Flip the 6th (interest thread)

[Schiff for Senate]

I think I am interested, hypothetically, in playing. I may change my mind later on but for now I am open to playing.

Character App
Name: Heather Cooper
Gender: Female
Age and DOB: 34; born July 17, 1987
Hometown: Salem
Current Residence: Salem
Political Party: Republican
Occupation: Politician
Background: Member of the Oregon House of Representatives since 2017 (District 19)
Political Record: Somewhat moderate on some issues but overall reasonably conservative. Prioritizes low spending and smaller government. Is moderately pro-choice and supports some gun control and some LGBT rights, has kept quiet on the election, and is otherwise fairly mainstream a Republican but isn't too vocally pro-Trump. Will be emphasizing economic issues and criticism of Democrats during the primary season.
Visual Description: Fairly good-looking. Tall, fair complexion, hair is light brown, longish, and straight, eyes are green. Kinda resembles Hope Hicks.

[Schiff for Senate]

Name: Ted Miller
Gender: Male
Political Party: Republican
Age: December 2nd, 1968 (52)
Hometown: Salem
Current Residence: Salem
Occupation: Small businessman (Owner of a gun shop)
Political Record: Ted Miller is a libertarian leaning Republican, supporting the legalization of all drugs, and as a gun shop owner, he is strongly pro-gun and very pro-"law and order", and ecconomically, he is considered to be loosely "populist" and is pro-small business and supports a UBI. He is openly gay and his partner, Scott Butler was the Vice Chairman of the Oregon Log Cabin Republicans.
Visual Description: Pale skinned, middle aged man, who has brown hair and a beard. He is 6'3".

Approved. Not everyone has to be from Salem, though!

I think it's more because of the fact that no one really knows any cities in this sixth district other than Salem, so they just pick Salem by default or out of laziness. That's why my character is from Salem, at least. Perhaps it'd be helpful if you could name a few other cities in the district, since I do agree that it's a bit unrealistic that there are 3 Republican candidates and all three are from Salem.

EDIT: Never mind I realized the map includes several other cities in the district, I just picked Salem because it was the biggest one.

[Schiff for Senate]

Wikimedia Commons

While states like Texas and Illinois had more high-profile battles, the Beaver State played host to one of America's most intense redistricting battles. Democrats were in firm control of Oregon's government, and by extension, held the redistricting pen - however, Oregon Republicans refused to quietly allow themselves to be outvoted at every step. Utilizing Oregon's unusually high quorum rules, they threatened to ground the statehouse to a halt. For months, the parties were in a state of standoff, with neither willing to come to the table on redistricting. It seemed certain that the maps would be sent to the courts.

Then, Tina Kotek caved.



In an eleventh-hour move, Democrats and Republicans came to an agreement to pass a relatively fair map, keeping DeFazio's seat competitive while adding a new swing seat in the Willamette Valley. Covering regions from the Pacific Coast to progressive Corvallis, diversifying Salem to working-class Linn County, this new, open seat was ideal for Oregon's most competitive House election in years. Voting for Obama, then Trump, Buehler, then Biden, will Oregon Republicans be able to capitalize on a favorable national environment and win a second congressional seat in Oregon for the first time since 1988? Or will Oregon Democrats hold the line with their significant organizational advantage and keep the Beaver State's congressional delegation solidly blue?

Welcome to my latest election game, Flip the 6th! Inspired by KaiserDave's fantastic East of the Merrimack, this is a modern take on the concept. Like Kaiser's game, Flip the 6th will feature custom characters. Feel free to design custom characters, whether they be state legislators, small business owners, activists, county officials, or more - however, stay realistic.

I'm also carrying over the rules from Kaiser's game. Here they are, for reference:

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!

And here is the info:

1. The game will commence in fall 2021, right after the map passed. The primary elements will be schedules, speeches, debates, interviews, endorsements, and the like. Events earlier than fall 2021 are not required, but can still help one's standing.

2. I will incorporate news. Assume that any events that happen OTL (besides how Oregon redistricting actually went) happen in this TL. Additionally, assume that all OTL politicians exist, except for those that conflict with player characters (e.g. if the player represents Oregon's 10th State Senate seat, the current senator from that seat does not exist for this game's purposes).

3. Detail is good. Go into depth about the locations you visit, and try to tailor your campaigns to them. Results are calculated on the county level so this can and will affect your numbers!

