2018 Texas Presidential Election (Divided States of America)

The 2018 Texas Presidential Election was the fourth quadrennial presidential election in the Federal Republic of Texas. Incumbent Constitution President Greg Abbott easily defeated the Civic Unity ticket of Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and former Sheriff Lupe Valdez. This election was the first in which third parties were granted ballot access in all states, with the minor Texan Freedom Party gaining almost 1% of the vote.

Issues of the election were split betwixt foreign and domestic, with Edwards calling for Texas's withdraw from the SoBlock and a closer relationship with Arizona-New Mexico, and an end of the California-Texas Cold War. Abbott, meanwhile, called for greater Texan participation in SoBlock, closer relations with the Midwest, Dixie, Carolina, and Appalachia, and greater military spending, to combat what supporters called the "Golden Menace."

On Election Day, Abbott swiftly trounced Edwards, carrying 7 of the 11 states, and a large popular and electoral vote majority. Almost every Constitution candidate also won re-election, with the party keeping its control of both chambers of Congress. Edwards meanwhile carried 4 states plus the Capital District, barely flipping his home state of Louisiana, which he carried by fewer than 2,000 votes. Mark Tippetts, the nominee for the Freedom Party, gained 1% of the vote, helping to elect five of his fellow Freedom candidates to Congress.

Primaries
After the disastrous defeat of the left-wing Wendy Davis in 2014, Civic Unity's main party bosses decided their main candidate needed a more centrist and conservative ideology to have a chance against Abbott. Edwards, the incumbent governor of Louisiana, soon emerged as a potential front runner and quickly became the leader of the party's conservative wing. However, the party's left wing chose to support Lupe Valdez, the former Sheriff of the Capital District. She fought hard for the nomination, and was expected to win it.

However, the party bosses eventually managed to convince her to relent and pacified her with the role of running mate to Edwards, who was nominated by the party.

Other Nominations
Due to the Fair Elections Act of 2017, this was the first election in which minor parties could gain ballot access in all states. The Texas Freedom Party nominated Mark Tippetts, while the Green Party of Texas nominated Delilah Barrios. Tippetts managed to win 1% of the vote, while Barrios received less than 10,000 recorded votes.

Campaign
With a race between two candidates with somewhat similar ideology, the race often fell primarily to the two candidates personally. Abbott was popular, and Edwards had little to go on without attacking parts of his own party. Due to the difficult management of a big-tent party with conservatives and progressives, Edwards often spent as much time corralling his own partymen as he did trying to campaign against Abbott.

Abbott campaigned for continuing to lower taxes, grow the military, and strengthen Texas's place in SoBlock. Specifically, he wanted to emphasize the leadership role that Texas had taken in SoBlock over the last six years. He also supported using the nation's military to strengthen Texas's border with the Rio Grande Republic to stop illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and human trafficking.

Edwards, meanwhile, supported lowering taxes, but also supported cuts in the military and using the money for social programs. While that did appease Civic Unity's progressive wing, it angered many conservatives in the party. Edwards did appeal to isolationists by supporting withdrawing Texas from SoBlock, and ending support for the Rocky Mountain Liberation Front in Colorado, which he branded a "terrorist organization."

Edwards managed to appeal to hispanics with his running mate, Lupe Valdez, however, her more progressive views clashed with his more conservative views, causing Abbott to remark once that Edwards and Valdez were essentially separate candidates.

Debates
Two debates were held in this election, the first in Dallas, the second in Houston. In both debates, Abbott was considered to have won, giving him a boost. Edwards managed to gain a small boost in the second however, which allowed him to just barely squeak by and win Louisiana.