Here is my college application essay that I just finished minutes ago. This is a rough copy, it has not been revised or edited by anyone. The task was to write a cover story for a newsweekly for January 1, 2025. It had to be under 500 words. I hope you enjoy.
America Moves Forward
January 1, 2025
Americans went to the polls on November 5, 2024 sharply divided. It was a close race between Democrat Thomas Webster, Governor of Nevada, and Republican Vice- President John Nord. The Democrats picked Ohio Senator John Bowen for the Vice- Presidential nominee, the GOP tapped Congressman George Ludlum of Colorado. The Democrats were chosen as compromise candidates when a crowded primary field left no candidate with enough delegates to win. A "Draft Webster" campaign was started at the convention in Los Angeles in July, winning the support of party leaders.
This fairly standard campaign was thrown into disarray when eccentric Texas billionaire Leon Grant, CEO of Bravo Industries, threw his hat into the ring as an independent centrist candidate. What was expected to be a fairly easy win for the Democrats quickly threw nearly every state into play. Grant won the backing of both the Reform and the Green Parties, mainly because of his disaffection with the two major parties. He ran on isolationism and smaller government, ideas which still appeal to vast numbers of Americans, though the major parties seem to have abandoned them.
On election night, Webster won the popular vote with 45%, beating Nord's 36% and Grant's 19%. He also won the electoral vote with 254 votes to Nord's 178 and Grant's 106. Though he won the vote, he did not have the required 270 votes to go to the White House. The nation found itself in a constitutional crisis that it hasn't seen since 1824, when John Quincy Adams became President as a result of a "corrupt bargain" with fellow candidate and Speaker of the House Henry Clay, defeating Andrew Jackson.
The Constitution does provide for this situation. In this case, each congressional delegation is to have one vote. This does not necessarily end the deadlock, since some delegations are evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans.
In the end, history did repeat itself. Grant made a late- night offer to Republican House Speaker Matthew Sharp (R- NE). Grant had never picked a running mate during the campaign, promising to pick a more qualified Vice- President should he be elected. Grant offered Sharp the Vice- Presidency, promising him a strong level of influence in his administration, more than what Vice- Presidents have historically enjoyed.
The deal was done, Grant promised to put members of both parties in prominent positions in his administration, and won over the support of party leaders in Congress. In a special session on December 24, Grant was confirmed as President- Elect with the votes of 40 state delegations. America now found itself with a leader who was only supported by a fifth of the voters. Despite this, polls now find that Americans support their new President with a 60% approval.
Only time will tell if this bipartisan arrangement will lead to a new era of American politics, or end in partisan gridlock. But America does move forward.