And lastly, the character app. Once again borrowing from Kaiser.

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 character's 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

Candidates

Democratic:
Charlotte Adams (D-Salem) - Falterin
Commissioner Thomas Ryder (D-Corvallis) - GoTfan
Senator Eric Talbot (D-Corvallis) - Orwell
Yuri Testikov (D-Corvallis) - discovolante

Republican:
Doyle Brooks (R-Salem) - RGM2903
Representative Heather Cooper (R-Salem) - CentristRepublican
Ted Miller (R-Salem) - Ishan

When do we begin playing? I already have attacks planned against Brooks and Miller.

[Schiff for Senate]

To CentristRepublican - I anticipate starting early November once new interest begins trickling down.

That's good with me, but I will most likely have to take time off from the game from mid-November until early December because of real-life commitments. I'll probably still be able to play during that time period but not that actively.

[Schiff for Senate]

Holding the door open for further applications for a bit, then we're getting started.

Great. I will get my negative attacks ready to roll. What will the polling for the GOP primary be at the beginning of the race? I can plan my strategy accordingly.

[Schiff for Senate]

[snip]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paragraph

That is all.

I know, sometimes I forget to divide what I'm saying into multiple paragraphs and it just becomes one monster of a paragraph. 

Nike executive Dale Scott kicks off campaign for new congressional district in Oregon

Scott started his campaign off with a rally in downtown Salem

"Thank y'all for coming out tonight. This is one giant crowd. If you elect me, I promise to fight for the best interests of all of my constituents from the fast food employee to the factory worker to the student.

Biden's administration has been no bueno for the great people of our country, and especially our district. The price of household items has exploded, with many working people being unable to afford basic necessities. If this keeps up, we might very well have another Great Depression on our hands.

Our schools are teaching Critical Race Theory and indoctrinating our children. During distance learning, many parents discovered the nasty reality of our education system. Left-wing teachers think that it is OK or even morally virtuous to shove their ideas down our kids' throats. School administration has been complacent or even supportive of this. Additionally, our kids are being forced to read sexually explicit material as early as elementary school. A vote for me is a vote against this nonsense.

Let me preface this was saying that COVID-19 is a serious issue. Studies have shown that the COVID-19 vaccine protects you and others, however, the choice to get vaccinated should well be a choice, rather than a mandate. However, most Democrats and even some Republicans are flouting the American tradition of individualism. Meanwhile our governor in the state of Oregon, Kate Brown is mandating outdoor masking, whether or not you are vaccinated. While liberal elites are forcing masks on you, they are regularly violating their own rules. While masks work, they are simply unnecessary for the fully vaccinated.

Now to address my opponents in this race. Where do I start? Yuri Testikov is a communist who wants to abolish fossil fuels in 2 years, abolish the police, describes the fossil fuel industry as vampiric. We simply cannot abolish fossil fuels that quickly, as we do not yet have any replacement. The police are a vital part of our community and do more good than harm. We would be risking our entire economy to achieve this. If you work in energy, as many Oregonians do, Tesitkov, if he wins, will cost you not just your job, but your livelihood, and the futures of your children and grandchildren. We need to punish bad cops, that's for sure, but we should still enforce our laws. Unlike what he might tell you, I am by no means afraid of Testikov. As the kids say, "Come at me, bro". A vote for Tesitkov is a vote for an impoverished, lawless America. Now on to Heather Cooper. She is a career politician. Do you know what career politicians do? They take the money, of you the taxpayer, and spend it on frivolities because that's what their fat-cat donors want. She called me a RINO, yet she is the one who wants to restrict your constitutional right to bear arms. Do you know why we have the 2nd amendment? So the citizenry can defend themselves against government tyranny. She, quite frankly, lied about the reason I am running because that's what career politicians do, they lie to you and they manipulate you, to get your vote. Meanwhile, I am self-funded and won't hesitate to tell you the full truth and nothing but the full truth. We also have Ted Miller. He supports programs such as UBI, which disincentivize work, and undermine our prosperity as a nation. He wants to legalize all drugs, which would impact people of all walks of life in a negative way, especially vulnerable individuals such as children. Lastly, we have Doyle Brooks. While Trump was a decent president and did more good than bad for this country, Brooks acts like he is some sort of deity. The network he works for, OANN, has blatantly lied to the American public, claiming that Trump won the 2020 election 410-128. No Mr. Brooks, Trump lost, and we need to focus on 2022 and beyond."

