(ELECTION SEASON)

...TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO IOWA PRIMARY.

LOCATION: PRIEST COLLEGE-SOUTH CAROLINA.

The St. Paul Hall was packed. College students occupying the rows toward the exit while the press took over the seats closets to the stage. The event was sponsored by The Washington Sentinel and BNC News.

When the Grant campaign had approached her with this appearance, she had almost crapped her pants with laughter. What an antiquated notion. "An Evening with First Spouses" was a panel discussion involving the spouses of the remaining Republican candidates in the Presidential race. For reasons passing understanding, people wanted to know things about the women (and man) who happen to be married to people who were running for president. Most of the questions would be about their private lives over their thoughts on policy. Though Daniel Douglass would probably be asked about his views on Iran faster than the other three women would be...

For all the altruistic reasons for her wanting Fitz to run for President, dumbing herself down was hardly appealing. Did running a multi-million dollar company not count for anything anymore? Her views on capital gains tax and equal pay would be nice to express.

There were good things and bad things about being on the campaign trail. This was definitely on the shit list.

This stupid event held in a tiny conservative petry dish of wealthy legacies born to prominent southern families and obnoxious hard-drinking co-eds. Fun.

Olivia felt anxious as the black Chevy armored vehicle rounded the corner. She kept fiddling nervously with her ring set, readjusting herself in her seat or scrolling through her phone, rechecking emails she already read. She had been fundraising in Virginia, a pricey event hosted by Hollis Doyle. She was not particularly prepared for what this event demanded, which was a round-robin of invasive questions. A red-eye plus a series of annoying trip ups by the advance team had put her on edge.

She had been put in the worst Best Western ever, the room service had been terrible and the Wi-Fi was so weak, she could not Skype Fitz or the children. She never felt good about doing public events without hearing from them.

In addition, she more and more was beginning to regret her outfit choice. A leather peplum blouse, a tailored black pencil skirt and Christian Louboutins seemed too fashion-forward. Especially since her fellow panelist were conservative-chic to a tee. Marion Caldwell, the mousy wife of North Carolina dark horse, Senator Peter Caldwell never met a shade of grey she did not like. Daniel Douglass Langston, the smarmy "good ol' boy" was a walking cliche and finally Mellie Nichols, with her jewel tones and bouffant hair had clearly popped out of her mother's womb looking like Jackie Kennedy?

Then there was the whole awkward thing about Mellie being her husband's ex-girlfriend. They had always been cordial but the undercurrent of resentment on Mellie's part always boiled to the surface.

And Olivia would never forgive her for her Mean Girl hijinks. The dinner place-settings were never going to be funny.

What was a girl to do?

"Ma'am, we are here." Jim, the driver announced, looking back at her and breaking her out of her panic.

A creeping dread had climbed up her spine and made her nervousness escalate to full on freak-out-titude.

She should not have worn black leather, especially under hot lights of the stage. Fuck! It felt like she was melting. She gently picked up her glass of water and tried to sip the cool glass of water without trying to smear her lipstick. Luckily Daniel Douglass was sitting between her and Mellie. Life was more bearable this way.

"...well, Governor Nichols and I have always made sure that our values as conservatives and Christians are at the core of everything we do. It is what drives us." Mellie concluded with the enthusiasm of a over-caffeinated gerbil at the a Tri-Delt who asked one of the most inane questions known to man.

How do you and the good Senator keep the Lord's work and your faith strong in the face of hardship?

It took everything in Olivia's power to not roll her eyes. Normally her bullshit tolerance, especially in political situations was incredibly high. It was nonexistent now. Especially after listening to the other three spouses giving prepared and poll-tested approve answers to impressionable college kids. No matter how ridiculous this Christian-party school seemed.

"Mrs. Grant, you have been awfully quiet. How important is faith in your life?" Noah Baker, the over-groomed BNC anchor that was acting as a moderator. She had been expecting a debate-style set up with him sitting in the crowd, however him sitting on the stage with the four other spouses made it harder to ignore his waxy face.

