Page 128 of See You Next Tuesday

“Oh my god,” Anya gasped.

“I know.” Simone sounded grave, but also a little excited. “How soon can you get to Chicago?”

Democrats in Disarray on Eve of National Convention

by the Associated Press

CHICAGO, IL—The political world is still reeling from this week’s bombshell developments and attendant fallout. First, presumptive Democratic nominee Senator Andrew Wheeler was indicted on a series of charges alleging misuse of campaign funds, including embezzling money from his PAC to buy a lavish horse farm in western Maryland. Initially, Wheeler professed his innocence and vowed to remain in the race, but after swift and furious backlash from Democratic voters and party leaders alike, Wheeler formally ended his candidacy and released his delegates less than 48 hours later. Now, the remaining candidates—as well as nearly every major figure in the party, and thousands of delegates, staffers, and activists—have gathered in Chicago for the first contested convention since 1976.

Senator Jo Sessego of Nevada currently leads in the delegate count with 1,072 pledged delegates, but that still puts her far short of the 1,983 delegates she’d need to secure the nomination. Governor Brian Liddy has 77 pledged delegates, and Congressman Frank Nathan has 41, but the vast majority of delegates—nearly three thousand—were committed to Senator Wheeler until four days ago.

When the convention is gaveled into order tomorrow morning, Democrats are prepared for an all-out brawl. Will Senator Sessego secure her party’s nomination? Will one of the other candidates (whose moderate policy stances track more closely with Wheeler’s) win out? Or will one of the major party figures who sat this race out swoop in with their own coalition? Only one thing’s for certain: It’s going to be a very exciting week.

——Forwarded Message——

FROM: Lev Chlebek

TO: Hal Robbins

SENT: July 25, 11:34 am

SUBJECT: I told you

We never should have hired that fucking kid.

——Forwarded Message——

FROM: Hal Robbins

TO: Lev Chlebek

SENT: July 25, 11:36 am

SUBJECT: RE: I told you

Keep your head down. We’ll be fine. But Jesus, Lev, stop putting things in writing.

“Where are we on the delegate count?” Kira yelled.

“Hold on!” Dale had something like fourteen different spreadsheets open and kept tabbing between them every time new information came in.

“I have Time holding for the senator, and requests for comment from NBC News, The Washington Post, CNN, and FOX News, and Vogue wants to know what she’s wearing for her floor speech?” Preethi shuffled through a stack of Post-its where she’d scribbled various reporters’ names and numbers. “Does anyone know where she is?”

“She’s upstairs practicing said speech,” Anya said. “And no, I don’t know what she’s wearing.”

“Do we have that education policy language approved for the website?” Hugo asked.

“Not yet!” Simone shouted. “I’m on hold with the teachers’ union right now, I want to get the language exactly right so they have zero excuses not to endorse.”

“Oh! Speaking of teachers,” Anya interrupted, “we need to get as many of the senator’s former students as we can here by Wednesday. Nicole, can you run point on that?”

Nicole frowned. “All of her students, or—”

“No, the ones from the class that convinced her to run for office,” Anya clarified. “We have a section about them in the speech, we want them here to talk to delegates and do press avails. Dale can get you their names if you can’t find them.”

“Not before he gets me the delegate count,” Kira interjected.

“Working on it!” Dale looked like he might be nearing a panic attack.