Campaign Motto: "For Peace and Prosperity"

I know I shouldn't be applauding my opponent in this game, but your speech was honestly great. If this was real life and I could vote in OR06, I'd honestly lean toward supporting Scott just because of this great speech. I agree with most of these positions and love the moderate conservatism that Scott is advocating. Of course I'm more liberal than him, but this speech is great and he deserves a bump in the polls just for it. 

[Schiff for Senate]

Love how the GOP primary has basically become a three-way slugfest so quickly.

Looks like new interest has petered off, so sure. Will start work on an opening post.

Also, when will the next round of polling be released?

[Schiff for Senate]

Dale Scott spends 2 points on TV ad in the Portland market, and 1 point to air the same ad in the Eugene Market

"I am Dale Scott, a Republican candidate for Oregon's 6th congressional district. I left my corporate job at Nike to fight for the great people of this district in Washington. I will use my business experience to help our economy grow, and to help more people provide for themselves and their families. I will work with both sides of the aisle to make our country more prosperous. Meanwhile, my opponent, Ted Miller is a RINO who supports legalization of hard drugs and a universal basic income. Doyle Brooks believes in Qanon and believes Trump won the 2020 election 410-128. Heather Cooper is an untrustworthy career politician who takes your hard-earned tax dollars and dishes them out to her donors. A vote for Dale Scott is a vote for prosperity for all Oregonians, instead of corruption or extremism"

Genuine advice - I don't think it helps if you say 'both sides of the aisle,' you should be more combative and less compromising. I think if you say something like that not that many will be swayed since they'll think you'll become part of the Washington establishment.

[Schiff for Senate]

Character Application

Name: Yuri Testikov
Gender: Demi-male (uses he/they pronouns)
DOB: November 16, 1992
Birthplace: Hoonah, AK
Current residence: Corvallis, OR
Party: Democratic (formerly Green)
Occupation: Activist, blogger, food co-op cashier
Background: Studied environmental science and anthropology at Oregon State from 2010-2014; became involved with anarchist groups at the university; founded the green anarchist blog After Growth in 2015; has been frequently involved in left-wing protest movements as an organizer since college; briefly arrested for smashing the windows of a bank during an anti-police protest in June 2020; ran in the primary for a State House seat in 2020 but finished fourth out of five
Political record: Advocates for the replacement of all existing forms of government with decentralized communes. Self-identified neo-Luddite. Has spoken favorably of violent activists such as the Weather Underground. Heavily inspired by the Situationist International. Within the framework of electoral politics, he stresses drastic environmental measures, localism, drug legalization (he is a habitual user of marijuana and LSD), and police abolition.
Appearance: 5'3", shaven head, large beard, typically seen in sweats and aviators

November 6, 2021 (Saturday): Activist Yuri Testikov begins his long-shot campaign for the Democratic nomination for Oregon's Sixth Congressional District with a rally at Oregon State, his alma mater, organized by left-wing student groups there with which he has maintained connections since his days as a student.

"I became passionate about environmental issues as a kid in Alaska when I noticed that the winters were getting warmer and less snowy every year. The polar regions have faced the brunt of climate disaster thus far, but soon enough the whole world will be feeling it. I came here to Oregon State a decade ago because I wanted to enter politics, make a difference for the dying world, and fight against the oil barons who've made a killing from raping my home state, and I emerged with the radical agenda that we need to fight back.

"We can only save ourselves and the rest of the biosphere through extreme, radical, imminent action that mainstream politicians bought out by corporate interests could never deliver. If you send me to Washington, I will immediately introduce legislation to outlaw fossil fuels within two years, invoke an immediate moratorium on the subsidies that keep that vampiric industry alive, and provide for massive investments in renewable energy paid for by massive cuts to the fascist forces of the military and law enforcement. The President's cancellation of the Keystone XL project was a step in the right direction and a deserved blow to Justin Trudeau, a feckless man with no principles or moral fiber who has devoted himself to deep-throating oil pipelines like a crack whore, but Joe Biden is too weak and afraid of corporate America to shepherd our nation through this pivotal moment in history and achieve a true fracturing of the Reaganite orthodoxy that has destroyed everything in its path in the name of enriching those most taken by avarice.

