GOP primary. Now, she works as a clerk at the local courthouse.

Political Record: Lifelong-Republican, served as City Council Woman for Ward 3 from 1964-1996, Reagan election re-election campaign for New Hampshire, Goldwater delegate in the 1964 RNC & Goldwater volunteer, Director of the New Hampshire campaign for televangelist- Pat Robertson in 1988, Manchester Director of Pat Buchanan campaign in 1992, worked on the New Hampshire campaign for Bob Dole in 1996, Head of the New Hampshirites for Bush/Cheyney in 2004

Visual Description: 4'11, Grey-long, hair, wears bifocals, heavy-set, wrinkly-face, wears lots of skirts and sweaters, has butterfly lapel pin

Checks out! Accepted!

[KaiserDave]

Name: Jabez A(mos) Parsons
Gender: Male
Age and DOB: 58 (January 13th, 1948)
Hometown: Chester, Rockingham County
Current Residence: Chester, Rockingham County
Political Party: Republican
Occupation: Lawyer
Background: Founding Partner of the law firm Parsons, Dole, and Lodge, Chief Counsel for the New Hampshire Farm Bureau Federation (NHFBF). Graduate of the University of New Hampshire and Boston University Law School. Deacon at the Chester Congregational Baptist Church.
Political Record:
    Member of the Chester Select Board, 1974-1980
    Treasurer of Chester, 1980-1984
    State Representative, 1985-1995
    Chairman of the Chester Agricultural Commission, 1996-1999
    Director of Legislative Affairs for the NHFBF, 1999-2003
    State Senator for District 17, 2003-
    Chester Town Moderator, 1999-
From deep roots in Chester, New Hampshire, Jabez Parsons has followed in the footsteps of several generations of Parsons and served in numerous offices at both the local and state level. Parsons is generally seen as a maverick with conservative credentials, but also a record of working with Governors of both parties. He was a strong supporter of John McCain in the 2000 primaries and had served as chairman of Richard Lugar's 1996 NH Campaign.
Visual Description: 5'9", grey/white hair
Additional Information:

Ah, long awaited! Accepted!

[KaiserDave]

Not going to bother quoting because of length, but it goes without saying that Orwell is Accepted!

[KaiserDave]

Name: Tyler Medford
Gender: Male
Age and DOB: 36 Years Old, 12/20/70
Hometown: Barre, VT
Current Residence: Manchester, NH
Political Party: Republican
Occupation: State Senator
Background: Former Veteran, volunteered in the Iraqi Gulf War. Then went to University of Vermont and Worked on family friend, VT Senator Jim Jeffords (Republican turned Independent) 1994 Senate Campaign. Then moved to New Hampshire with his finance, and worked on McCain's 2000 Presidential Campaign (critical part of his primary victory in NH). He runs a medium sized hardware company and works extremely hard. He ran for the State Senate in 2002, and won easily.
Political Record: Moderate, Pro-Choice Republican. He has stood out in his party by being the first Republican in the NH State Senate to adapt a pro-civil Civil Union position. Medford also has stood out by being anti-gun control and fiscally conservative by opposing most tax increases and supports a balanced budget amendment. Finally, Medford has also stood out for his pro-environmental stance in the state.
Visual Description**: White, 6'2, 156 lb
Additional Information: N/A

Name: Kyle Millenburg
Gender: Male
Age and DOB: 37, February 22nd 1969
Hometown: Center Harbor, Belknap County
Current Residence: Laconia, Belknap County
Political Party: Democratic
Occupation: Belknap County Treasurer
Background: Born to a working class background in Center Harbor, his father worked for a local fishing company and his mother worked as a waitress in a diner. Graduated from high school and joined the military in 1987. Was on active duty from 1987-1991. Served in combat in operation Desert Storm. Went into Inactive duty in 1991 and used the Tuition assistance program to attend UMass Lowell and majored in economics. Graduated in 1995 and moved back to New Hampshire  and started a successful hunting equipment store in the town of Laconia. Continues to be an avid hunter as Treasurer. Married in 1996 and has one 6 year old son. Non-practicing Presbyterian.
Political Record: Annoyed with mismanagement in the office, he mounted a bid for County Treasurer in 1998 in Belknap, a Republican stronghold. Pulled off an upset due to a strong ground game and a lazy incumbent. Since taking office he has focused on cracking down on waste, fraud and abuse in the treasurer's office and kept a pledge to oppose any pay raises for himself. He has emphasized the need to improve the county's infrastructure, especially rural roads. Voted Dukakis/Perot/Clinton, was a "silent Bush voter" in 2000 and campaigned for John Kerry in 2004 due to his opposition to the Iraq War after having lived through the Gulf War firsthand. Was unopposed in 2000, won by 12% in 2002, 9% in 2004.
Visual description: White, black/graying short hair, green eyes, 5'11.

