welcome to congress
Jul. 19th, 2015 07:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
California's 48th has been red for as long as most people can remember but Sam runs a good campaign on the issues and tries his best to deflect everything his opponent throws at him. There's the usual mud-slinging, most of which is fixated on the fact that Sam had once accidentally dated a call girl and then not-so-accidentally continued his friendship with her after he knew her chosen profession.
He thinks it helps that Ainsley's by his side. She makes an excellent candidate's partner and while she's still just his girlfriend, he has a ring in his pocket that's burning a hole and he thinks tonight is the best time to do it. He'll propose to her now, before they call it, and no matter what happens, hopefully she'll be with him through it all.
"Ainsley? Could I borrow you for a moment?" Sam pitches his voice a little lower, just enough to be audible above the excited din of the ballroom they've rented out to hold their party in. It's getting down to the wire, with the votes, and he's still deadlocked with the republican candidate. It might come down to the last few precincts before one or the other of them pulls away.
"Away from the cameras and the people? There's something I wanted to ask...talk to you about."
He thinks it helps that Ainsley's by his side. She makes an excellent candidate's partner and while she's still just his girlfriend, he has a ring in his pocket that's burning a hole and he thinks tonight is the best time to do it. He'll propose to her now, before they call it, and no matter what happens, hopefully she'll be with him through it all.
"Ainsley? Could I borrow you for a moment?" Sam pitches his voice a little lower, just enough to be audible above the excited din of the ballroom they've rented out to hold their party in. It's getting down to the wire, with the votes, and he's still deadlocked with the republican candidate. It might come down to the last few precincts before one or the other of them pulls away.
"Away from the cameras and the people? There's something I wanted to ask...talk to you about."
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Date: 2015-08-01 07:47 pm (UTC)"You have a point about doing it in California," Sam says, contemplating that for a moment. "We could have the ceremony on the beach and go back to the country club for the reception - or something. But we could do it here, right here in the district. Not everyone would be invited, of course, but we could use local vendors and put money back into the community we represent."
This district is hardly hurting for money but Sam thinks it might play well that he's sticking to his roots. There's time to do things in DC later and there's always the option of flying out their loved ones.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-01 11:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-02 11:47 pm (UTC)"Hey, those are happy tears, right?" Sam likes to think that he can read Ainsley reasonably well after all these years but Ainsley is, well, Ainsley and a little unpredictable by default. He never would have guessed that the Republican lawyer who tore him apart on live television also nursed a healthy appreciation of 19th century opera and dancing in her bathrobe and in this, Ainsley has been full of surprises.
He hopes the tears are an outpouring of happiness and not fear or regret. "Come on, fiancee. We've got an election to win, don't we? Let's get it together and go back out there?"
(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-03 01:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-06 02:21 pm (UTC)"I'm willing to be moderate to get votes," Sam says. "It's clear that I can be bipartisan when it really counts."
He thinks he can really do some good if the people give him a chance.
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Date: 2015-08-07 12:54 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-09 01:12 am (UTC)Sam wants to win. He's always wanted to win this election, yes, but now that there's Ainsley by his side as his fiancee, he really wants to win it and see if the two of them can make some changes in the district. He hopes so. He's always been crippled with an extraordinary amount of hope and he hopes Ainsley's practicality will temper that into something useful.
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Date: 2015-08-09 09:37 pm (UTC)She leans up to kiss his cheek as she leads him to a couch. "Come on. And you can get one of the interns to give you an update on the polls."
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Date: 2015-08-10 12:31 am (UTC)"Yeah, let me find one," Sam says, waving one over. "Go get me poll results, all right? I want votes cast, how many polls and the percentage. Can you do that for me?"
The intern bobs his head quickly and runs off, going to get the results that Sam so desperately needs. "So, you want to bet on whether or not we're staying in Washington?"
(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-10 02:01 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-10 11:15 pm (UTC)"I think you just might be right." The intern comes back with the results and it looks like with 99% of polls reporting, he has a two point lead. It's no landslide, but it's a comfortable place to be this late in the game. Sam isn't going to make an announcement until he receives a concession phone call from his opponent but he feels really good about this.
"I think I'm about to be a Congressman, Ainsley. Those numbers are going to be pretty solid in the next hour or so."
(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-12 01:18 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-14 10:52 pm (UTC)"Oh? That's interesting, tell me more? I'm always interested in hearing what makes my constituents tick," Sam teases. He whispers too because the last thing he wants is some reporter blabbing what he shares with his fiancee in their down time.
"I'm very invested in the district."
(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-14 11:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-15 09:00 pm (UTC)Sam smirks a little and he's about to add a little more to that particular fantasy when a frantic aide of his comes in, words coming out in a breathless rush. "Mr. Seaborn? The opposing candidate is on the phone for you. I think it's a concession."
Sam looks to Ainsley, unable to keep his excitement to himself. "Well, Ainsley, I think we've got a call to take. Want me to put it on speaker so everyone can hear?"
(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-17 02:07 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-20 02:20 am (UTC)"Well, yeah, I might eventually have to run against him again some day," Sam agrees, taking the call. It goes as well as expected; nobody ever sounds happy when giving up on something they want but Sam is polite and thanks his opponent for a good race.
"Well, ladies and gentlemen? I've got an announcement. I'm going to Congress!"
(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-21 01:36 am (UTC)Except, when Sam announces, she's clapping and whistling the loudest of all, unable to contain her glee.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-23 10:57 pm (UTC)There's a lot of congratulations and calls for speeches and after making a speech to his staff and rushing off to make a speech to the press, it's gotten into the late hours. All Sam wants is a little time alone with Ainsley to celebrate their new step forward but it's proving difficult to get away. He takes one more congratulatory glass of champagne before finding her, sliding an arm around her waist.
"I'm ready to go home, Ainsley. We can let them celebrate the rest of the night but I need some time with you."
(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-24 01:20 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-24 02:52 am (UTC)Sam laughs lowly and holds her a little closer. She's definitely tipsy but he is too - it's not like he's safe to drive. Luckily for them both there's a car and driver waiting to take them home as soon as he finds his way to the door.
Their house here in the district is oceanfront because that was one of the things that Sam had missed most about being in DC - the deep blue Pacific and the stunning cliffs. "Let's get back home, then, and we'll see about extending your service."
(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-26 12:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-29 03:49 am (UTC)"Still trying to let it all sink in," Sam admits. "I don't think it's real - any of it. I can't believe I won the election and I definitely don't believe you're going to be my wife. I feel like if I fall asleep, it's all going to disappear when I wake up."
He feels like everything is magic right now in the deep twilight of a California night and he doesn't want it to ever end.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-29 11:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-30 04:05 am (UTC)"I think I'm still on East coast time even though we've been here for weeks," Sam says. "I think I'll always be on Washington time even if I'm going to be maintaining a permanent residence on the beautiful California coast."
He's always had some kind of East Coast sensibility - starting with Princeton and moving on to New York and DC. He's never going to be the California boy he grew up as, even if he's representing them now. Maybe that's a good thing, a marriage of the two best parts of him.
"I'm happy to put my new fiancee to bed, though."
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