"A recovery from the destruction wrought by growth capitalism and imperialism on the world should be intersectional and emphasize the welfare of those most hurt by it. Growing up in the heavily Tlingit town of Hoonah, I witnessed firsthand the deprivation and vulnerability of Native communities amidst the great wealth brought by the state's ruthless exploitation of natural resources. I will fight to redistribute the blood money in which the most wicked people in this country are drowning to those who have been marginalized by those forces. I will lobby for greater federal assistance for Native reservations all across the country, including the Siletz Reservation here in our Sixth District, for students such as the lot of you who are growing up and preparing to face the death throes of supply-side capitalism and the biosphere, for Black communities brutalized by law enforcement (which I will aim to gradually abolish), and all people of this country who have been terrorized and live in fear of an uncertain future.

"It's true that we face a steep uphill climb to the nomination in this district, with both Republican fascism and Democratic neoliberalism ready to smear us at every opportunity. I have faith, however, that we can build a coalition of all those who have been left behind by this country by the time that primary season rolls around, a coalition that will show Washington that the people of the Beaver State are fed up with racism, fed up with poverty, and above all fed up with the wanton destruction of our planet by an elite class that refuses to take care of the rest of us.

"When Elon Musk takes off for Mars in thirty years, when Miami's underwater and all the redwoods on the Oregon coast have burned off, he won't be taking any of us with him. If y'all send me to Congress, though, we can tax the pants off of that sociopath, redistribute his wealth to restoring our most vulnerable communities, temper the worst excesses of climate disaster, and declare war on capitalism. None of the other Democrats running for this seat will do jack sh-t, and that's why they're so afraid of me. I alone represent the will to reclaim our future from the death spiral of capitalism. I alone represent the struggle of the people against the political and corporate overlords that have ruined everything they've touched in the name of enriching themselves. The forces of the crooked political establishment and their corporate masters are against us, but I believe that our movement could be the start of something transformative in this country and around the world. As much fear and trepidation and grief as I hold about the state of our country and this planet at large, I do believe that another world is possible, and that's why I'm running for Congress."

An ad is published in The Daily Barometer and the Corvallis Gazette-Times after the rally, clearly inspired by the campaigns of the Situationist International that Testikov is known to admire. It depicts the candidate in aviators and a sweatshirt, similar to the infamous FBI forensic sketch of Ted Kaczynski (perhaps aiming to capitalize on the recent online resurgence of interest in Kaczynski's philosophy). It bears the caption:

RECLAIM THE FUTURE
RECLAIM THE EARTH
RECLAIM LIFE

TESTIKOV FOR CONGRESS '22

November 14, 2021 (Sunday): Democratic candidate Yuri Testikov volunteers with Food Not Bombs Salem at Bush's Pasture Park, distributing campaign materials similar to the newspaper ads run in Corvallis to passers-by. Another ad is due to run in the Statesman Journal later this week. He greets minor police attention at the park with a raised middle finger and jeers. Some of the other volunteers are annoyed that he seems to be egging on the unwanted presence, but ultimately no police action is taken; some of the others, on the contrary, praise him for making his displeasure known. After the men in uniform dissipate, Testikov gives a short speech to passers-by on the park green:

"It is another of capitalism's daily unconscionable horrors that we must tolerate the same cops who take delight in brutalizing the poor and minority communities of this nation attempting to shut down a rare display of selflessness and aid to the disadvantaged. It is a dangerous myth that capitalism merely leaves alone those who fail by its merits; it also does all that it can to destroy them for daring to live outside of its standards. I am running for Congress to represent the new Sixth District because we should no longer have to bear living in a world where these abuses are accepted as facts of life. As we speak, I am writing a bill to implement nationwide police abolition that I will introduce on my first day in Washington if elected."

These words are met by a mixture of applause and abuse from the small audience.

"Ah, I see we have some chuds in the audience. Why don't the lot of you go back to skinhead country or the suburbs or wherever reactionary sh-thole you're from and stop impeding our vision for the future? I'm here to fight for an Oregon and an America where the petty atrocities that you take for granted are no longer weighing on our minds and destroying our most vulnerable, not one where you take delight in them."

I highly doubt Testikov will win, given his history of being an anarchist, and doubt that even you think he can win, but your character is the most entertaining to follow by far! One question I have is how you got these views. Did you just think of the most radical, left-wing Democrat possible, or is this really what you believe (exaggerated, obviously, unless you actually are an anarchist)? Either way, it's very fun and interesting to read your posts as Testikov. Keep it up 

[Schiff for Senate]

Looks like new interest has petered off, so sure. Will start work on an opening post.