Two moderate veterans are accepted!

[KaiserDave]

Name: William Lowell Fiske (known as Bill Fiske)
Gender: Male
Age and DOB: 55 Years Old, 03/05/1951 (3rd of May 1951)
Hometown: Manhattan, NY
Current Residence: Conway, NH
Political Party: Democratic
Occupation: Lawyer
Background: Born to a prominent WASP family, after his Harvard education Fiske was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps and join a white-shoe Wall Street law firm. However, he had always preferred rural life to that in the big city, so shocked his family by instead moving to the small resort town of Conway in his wife Elise’s native New Hampshire, where he set up a law practice, and threw himself into the town’s civic life, being on the board of several local charities and community organisations.
Political Record: Another way in which Fiske defied his Republican family was his affiliation as a Democrat. One of his first political experiences was taking part in the student anti-Vietnam War movement, and his anti-war convictions have remained strong over the years; he vociferously opposes the Iraq War. Besides that, he is a centre-left social liberal, pro-choice, pro-same sex marriage and supporting a public option for healthcare. Living in a town, the economy of which is so reliant on the preservation of its natural beauty, he is a dedicated environmentalist. His Rockefeller Republican heritage reveals itself in a concern for good government and fiscal restraint (a key part of which is scaling back the military budget). Long a prominent member of local Democratic circles, Fiske has been a member of the town’s school board since 1987, as a selectman since 1992, and as town manager since 1998. His tenure here has seen tourism and the businesses which rely on it in Conway continue to go from strength to strength, resulting in consistent town budget surpluses, enabling increased spending on education and environmental conservation (Fiske’s two pet causes), and he has moved to roll out cycle trails and pedestrianise sections of the town’s roads. His involvement in the state party includes hosting a biennial fundraising dinner in the town and serving as a legal counsel to Jeanne Shaheen’s 1996 and 1998 campaigns for governor.
Visual Description: White, 6’4”, 191 lbs, sandy blond hair turning grey, blue eyes, quite handsome in an aristocratic, WASPy way (if that makes sense)

Wonderful! Accepted!

[KaiserDave]

New players are advised to play as Republicans, but I won't reject new Democratic players.

[KaiserDave]

Name: Lauren Winters
Gender: Female
Age and DOB: 43 Years Old, March 11, 1963
Hometown: Rochester, NH
Current Residence: Durham, NH
Political Party: Democratic
Occupation: Mayor
Background: Winters was born and grew up in a working-class family in Rochester. She majored in political science at UNH on full scholarship and attended law school at Yale. After completing law school, Winters started a law practice in Durham since wanted to stay close to her family and felt very out of place at Yale.
Political Record*: Winters was elected mayor of Durham in 2001 in an upset due to strong grassroots support. She has been consistently opposed to the Iraq War and to foreign intervention in general due to her uncle's death in Vietnam in 1970. As mayor, she has helped enact environmentalist policies and maintain high funding for the education system. Winters served as an organizer for Howard Dean's 2004 Presidential campaign. She is liberal on social issues, supporting civil unions and strongly pro-choice but is also largely opposed to gun control and free trade and ambivalent about immigration due to her working class background. On healthcare, she supports a public option and has given a few ambiguous statements suggesting support for single-payer but has not committed to it publicly. Winters also favors increased environmental protections.
Visual Description**: 5'7", green eyes, straight brown hair
Additional Information: Struggled with alcoholism in her younger years but does not drink anymore.

Accepted Ms. Mayor!

[KaiserDave]

New players are strongly advised to play as Republicans, but I probably won't reject new Democratic players.

[KaiserDave]

Name: Buck Wilton

Gender: Male

Age and DOB: 57 Years Old, July 4, 1949

Hometown: Raymond, NH

Current Residence: Raymond, NH

Political Party: Republican (previously Independent)

