2008 Panto gubernatorial election

The 2008 Panto gubernatorial election (also known as the battle of the brothers) was held on Monday, October 27, 2008. It was the 9th quadrennial election for governor of the Altapine Republic. Historian, small business owner, and three time candidate for governor prior Wirt Wallace ran against former hotel owner and W.I.P.O. ambassador Wendell Wallace on election day.

= Background =

The prior eight years had produced little change in Altapine under the leadership of Governor Bill Crawford. The economy seemed fairly stable and there had been no recent disturbances in foreign relations. This mostly stemmed from Governor Crawford's relaxed approached to leadership. He mostly viewed the governorship as a ceremonial role and a boost to his personal publicity.

Many Pantos seemed happy with the tranquility of the times, however a sense of stagnation loomed in the minds of some. And up-keep on infrastructure had greatly slowed in many of the nation's towns and villages.

Though Governor Crawford (a man well known for his charisma) was able to keep things generally running smooth and kept morale high, the reality of his nature being irreplicable became hard felt, thus laying the groundwork for 2008 being the most character-driven election in Altapine history.

= Contest =

Candidacy announcements
Jim Market, a 59-year-old wealthy lawyer from Till, was the first to announce his candidacy for governor on March 9, 2008. Market promised a "green agenda"; taking the opportunity of fixing the infrastructure of Altapine to increase building regulations, protecting the loved rugged mountainess of the region, as well as installing solar panels and other sufficient energy sources. He promised negotiations through W.I.P.O. to cover costs.

With Market's announcement receiving the usual media attention, Wirt Wallace, a well liked member of the Holtden community and candidate in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 elections, respectively, was broached about running again by media and citizens alike. He announced his candidacy on March 15, 2008 with a platform of raising money through revitalization of the nation's infrastructure and small controlled inflation to break the economic stagnation, then using the money to rebuild and repair infrastructure, improve education, advance small businesses, and improve protected lands.

Wendell Wallace, the W.I.P.O. ambassador for Altapine and brother of Wirt Wallace, also received a lot of media attention after Market's candidacy announcement. He maintained that Market, if elected, would not be able to secure loans for his environmental endeavors. In a speech given on March 13, Wallace is quoted as saying "While us ambassadors feel that the state of our planet's environment is an issue that should be addressed, it is not principle to the organization we work for. We do not give hand-outs. You will not get the money." The phrase "You will not get the money" became a popular slogan of voters opposed to Market. Wallace also was critical of his brothers' campaign, calling the suggested use of controlled inflation and loans to small businesses "unnecessary" and "radical".

Wendell Wallace was not looking to run initially and endorsed Lieutenant Governor Scott Hayhurst. However, Hayhurst formally declined to run on March 26. Wallace announced his candidacy three days later, promising four more years of Crawford-esq governance.

Early Campaigning (March-June)
Immediately after Wendell Wallace announced his bid, the international mass media jumped on what was quickly being labeled as the "battle of the brothers".

The first poll by a major organization was conducted by Hasbin news outlet Hasbana Now on April 4. The poll produced a narrow lead in favor of Wendell Wallace, however the polling size was quite small and there was a large number of undecided pollsters.

On April 8, many organizations estimated a huge jump towards Wendell Wallace in the polls after he received the endorsement of Governor Crawford. Other than the occasional speech, Wendell Wallace mostly focused on his ambassadorship in the early months leading up to the the election. He relied on endorsements and traditional advertising to campaign. He felt reassured that his relaxed campaigning methods were working because most polls showed him having a slight advantage. His original campaign slogan was "Stay safe this election day", however, the slogan proved to be a failure, and it was changed in late April to the shorter "Normalcy". It was changed again less then a month later its final, and catchier, iteration; "Don't rock the boat".

Wirt Wallace began traveling in early April, giving numerous speeches, sometimes twice a day. He planned to visit every town in the Altapine Republic, over the course of 5 weeks. Endorsements proved hard for him to grasp, but he pushed onward. His first slogan was "Break the mold, grow the wealth", however the last of half of the slogan was dropped from use in campaigns after late April.

Meanwhile, Jim Market launched a vigorous television ad campaign and paid for a lot of interviews and billboard ads to spread his messages. While this approach got him a good amount of endorsements, it did not make him appear down to or a man of the people.Market used the slogan "Vote for your children", but it was quickly changed to "For the future" after some misinterpretation by the public and the media.

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