When will the next set of polling come out?! I'm pretty sure the Republicans (except for Ted Miller who I don't think is playing) are all done with their turn. Are you waiting for the Democrats to make their moves, or is their a specific date you plan on releasing the next polling on? Please let me know. Also, an update: it's confirmed now that I will have real life commitments for the rest of this month after Thursday or so, so while I will continue playing, I will likely not be as active in posting as I have been so far.

[Schiff for Senate]

I highly doubt Testikov will win, given his history of being an anarchist, and doubt that even you think he can win, but your character is the most entertaining to follow by far! One question I have is how you got these views. Did you just think of the most radical, left-wing Democrat possible, or is this really what you believe (exaggerated, obviously, unless you actually are an anarchist)? Either way, it's very fun and interesting to read your posts as Testikov. Keep it up 

Testikov is essentially a manifestation of my darker impulses, from a timeline where I ended up in the Extremely Online "dirtbag left" sphere. Some of his views are my own, but exaggerated and communicated in a far more confrontational manner than I would personally express them. Regardless of my chances of conventional success in the game, I thought it would be fun to run such an unconventional campaign and see how the rest of the game would react to it, and it's lovely that you've been entertained thus far.

Yes, and it's also provided a natural target for just about all the Republicans in the race, since if anyone is actually 'far-left' and 'socialist' (which the GOP uses to describe even mainstream liberals), it's definitely Testikov.

[Schiff for Senate]

Heather Cooper proposes anti-negative campaigning agreement


An unfortunate result of primary campaigning is that already, the campaign has become unnecessarily negative on the Republican side; in particular, Dale Scott and I have been launching attacks at each other. This is counteractive to our common goal of a Republican winning in the district next November, since many of these same attacks being used now might be used by the Democratic candidate against the eventual Republican candidate (whether that be Doyle Brooks, Dale Scott, or myself). Aside from that, it is also unhelpful to conservatives across the district, who want to see meaningful proposals and actions taken against the Biden agenda. So I propose an anti-negative campaign pledge. All signatories will be pledging to not attack or slander any of the other signatories (so, for instance, if Doyle Brooks and Dale Scott were to sign this, both would be agreeing to mutually stopping their attacks against each other). This will, I think, help change the atmosphere of this primary (which is unnecessarily negative), and help us focus our attacks on our common adversaries, Joe Biden and the Democrats, who are hurting Americans in this district and elsewhere. Having proposed this agreement, I will be the first to proudly sign it, and am promising that hereonforth I will no longer be launching any negative attacks against any Republican candidate for the district who chooses to sign this agreement as well. Anyone who is interested in signing this pledge and ending negative campaigning in this primary should do so within the next week.

Signed

Now that we can no longer attack each other, and Ted Miller cannot win anyway, I think we should launch a series of coordinated negative/attack ads in the next round against Doyle Brooks in order to destroy him. For instance, we could jointly work on an ad against Doyle Brooks and Ted Miller - just attacking them and not explicitly supporting either of us - and then we both could use our round's points to air/run this ad districtwide. What are your thoughts on this?

[Schiff for Senate]

Heather Cooper proposes anti-negative campaigning agreement


An unfortunate result of primary campaigning is that already, the campaign has become unnecessarily negative on the Republican side; in particular, Dale Scott and I have been launching attacks at each other. This is counteractive to our common goal of a Republican winning in the district next November, since many of these same attacks being used now might be used by the Democratic candidate against the eventual Republican candidate (whether that be Doyle Brooks, Dale Scott, or myself). Aside from that, it is also unhelpful to conservatives across the district, who want to see meaningful proposals and actions taken against the Biden agenda. So I propose an anti-negative campaign pledge. All signatories will be pledging to not attack or slander any of the other signatories (so, for instance, if Doyle Brooks and Dale Scott were to sign this, both would be agreeing to mutually stopping their attacks against each other). This will, I think, help change the atmosphere of this primary (which is unnecessarily negative), and help us focus our attacks on our common adversaries, Joe Biden and the Democrats, who are hurting Americans in this district and elsewhere. Having proposed this agreement, I will be the first to proudly sign it, and am promising that hereonforth I will no longer be launching any negative attacks against any Republican candidate for the district who chooses to sign this agreement as well. Anyone who is interested in signing this pledge and ending negative campaigning in this primary should do so within the next week.

