"Please welcome to the stage, Todd Renard," Cape announced. Applause and some cheers accompanied Todd as he crossed the stage. He put on a smile and tried to put backstage behind him. At this moment, the debate was more important than Dakota. He waved to the crowd, hoping that by acting confident and excited he could trick himself into actually feeling that way. Todd made his way to the furthest podium from his entrance, stepped up onto the stool behind it, and waited for the debate to get underway.
"Our next candidate tonight is Interim Mayor John Nileworthy," Cape continued. Nileworthy emerged from backstage, his demeanor as carefully calculated as a pop song written in a board room, and exactly as interesting. He was the consummate bland-bureaucrat-turned-inoffensive-politician, the safe choice for the indecisive and afraid of change. He received polite applause, and took his podium on the opposite side of the stage as Todd.
"And finally, our leading candidate, please welcome Andrew Turnbull." As the bull took the stage, a familiar tangle of strong reactions erupted both ways. Turnbull swaggered to the center podium. Despite Todd's boost, Turnbull towered over him nonetheless. The size difference between the two was almost comical. Todd knew that if he didn't come out swinging he'd fade into the background immediately. "We will begin tonight by having each candidate give some brief opening remarks. Mr. Renard, you have thirty seconds," Cape said.
"Thank you. When this race for mayor began, I'm sure the last thing anyone expected was to see a fox on this stage. Even five years ago-" Five years ago. Aurorsky. Dakota. No, he had to focus. Todd clenched his paw to bring himself back to the moment. "Five years ago such a thing would have been completely unthinkable. While the Mammal Inclusion Initiative has opened new doors for species like rabbits and foxes, we can do more. As mayor, I will build a Zootopia where not only can a rabbit be a police officer or a fox mayor, but they can do so without anyone batting an eye. I want a Zootopia where anyone can truly be anything," Some cheers from supporters and boos from particularly raucous detractors mixed with applause as Todd finished.
"Thank you, Mr. Renard. Mayor Nileworthy, the floor is yours."
"Thank you, Mr. Cape," Nileworthy glanced at his notes for a moment. "Ladies and gentlemammals, the administration of Mayor Lionheart wrought great things for this city, the Mammal Inclusion Initiative chief among them. He put us on a good path, and as mayor I will continue us down that path. In my tenure as interim mayor I have kept us steady, and we have been better off for that."
"Thank you Mayor Nileworthy," Cape said after allowing a moment for the audience to politely react. "Mr. Turnbull, your opening statements, please."
Turnbull cleared his throat. "The events of Bellwether's administration proved the weakness of our city as it currently stands. Ask the victims of maulings at the claws of lion, polar bears, and tigers if the ZPD adequately responded. We need a strong police force capable of dealing with criminals whose anatomy makes them inherently more dangerous," Turnbull punctuated the word 'strong' by pounding his fist on the podium. "A savage polar bear has the same claws and fangs as all polar bears. The Mammal Inclusion Initiative weakens this city by forcing us to pass over qualified mammals in the name of 'fairness'. As mayor, I would make this city a safe place by every means at my disposal."
Turnbull's supporters cheered, while the rest of the audience remained quiet or clapped half-heartedly out of politeness. As the crowd died down, Cape spoke up. "Thank you Mr. Turnbull. With that, we will proceed to the questions. Mr. Turnbull, you have come out against the Mammal Inclusion Initiative, which both of your opponents support. You have stated that you believe the Initiative weakens the city. Would you care to elaborate?"
"Yes, I would. When you picture a police officer, what do you picture? A large, strong animal like a bull, elephant, or buffalo. What have we gotten from the Initiative? A bunny prone to reckless endangerment and vigilantism and a fox with an extensive history as a conman and criminal," Turnbull made a small, almost unnoticeable gesture in Todd's direction. "When a dangerous tiger breaks into your home, would you rather have a strong bull or a shifty fox come to your rescue?"