Occupation: Businessman, Farmer, Father of Four

Background: Buck Wilton was born in 1949, and served proudly in Vietnam from 1968 to 1971, rising to the rank of First Lieutenant before receiving an honorable discharge due to injury. He returned home with aspirations take over his family's small agricultural supplies business, Wilton Surplus. Using the GI Bill to get a degree in agriculture from the Granite State College, he became CEO of Wilton Surplus following his father's death in a 1978 car crash. Over 28 years under his tenure, Buck built Wilton Surplus into a strong regional company with branches across rural New Hampshire, and is a well-respected public figure because of it. Buck has also used his wealth to make extensive charity contributions, with a focus on orphanages, food banks and services for children - this also includes a scholarship that he personally funds, the Wilton Surplus American Dream Scholarship, which goes to New Hampshire high school students who would be the first in their family to attend college. Buck married his lifelong sweetheart, Lara Wilton nee Wolf, in 1973, and they have four kids together - three sons and a daughter who are now of age. One of his sons, Earnest Wilton (age 26), is a bench player for the Boston Celtics, and another, Carl Wilton (age 22), is currently serving in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, his third son, Buck Jr. (born 1978), died of cancer in 1992. His daughter, Patricia (age 31), currently works as a nurse in Portland, Maine. While Buck Wilton is a political neophyte, he is well-known and respected in rural SE New Hampshire (as mentioned earlier), and has been involved in local government somewhat, using his clout to support local works projects and the like. Wilton has many close friends among the farmers in the area thanks to his business's emphasis on relationships between the client and the seller, and is very willing to hand out discounts to people he likes and trusts. He's also known for occasionally having a fiery temperament, which can be triggered or aggravated by his chronic back pain.

Political Record: Wilton has not been involved much in politics, and thus does not have much of a political record. However (off the public record), he is a Republican of the populist strain, taking centrist positions on economic issues (and notably, on the Iraq War) while remaining socially conservative on issues such as immigration and gun rights. Wilton's campaign is self-described as a 'crusade for the working American'. In terms of on-record votes and political donations, Wilton has generally donated to and supported Republican candidates, particularly John McCain in 2000. However, Wilton voted for Perot in 1992, citing anger at the corporatist two-party duopoly.

Visual Description: 6'1", blue eyes, rugged gray hair, prefers to wear camo jacket and khaki pants, occasionally with army medals

Additional Information: Vietnam War injuries have caused him to have chronic back pain (due to getting shot), currently being treated but may flare up during campaign. Wilton is also known as a generous employer, though he allegedly firing a female worker in 1987 for getting an abortion (currently under wraps).

Love it! Accepted!

[KaiserDave]

Any idea when gameplay will start?

I’ll have the thread up in a couple of days
Before 2021

[KaiserDave]

The game thread is on the way! Expect it tomorrow or the day after that.

[KaiserDave]

Name: Benjamin Smith
Gender: Male
Age and DOB: February 10, 1966 40
Hometown: Portsmouth, NH
Current Residence: Portsmouth, NH
Political Party: Republican
Occupation: New Hampshire Executive Councilor (District 3)
Background: Smith was born to an influential, upper-class family in Portsmouth in 1966, his father was an influential lobbyist, and regularly traveled to Washington, DC for work. He attended a prestigious boarding school in New York during his school years and graduated at the top of his class. He then attended Harvard University, graduating in 1988, he then attended Harvard Law School and graduated in 1992. After graduating, Smith set up his own law firm in Portsmouth
Political Record: Smith volunteered for George H.W. Bush's campaigns in 1988 and 1992, while at Harvard. In 1996, Smith ran for Rockingham County Prosecutor and won the election. In 1996, he also volunteered for and donated to Bob Dole's presidential campaign. He then served two terms in the office, winning re-election in 1998, and in 2000, he ran for the New Hampshire Executive Council from the Third District and won the election, he would serve three terms as Councilor, winning re-election to the Council in 2002 and 2004. On the council, he emerged as a major opponent to the agendas of Democratic governors Jeanne Shaheen and John Lynch, and was a strong supporter of Republican Governor Craig Benson. He also campaigned aggressively for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, serving as a key New Hampshire strategist for Bush in both years.
Visual Description: White, 6'3", 175 lbs, blue eyes, black hair

A Bush disciple! Wonderful! Accepted!

[KaiserDave]

https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=421019.msg7856769#msg7856769

The game thread has landed! There are instructions and information there. Do tell if anything is missing and enjoy!

Please keep discussion and questions here.

And also, sign ups remain open!

[KaiserDave]

Name: Anna Hammond
Gender: Female
Age and DOB: August 2nd, 1952 (53)
Hometown: Boston
Current Residence: Rochester
Political Party: Republican Party
Occupation: State Representative 2001-
Background: The daughter of a Boston city councilor, Hammond was born into a political family and was in high society, marrying a New Hampshire lawyer who turned to politics and became a State Representative in 1987, serving until 2001, when he got diagnosed with cancer, while her husband was a State Representative, Anna, a political wife, was a proud political wife, being a liberal privately, she became good at acting on what she believed in. Anna Hammond has one daughter, Sarah (26) and two twin sons, Scott/Bill (25).
Political Record: She considers herself to be a moderate Republican, being Pro-Choice and being a budget hawk to make sure she isn't primaried.
Visual Description: Faceclaim is Stacey Evans

So she's actually a liberal, but she's running for office as a Republican?

