Election Year Analysis: Who Will Take the Elwood Throne?

The city has never been so tense. In one corner: a old ex-teacher who never really asked to be mayor but now he wants to be for some reason. In the other, a radical she-poodle with Wiccan values and sexist tendencies. Oh, and also, in another corner: A fed-up teen who happens to be the daughter of the two other candidates and just ended up in the middle of this mess.

In this three-way tug-of-war, logic seems to lie with the incumbent: Nigel Ratburn, a safe and familiar choice who is a decent governer. But the people of Elwood City think otherwise, with Wanda Deegan resting at a comfortable 68% in the latest polls. Apparently Elwood City has more witches than we know of. However, Prunella's last entrance into the race may show a dip in Wanda's numbers as voters slide over towards the neutral, "I just want this to stop" candidate.

Here at the Elwood Corner, we are crunching the numbers and pulling out our Ouijas to predict who will become the next Mayor(ess?) of Elwood City. Let's sift through the evidence:

Issue 165: Mayor Ratburn first mentions the 2024 mayoral election, and confirms that he is eligible for re-election. He also toys with the idea of repealing the controversial Assassination Law, which may give him some negative publicity if that goal were to go public. Wanda's campaign is also confirmed in this issue.

Projections: Ratburn 76%, Deegan 2%

Issue 174: The first debate occurs. Wanda unveils her radical stances, which seem to get a warm reception from the crowd. Ratburn keeps his ground. However, during a question about halfbreed rights, Wanda pummels her opponent by fabricating a story that paints Ratburn has a halfbreed-hating bigot. Wanda and Ratburn's history as a former married couple is also revealed to the populous.

Projections: Ratburn 62%, Deegan 15% (before debate)

Issue 175: Ratburn's campaign rushes to bandage its wounds after the debate, while Deegan rockets to a solid majority in the polls. A press conference fails to quell the accusations of bigotry, and Nigel drops 5 more points according to a talk show host.

Projections: Ratburn 17%, Deegan 68%

Issue 181: Halfbreedgate continues, and Ratburn suffers more jabs from the media. He desparately turns to his shared daughter with Wanda, Prunella Deegan, to get the inside scoop. Prunella agrees to speak out against her mother's campaign. Wanda's slogan (One City. One Gender. One Wanda.) is also revealed.

Projections: Ratburn 14%, Deegan 71%

Issue 186: Prunella holds a press conference to clear the waters. However, Ratburn and Wanda get into a brawl in the crowd, the Deegan campaign committing its first public blunder after a long series of wins. Both Nigel and Wanda make a scene, putting a damper on their campaigns. Shockingly, Prunella rebels against her plans with Ratburn and announces her own mayoral campaign.

Projections: Ratburn 13%, W. Deegan 43%, P. Deegan 27%

Official Predictions: Prunella Deegan will win the 2024 Elwood City mayoral election. Her parents' campaigns will become pre-occupied with fighting each other, while Prunella will seem sane and structurally sound by comparison. Earning the people's trust as a level-headed mediator, her poll numbers who skyrocket. Additionally, her apparent lack of political party will present her as a solid, Washingtonian leader who is too mature for partisan quarrels. And since Elwood City seemingly has an overwhelming witchcraft demographic, Wanda Deegan will clock in at a close second, just a few hundred votes from a win. Ratburn, however, will never recover from Halfbreedgate, and his time in the mayor's office will run out.

Final Projections: Ratburn 11%, W. Deegan 33%, P. Deegan 51%, 5% Other

We look forward to comparing our predictions to the final tally!  Meanwhile, who do you think we take home the aqua sash of the mayorship?