Signed

Now that we can no longer attack each other, and Ted Miller cannot win anyway, I think we should launch a series of coordinated negative/attack ads in the next round against Doyle Brooks in order to destroy him. For instance, we could jointly work on an ad against Doyle Brooks and Ted Miller - just attacking them and not explicitly supporting either of us - and then we both could use our round's points to air/run this ad districtwide. What are your thoughts on this?

I'd support doing this

Great. I'm thinking we could craft a TV ad jointly, both of us collaborating, and then pool our points to run it thrice in the Portland area and twice in Eugene. Right now I don't think we need to start working on it but we should probably start working on it when the next round begins.

[Schiff for Senate]

Waiting on more people to post turns. Anticipating sometime during or after the Thanksgiving break.

When are you updating the polling / starting the next round? It's already three days past Thanksgiving, and I honestly am unsure that those who haven't posted yet will do so anytime soon.

[Schiff for Senate]

Deadline for posts this turn will be November 30.

Is the updated polling coming out today? I expect Ted Miller to stay where his or even lose support, and for Dale Scott to increase greatly in support. Brooks and I will also likely see poll improvements as the number of undecidedes shrinks.

[Schiff for Senate]

Deadline for posts this turn will be November 30.

Is the updated polling coming out today? I expect Ted Miller to stay where his or even lose support, and for Dale Scott to increase greatly in support. Brooks and I will also likely see poll improvements as the number of undecidedes shrinks.

Polling is complete, so I'm working on it. Also bear in mind that I'm a college student so I can't do things at beck and call.

In that case, I apologize if I was disturbing you with my multiple posts here.

[Schiff for Senate]

Turn II

November-December 2021

Announcements

Due to continued overlap with IRL and a busy schedule on my part, all events that occur IRL are assumed to occur here - so the only news story in this update will be the 6th Congressional District update. Feel free to peruse current news for stories to campaign on.

Additionally, the endorsement bank has been posted (2nd or so reply in the gameplay thread). Feel free to begin courting endorsements. If there is a missing major figure you wish to add to the bank, make requests in the interest thread.

Schedules are highly encouraged, if not required this turn. Speeches will also be very helpful for poll numbers. Speaking of poll numbers, I will not be taking questions on them, though I should note there is randomization involved.

6th District race heats up - polling remains tight

With just under a year remaining until Election Day 2022, the marquee open-seat race for Oregon's newly-created 6th congressional district has began to heat up. This is particularly true on the Republican side, with an unexpected burst of vitriol from multiple sides characterizing the opening days of the campaign. While Biden was mentioned, Republican candidates - Heather Cooper and Dale Scott in particular - preferred to focus on each other, though a recent agreement against negative campaigning may possibly cool the tensions. Of note was an allegedly homophobic attack employed repeatedly by Cooper against fellow Republican Ted Miller highlighting his status as a gay man - while LGBTQ+ organizations and several state Democrats, including gubernatorial frontrunner Tina Kotek have condemned this attack, Republican primary voters appear mostly indifferent (if somewhat uncomfortable), and it is unlikely swing voters will remember this incident next November without prompting. On other fronts, Cooper has successfully increased her profile among voters outside her district, but party insiders and members of our focus group have expressed concern about her tax proposal and the aforementioned negative campaigns.

Meanwhile, top rival Doyle Brooks has successfully consolidated conservative support, with hardcore Trumpists and 'Stop The Steal' demographics strongly supporting his campaign - however, more moderate GOPers and swing voters are skeptical of his candidacy. Businessman Dale Scott, meanwhile, has emerged as a winner of the first stretch of the campaign, with an imbroglio with Senator Cooper and a strong ad campaign significantly improving his visibility - and apparently, poll numbers. The last Republican in the primary, Ted Miller, was the only one to avoid negatively - however, most of his small increase in name recognition has come from the media firestorm surrounding Cooper's attacks on his candidacy, and he has struggled to respond to attacks made against him. These various developments translate to polling curiously, with recent polls showing Brooks up narrowly against Cooper, with Scott trailing despite vastly expanding his base.