Applause came from the Turnbull supporters. "Alright, thank you Mr.-" Cape began.
"Excuse me, sir, but I'd like to respond to his comments," Todd interjected.
"Alright, Mr. Renard, you may have thirty seconds to respond."
"Thank you. My opponent characterizes criminals as large predators and smaller police officers as inherently less capable than their larger counterparts. However, the most dangerous mammal this city has seen was a sheep, and she was ultimately taken down by the same rabbit and fox he spoke ill of just a moment ago. To use officers Hopps and Wilde to criticize the Mammal Inclusion Initiative is ridiculous. If anything we need more officers like them."
"Thank you-" Cape started.
"You want more officers who are reckless enough to nearly cause a massive train crash while working a case they're not assigned to?" Turnbull spoke over Cape.
"Excuse me-" Cape attempted to continue.
"I want more officers able to do what is needed, regardless of their species," Todd rebutted.
"Gentlemammals!" Cape nearly shouted, regaining control of the debate. "Please, for the sake of orderly discussion, refrain from unrequested replies. The next question will go to Mayor Nileworthy. Your critics have accused you of lacking vision. What is your response to this?"
"I sat in many meetings with Mayor Lionheart. I know what he planned to do and advised him many a time. I believe in the direction he wanted to take Zootopia, and I will continue down the path I think is best for this city," Nileworthy said, receiving modest, polite applause.
"I'd like to reply," Turnbull said, a hint of annoyance in his voice from having to ask for something.
"Oh, um, alright," Cape seemed surprised that Turnbull found anything to respond to in Nileworthy's statement. "You have thirty seconds to give your response."
"His whole campaign, Nileworthy has been lionizing the plans of a felon currently serving a sentence for false imprisonment. For all that Bellwether has come up in this race, Lionheart has come out nearly unscathed."
"That's because, while what Lionheart did was wrong, Bellwether was the toxic heart at the center of it all," Todd jumped in.
"Mr. Renard, please." Cape chastised.
"I'm not surprised you'd jump to his defense. You're certainly at home defending guilty predators," Turnbull shot. His supporters cheered. Before Cape could step in to cut him off, Turnbull continued. "You can't even be trusted to follow the simple rules of a debate. Maybe there's a reason they sell fox repellent at every corner store."
Turnbulls fans went wild.
As the night went on, it became increasingly clear that Todd and Turnbull would be sharing the spotlight, with an occasional nod to the third candidate also present. As volleys flew back and forth, Nileworthy lacked the firepower to truly stand out. He faded into the background, holding attention only as long as he spoke and no longer.
Beyond Nileworthy's unimpressive performance, little else could be agreed on about the outcome of the debate. Half called the night in favor of Turnbull, half Todd. Some thought Nileworthy would suspend his campaign, some thought Todd or Turnbull had been dealt the killing blow by their opponent, and a few even thought they'd dealt killing blows to each other and opened up a path for Nileworthy.
But in the end, it was all speculation.
Late the next day, Todd sat on the phone with donors while ZNN played quietly on the TV. Peter Moosebridge read "Personal defense manufacturer Fox Away has seen a bump in sales of its popular, yet controversial product Fox Repellent. Analysts attribute the increase in sales to comments made by Andrew Turnbull at a debate last night between candidates for mayor of Zootopia," the footage cut to a clip of Turnbull's comment. "Turnbull has received criticism for what has been interpreted as an indirect threat against his opponent, Todd Renard. Many Turnbull supporters, however, have taken to wearing Fox Repellent as a political statement, spurned by a social media campaign started by a large Turnbull supporters' page on Furbook. Regarding this recent bump in sales, Fox Away CEO Landon Lagos has so far declined to comment. Lagos has, however, made pro-Turnbull statements previously in the campaign."
Todd turned off the TV as the story ended. He sat down and turned to the next page of his call list, heavy thoughts about Dakota still lingering in his mind.