She took another sip of water, trying to ignore the reporter failing to use the hyphenated version of her name. She had to learned to stop fighting it.

Olivia took a deep sigh, forcing a smile.

"I think faith is incredibly important. My husband and I are both devout Catholics. We go to church frequently. However faith extends beyond just religion and the sacraments. It means having faith in people, humanity and understanding that our faith is an individualized entity." Her tone lacked the sugary Southern warmth of her peers. Her crisp business-like answer was a bit jarring, especially when coupled with her regal disposition and her severe attire.

When Olivia got nervous, anxious or bored, the whiff of her boarding school privilege elitism became incredibly obvious.

"Do you mind expanding on that?" Noah pressed. The room had become noticeably quiet as all eyes zeroed in on Olivia.

She brushed her long sleek locks of her shoulder and pursed her lips.

"I'm not perfect. Nor do I pretend to be. I was a rebellious young woman years ago, fortunately for me, unlike a lot of people who look like me, I got the chance to redeem myself. My faith is important, and while it helps me through hard times I don't think it is the sole reason for me overcoming obstacles. Perseverance and a fidelity to success, which is important especially when you have had relatives that have experienced Jim Crow, discrimination, real hardship in life, helped me gain perspective. I don't know how much faith had to do with me overcoming my self-destructive nature. I can't quantify it."

You could hear a pin drop in the room after Olivia's answer.

ONE DAY BEFORE IOWA PRIMARY.

"Seriously! I thought we agreed to run a colorblind campaign!" Jake Ballard whined to his boss. The Senator's brain trust were convening on the campaign plane. Campaign Manager Cyrus Beene was sipping on a Chai Latte. If he was being honest, Olivia's answer was truthful, honest and frankly...banal. She had not talked as explicitly about race as some in the campaign and in the party believed.

"We never agreed to that. You can't possibly expect a woman who is going to be the nation's first black First Lady to not talk about race." Cyrus deadpanned as he combed through the polling data.

64% Likability...

Words to describe the candidate:

1. Smart

2. Handsome

3. Big Jerry.

4. Reform

5. Change.

The focus group was watching footage of the 60 minutes Grant interview. The room of 30 represented the base of the Republican party. Suburban soccer moms, Gun enthusiast, small business owners.

Question #1: What do you think of Mrs-Pope Grant.

"...She's kind of snobby. Like she's so above it all." A blonde 40-something year old woman commented.

"Yeah, she seems like a bitch. Like ungrateful about her life. What does she have to complain about."

"Why did he marry her. Seriously? What's so special about her?"

"Well, she's kind of pretty, she's younger-"

"Yeah, but she does not seem like she's First Lady material. I don't think she understands how to humble herself. Nichols's wife is so elegant. She reminds me of Jackie Kennedy, ya know? Grant's wife just seems bratty."

The group could not see Cyrus through the one-sided mirror room and the polling staff headed up by Leo. The answers were standard. Fitz was well-liked, smart and perceived as moderate, effective and presidential.

In every polling group that they had tested, the responses to Olivia were a lot more nuanced. People, (especially men) liked her. They liked her sharp wit and honesty. Women, especially Republican women of a certain age did not respond well to her. The same adjectives were always used; aloof, trophy wife, stylish, smart, bitchy...

Or as Leo put it: "She reminds women of the kind of person their husband's leave them for. She reminds them of the kind of woman who their husband's cheated on them with. "

WASHINGTON SENTINEL

DEFROSTING THE ICE QUEEN

"She's a lot nicer than I assumed she would be" Is a constant refrain from women she meets on the trail. Olivia Pope-Grant, age 37 is smaller than you think. Barely hovering at 5'2, she packs quite the punch.

Her impassioned speeches on the behest of her husband's campaign, her sterling career as a crisis consultant or "fixer" and her happy marriage to Senator Grant are not what people talk about.

At least not the people who want to vote for her husband...