Lois Daniels
Lois Maxine Daniels (b. May 16, 1954) is the president-elect of Georgeland, having been elected to that office on May 2, 2008. She will take office on June 1. Daniels is a member and leader of the the centrist Georgeland Alliance. From July 2004 to February 2008 she served as Mayor of Santa Christina. Daniels was elected Mayor in 2004 defeating incumbent Jonathan Yates. Daniels was the only Mayor in the country to come from a minor political party and the first third-party mayor in the country's history. When sworn into office, Daniels will become the first President in the country's history to belong to any political party.
|+Charlotte Lang
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|Position || 15th President of Georgeland (elect)
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|Term in office || July 1, 2008 (scheduled)
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|Preceded by || Charlotte Lang
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|Succeeded by || President-elect
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|Total time in office || Yet to take office
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|Born || May 16, 1954
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|Spouse || John Harris (married 1975)
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Daniels is an alumni of Santa Christina University and has lived in Santa Christina since the age of 11, though she was born in Topstad. Her interest in politics began comparatively late, beginning her political career in 1994 at the age of 40. In that year she was elected to the Santa Christina City Council but left the council in 1997 when her husband, John Harris, contracted prostate cancer. In 2001, with her husband's recovery, she ran for re-election to the Council but was narrowly defeated. She spent most of her political career as an Independent. In 2003 she joined the new Georgeland Alliance as the party to best represent her views.
In 2004 Daniels, who outside of politics ran a small business, was selected by the Alliance to be its mayoral candidate. Mayor Yates was unpopular and widely expected to lose the election, and the Tory mayoral candidate, Bob Burrows, led the polls. However, as the election day grew nearer, it became apparent that Daniels' position as a social and economic moderate, combined with her natural charisma (a quality Yates lacked) was attracting voters away from both Yates and Burrows. At the election held on June 1, Daniels won narrowly with 33% of the vote, compared to Burrows with 32% and Yates with 31%. Mayor Daniels immediately declared the major parties' grip on power at an end.
Daniels has been a popular and visible mayor, and has the advantage of being able to work equally with both major parties on the city council. Mayor Daniels first eighteen months in office were scandal-free and saw an increase in tourism, an industry Mayor Daniels is keen to promote.
As one of the most vocal and visible Alliance politicians, Daniels is the subject of much speculation regarding her career. Some have suggested she may attempt a run for the House of Commons or the Senate at the next election, though Daniels has denied any interest in leaving local politics. There is also speculation Daniels could be drafted to lead the Alliance in the West Mainland state legislature; again, Daniels has denied any interest.
Mayor Daniels was considered by many to be the front-runner for the Alliance's presidential nomination for the 2008 election even before she announced her candidacy.
In March 2007, Daniels refused to commit to the 2008 mayoral election, instead saying she would 'consider her options'. This led many to speculate she will attempt a presidential run.
On October 2, 2007, the Santa Christina Herald published an exclusive story in which a Daniels adviser was quoted as saying that Daniels does intend to run for President and that she will announce her candidacy "before Christmas". The Mayor's office did not publicly comment on the story.
On November 8, 2007, Mayor Daniels declared her candidacy on the steps of Santa Christina Town Hall to a cheering crowd. Daniels declared she was the only candidate capable of working effectively with the major parties. As Daniels typically enjoys approval ratings between 50 and 80 percent in Santa Christina, many commentators have suggested she is a serious contender for the Presidency and declared the election a "three-horse-race".
Daniels was not challenged for the party's Presidential nomination and was officially endorsed in December 2007 as the Alliance's candidate. Daniels' campaign quickly gained momentum throughout the country, thought she was particularly strong in rural areas. Throughout the campaign, Daniels consistently polled at around 18-20% of the national vote, with support drawn from both the Tory and Liberal Democrat voter bases. Commentators consistently declared Daniels as a viable candidate, with Barry Tighe declaring in January 2008 that Daniels had a 50% chance of winning the election, based mostly on preferences to her from both major party candidates.
On February 2, 2008, Daniels resigned as Mayor to concentrate on the campaign. She announced at a rally that "we're not here to make waves. We're here to win!" A short time later, Daniels secured the crucial backing of influential newspaper the Globe and Standard, which had traditionally supported the Conservatives. In presidential debates, Daniels was noted for her calm performance and logical argument, as well as being seen as warm and engaging.
On May 2, Daniels was elected as Georgeland's 15th President. Her performance in the first round of voting proved even better than expected - she polled almost 25% of first preferences and finished first. Her total increased based on preferences from minor parties. The preferences of the Conservative candidate, Leyton Douglas flowed largely to Daniels over Campbell Rhodes, her closest rival, and thus secured her victory. Daniels won approximately 52% of the two-candidate vote. In a gracious victory speech on May 3, on the steps of Santa Christina City Hall, Daniels thanked her opponents for a well-fought campaign and declared she would represent the interests of all Georgelanders as President.
Daniels and her husband John Harris have five children. Their two youngest, Peter and Ursula, aged 18 and 16 respectively, will take up residence with the family in Martin Hall come June 1.
| Preceded by Jonathan Yates |
Mayor of Santa Christina July 1, 2004 - February 2, 2008 |
Succeeded by Jim Smalls |
| Preceded by Charlotte Lang |
President of Georgeland (elect) June 1, 2008 (yet to take office) |
Succeeded by Yet to take office |