[KaiserDave]

Name: Anna Hammond
Gender: Female
Age and DOB: August 2nd, 1952 (53)
Hometown: Boston
Current Residence: Rochester
Political Party: Republican Party
Occupation: State Representative 2001-
Background: The daughter of a Boston city councilor, Hammond was born into a political family and was in high society, marrying a New Hampshire lawyer who turned to politics and became a State Representative in 1987, serving until 2001, when he got diagnosed with cancer, while her husband was a State Representative, Anna, a political wife, was a proud political wife, being a liberal privately, she became good at acting on what she believed in. Anna Hammond has one daughter, Sarah (26) and two twin sons, Scott/Bill (25).
Political Record: She considers herself to be a moderate Republican, being Pro-Choice and being a budget hawk to make sure she isn't primaried.
Visual Description: Faceclaim is Stacey Evans

So she's actually a liberal, but she's running for office as a Republican?

She is a liberal but her persona is a social liberal fiscal conservative, but she is a Republican because her husband is one. It sort is like how some politicians have a "persona" but aren't actually their "persona".

I see. I'll let this play out but I'm watching. Accepted.

[KaiserDave]

Turns are due at the end of this weekend!

Sign ups remain open!

[KaiserDave]

Turns due at midnight. Next turn will run from October 1st to New Year's Day and will include a debate. Looking forward!

Sign ups remain open until the RL filing deadline

[KaiserDave]

Turns due at midnight. Next turn will run from October 1st to New Year's Day and will include a debate. Looking forward!

Sign ups remain open until the RL filing deadline

OK, so the current turn doesn’t include the month of October?

No but people are not going To be penalized for including it

I’ve gone ahead of schedule too in games

[KaiserDave]

People who need an extension are welcome to post their schedule in the next turn. I'm flexible just don't wait too long.

[KaiserDave]

Name: David McLeod
Gender: Male
Age and DOB: 35 years old, October 12th, 1970
Hometown: Concord, NH
Current Residence: Portsmouth, NH
Political Party: Republican Party
Occupation: Seafood Processor, Junior ROTC Instructor
Background: McLeod was born in Concord, New Hampshire, the son of Jeffrey McLeod and Diana McLeod, to a devout Catholic family of Scottish-Irish ancestry, native to the state since the Revolutionary War. Born into a quant, working-class household, his family had never registered under a political party, frequently voting differently in Presidential elections, and David, himself, had not registered as a Republican until 2003. After graduating from Concord High School in 1989, McLeod married his high-school sweetheart Lisa McLeod, and, subsequently, his father, a Vietnam War veteran, played a major impact on his decision to enter the U.S Marines, accompanied by his only other sibling, Josh McLeod, who entered the U.S Air Force. McLeod served 11 years in the Marines, starting as an enlisted soldier before going through officer training and rising to the rank of Sergeant and earning a bronze star, before retiring from the Armed Forces.
After returning home to New Hampshire, McLeod found an occupation at a local seafood plant in Portsmouth and a part-time job as a Junior ROTC Instructor, though he intends to resign from the latter with interest in running for Congress. He's also helped establish a social services non-profit, the Portsmouth Empowerment Action and Development, which engaged in community cleanup, Christmas toy drives, providing meals for the needy, and raising money for shoes for kids. Since then, him and his family have had two new kids, Calvin and Rose McLeod. He's stayed very active in the local Catholic Church and emphasizes much of his faith in his volunteer work, coupled with a growing interest in political activism (which will be touched on in the political record section). He has, though, struggled with reoccurring problems of alcoholism and effects related to PTSD.
Political Record: Though he had not shown interest in politics in his early adult years, McLeod cast his first vote for George H.W Bush in 1988, then Bill Clinton both times in the 1990s, but after retiring from the Marines, he officially registered Republican, became active in his local Republican Party chapter and volunteered for George W. Bush's campaign in 2004. As he's become more active in his community with volunteer work, he's also joined political activism, including recently defending Bush's CAFTA agreement for it's positive effects on New Hampshire industry. As a devout catholic, he is stubbornly socially conservative, defending traditional marriage, gun rights and the right to life, but he also takes up the more compassionate conservative line on economics in line with President Bush. However, he pushes a more populist tone when talking about such issues, critiquing politicians who 'don't fall in line with New Hampshire values.' He hopes to capitalize on his charming upbringing, veteran background, public service reputation, and New Hampshire-centric campaign to win over voters in the 1st Congressional District.
Visual Description: Caucasian, black buzz cut, 6'0; character claim is Richard Ojeda.

Hope it's not too late to join. I spent a while on this description.

No problem! Accepted!