I know it doesn't matter now, but honestly the intent wasn't my being homphobic. I knew some GOP voters are homophobes but I didn't want to be seen as homophobic myself so I just mentioned that he was gay once or twice, just to throw it out there so homophobes and anti-gays generally don't support him. I also think you overestimate the media firestorm that erupts when a Republican congressional candidate in a primary says something controversial - it's a House race, and it's the primary. If there was a firestorm every time a GOP candidate running for congress said something like what I did then there would be a different firestorm every day. Having said that I will use the media firestorm against me as a weapon by mobilizing voters against the 'woke, left-wing mainstream media'. I'll mention most of my ads were mentioning that he supports legalizing all drugs and how the media defended him because they sympathize with him.

EDIT: Also you should know that I myself support gays, but am acting like a conservative candidate would for the purposes of this game.

[Schiff for Senate]

@ComRyder: The Republicans can't seem to work out who or what they are.

@HeatherCooper: The Democratic candidates cannot spell their own first names correctly.

@ChristineJang: The Republicans don’t seem to know what county commissioners are.

Oops. That backfired big time. Pretty big gaffe on my part.

I think each of the candidates should take the Political Compass test

I have already taken the test as Dale Scott and received the following result
Auth/Lib: +1.13
Left/Right: + 6.25

I don't think we should because I don't consider the Political Compass a reliable metric myself; a lot of their questions are kind of outdated/irrelevant today.

[Schiff for Senate]

Rep. Heather Cooper: "While I agree with Mr Scott that Doyle Brooks is a radical, unwinnable extremist, I take fault with his saying that Yuri Testikov is a better person than Doyle Brooks is. Doyle Brooks has some good ideas (though many others are extreme); the same cannot be said of Yuri Testikov. I condemn his statement that Yuri Testikov is better than Doyle Brooks, and I suggest that he has no place in a Republican primary if he truly believes this. Doyle Brooks might be extremist but he is several steps better than an anarchist, radical, far-left socialist. We should all be able to agree on that here in the GOP, and if you don't, that's cause for concern."

I didn't come out and say that Testikov was a better person than Doyle Brooks, I simply Brooks was more radical, mainly for rhetorical effect, though I reworded that Tweet to avoid coming off in the wrong way

Well, to be honest, it kind of sounded that way. Either way, frankly, in this game I need to do whatever it takes to increase my polling since you're gaining ground on me and Brooks is soaring ahead. No hard feelings, I hope.

[Schiff for Senate]

To be clear, as a reminder I'm much more liberal than my character. I actually agree with what Ryder is saying in the game, and I abhor people like Doyle Brooks (even Dale Scott is much too conservative for me).

I'll be taking a break for a few days. My mother was put on a ventilator with omicron not that long ago.

I hope she gets well soon.

[Schiff for Senate]

To be clear, as a reminder I'm much more liberal than my character. I actually agree with what Ryder is saying in the game, and I abhor people like Doyle Brooks (even Dale Scott is much too conservative for me).

Same. I'm an European liberal IRL, one can imagine where that puts me on the US political spectrum.

Yeah I was wondering your actual views given how wildly right-wing your character is.

[Schiff for Senate]

To be clear, as a reminder I'm much more liberal than my character. I actually agree with what Ryder is saying in the game, and I abhor people like Doyle Brooks (even Dale Scott is much too conservative for me).

Same. I'm an European liberal IRL, one can imagine where that puts me on the US political spectrum.

Yeah I was wondering your actual views given how wildly right-wing your character is.

I usually prefer playing these games with characters who have completely different views from me, I find it more interesting. I also think it's a testament to just how extreme the GOP has gotten that people like Brooks sit squarely within the party's mainstream

Yeah, and I honestly think you will win the GOP nomination in this game. As I said, I'm much more liberal than Heather Cooper, though we have some views in common and I purposely made her a tad more moderate on the issues I'm most liberal on (e.g., guns) and the issues I'd think a female Republican would be more moderate on (e.g., abortion).

[Schiff for Senate]

I think maybe we should take a break from the game for a little bit before the next round begins.

[Schiff for Senate]

I think maybe we should take a break from the game for a little bit before the next round begins.

Agreed. This game is purely for fun, and while I'm sure RGM was playing a character it seems that the game is causing actual stress. Y'all take as much time as you need, and GoTfan, best wishes for both you and your mother.

Just out of curiousity, roughly when do we anticipate the game will resume?

[Schiff for Senate]

Ready to begin when you'll are.