“You’re all very politically active, so you know we have nine candidates. They’re all interesting people, and collectively, this is a strong democratic field. But we’ve done some data analysis, and truly there are only three likely to advance in the primary.
“The ones unlikely to move forward include the senator from New England. While Virgil Penfield is popular with some, and he’s run several times before, this time around, he’s not gaining traction. We want him for comic relief, though. He’s got some great one-liners and is an experienced debater.
“You can also trust that the vegan mayor from Newark, Isaiah Grant, isn’t going anywhere this cycle. Same with, I’m sorry to say it, your home state U.S. senator. Tessa Danforth’s approval rating is stuck in the teens.”
“Does that mean I can tell her campaign to stop calling me during dinner?” someone yelled from the back. Others on the bus laughed and agreed.
“Well, let’s see how tonight goes.” Kitty had them eating out of the palm of her hand. They liked feeling like insiders.
“So, whoshouldwe watch for?” Ted asked.
“Great question. I’d say watch for the governors of California and Kentucky—Ashby and Stone. Cal has a lot of polish, but Ramsey Stone has been elected twice in a red state, proving it can be done. He has a good track record, too,” Kitty explained. “And governors have performed well for the Democratic party in the past.”
“What about the rocket guy?” Fred asked. As a scientist, he was part of a Facebook group that batted around his name.
“Ah, you mean Theo Maddox from Austin, Texas. My take on him is that he’s got a lot of money and some out-of-the-box ideas. But we’d have to see an amazing performance out of him tonight if he’s to advance.”
“What about the girl?” an older woman called out from one of the back seats. “The one from Georgia.”
“I’m glad you asked. She’s the one I’ll be watching. Her name is Lucia Lopez. She goes by Lucy. She’s a state senator from Atlanta. She’s a long shot, but I like her political talent. If she has a good debate, she just might break out of the pack.”
“I like her too. My granddaughters keep sending me texts with her videos. She’s a real spark plug.” This woman was now jointly holding court with Kitty.
“We’re five minutes out,” the bus driver called back to everyone.
“All right, this is it, folks. Have a great time and thank you again for coming today!” Kitty handed the mic back to Dot who gave everyone the plan for when they arrived.
Soon she could see the venue, and as they pulled up, Fletcher and Mary were there to greet them.
“Everything look okay?” she asked them when they got inside.
“We’re all set,” Fletcher said. “Now it’s up to them.” He nodded to the candidates.
The stage lights dimmed, the network music started, and the candidates were called to the stage.
Fletcher casually draped an arm around Dot. It was friendly... and possibly more than that. Dot noted the gesture, then set it aside and turned her attention to the debate.
“Here we go,” Dot said, gently hip checking Fletcher. She felt a rush well beyond booking a tech bro on cable. Maybe she’d finally found her calling.
Chapter 21
Just before the first debate question was asked, nine candidates put their hands over their hearts as a rising senior from the University of Wisconsin’s choir belted out the national anthem.
Dot and Fletcher stood offstage in the wings near the greenroom watching.
“Goosebumps!” Dot said, rubbing her arms.
“She nailed it!” Fletcher whistled loudly and started the applause. He was a good hype man.
Everyone took their seats, and the moderators kicked things off by inviting each candidate to deliver thirty-second opening comments. The candidates got off to fairly good, somewhat scripted starts, except for the tech guy who lost the crowd by stating his website name repeatedly in his allotted time.
“We got it, dude,” Fletcher groaned. He shared a look with Dot and rolled his eyes.
“That’s why Kitty said we could ignore him. He’s more cabinet than commander-in-chief.”
Next, the moderators asked for a show of hands.
“Will you agree to take a cognitive test and release the results if you win the primary?”