United States Presidential Election 2060 (Donald King Timeline)

The US Presidential Election of 2060 was a turning point in American history. The election saw the sweeping victory of Patriot Party nominee and Bruce Industries CEO Donald King, who would lead the United States into the Guinea War to secure corporate wealth.

Domestic Issues
As in the past election, candidates continued to debate the effectiveness of Annie McPherson's Universal Wealth Initiative, which offered a set payment of 15,000 USD to every American citizen on an annual basis. Rockefeller politicians argued that the plan, paid for by tax revenue raised on the creative elite, was enough to fend off unemployment resulting from the Wave of Automation. However, Ralph Wiley, US Senator from Texas and nephew of President Sean Wiley, argued for more extensive wealth re-distribution, even openly admitting his stance as a socialist.

Both parties also disagreed on the relative powers of state and federal governments. Rockefeller Party candidate Alice Evans, who was the Vice President under Annie McPherson, argued that states should be autonomous in establishing their own economic policies. Furthermore, Evans suggested that state-to-state redistribution of wealth be limited.

Patriot Party candidate Donald King argued for massive spending cuts in welfare programs, so as to afford a greatly expanded military.

Foreign Policy Issues
Both Evans and Wiley argued for cuts in military spending, following through with Annie McPherson's shrinking of the armed forces. Donald King, however, wished to greatly expand US defense, proposing a 40% increase in military spending. King also argued for space-based military systems to be built.

Another key issue in the election was the American response to radical environmentalism in West Africa. The Army of Terra had disrupted mining activities in the region, while the Guinea Earth Party had shut down all mining in Guinea. King argued for immediate armed intervention in the region. However, even after winning the election, King did not consolidate enough political power to launch these military campaigns until the aftermath of November Horror.

King also argued for extensive surveillance programs to be initiated. Issues of national security were extremely important during the election.

Funding
Bruce Industries heavily funded King's election campaign, providing over 4 billion USD over the course of the year. This compares to a mere 2 billion spent on Evans' campaign, and less than 1 billion on Wiley's.