She raised her microphone to the camera, her voice laced with excitement. "We're live at the campaign rally, and the situation has taken a turn no one could have predicted. Russell Warren didn't shy away from the sharp accusations of graft. Instead, he reframed them in an incredibly compelling way."
"He told these workers that everything he's done, even the deals that look shady to outsiders, was to protect this state's industrial lifeblood. And the reaction from the workers here... it's absolutely stunning. They're cheering, going wild for his candor."
Warren stood on high, looking down at the sea of faces below, all flushed with excitement.
He knew he'd won his gamble.
In this forgotten corner of the world, the anxiety of survival was far more powerful than any abstract moral code.
He turned and shot an icy, mocking glare at the reporter behind him who had asked the tough question.
"Any more questions?" Warren asked.
