#cbc.challenge

Elijah “Eli” Coleman (Father)

Eli Coleman was a reporter for the Charlotte Observer from the time he was 24 years old - the very year Gabrielle was born. He was always a source of warmth and doted on his small family, working hard to support them. He always seemed to be writing - smoking a cigarette while scratching observations onto any scrap of paper he could find. He imbued a passion for change and a love of community into his only daughter. He died at the age of just 40 years old after an unexpected heart attack one night.

While he was alive, Gabrielle adored her father. He was the picture of what a father should be - guiding and caring, loving her unconditionally. She misses him a great deal to this day, wondering how he would feel about his little girl who grew up to break down barriers. His loss left a hole in her life that was difficult to fill, but she does as much as she can to make him proud.

----

Sheila Bryant (Mother)

Sheila (nee Walker) is a Charlotte native. She is a strong woman - bold and loving, friendly and straightforward. She’s never afraid to tell it like it is. Having worked as a waitress for much of her life, Sheila instilled a sense of hard work in her daughter from a young age. She’s a fixture in one of the neighborhood’s local cafes - a favorite among her patrons. Widowed at only 40, Sheila struggled with deep grief that she tried to drown in alcohol. The problem cost her several years of her life and could have done far worse had she not fought as hard as she did to sober up. It gave her a deeper appreciation for her life. She’s only remarried in the last few years to Joseph “Joe” Bryant, another widower, and they live together in Sheila’s home in Charlotte.

Gabrielle and her mother are extraordinarily close. They speak often and Gabrielle relies on her mother’s advice to get through tough times. It doesn’t mean their relationship hasn’t been strained. After her father’s death, Gabrielle had to care for her mother as the woman sank into alcoholism and depression. Even though her mother has been clean and sober for years, Gabrielle frequently worries about her and also fears falling into the same trap - hence her own aversion to drinking. She loves her mother and would do anything for her in a heartbeat, but it’s not without challenges.

----

Joseph “Joe” Bryant (Stepfather)

Joe is Gabrielle’s stepfather, but she doesn’t know him overly well - despite the shared relation with her mother, they haven’t spent all that much time together. He’s rough around the edges and when they are together, they don’t always see eye to eye. But they do bond over their shared care for her mother, and try to “play nice” as it were, to please her.

---

Bonus:

Spot | b. 2016

John Bell (father)

John Bell - sometimes called Jack - worked in the office of a Milwaukee factory. Not glamourous, but neither is he. He never had much real ambition, content to just live for the day to day and act as the family patriarch and breadwinner. Now well into his retirement, John Bell is a quiet man with simple pleasures  - playing chess or working around the house. He doesn’t get out all that much - at 81, he still more or less has his health, though age is taking its toll on him.  

He and William aren’t precisely close. They talk every so often on the phone. He’s proud of what his son has achieved, as most good fathers would be, but he’s also not incredibly keen on all the attention the presidential campaign is bringing to his family. Will learned many of his views (and his prejudices) from his father.

----

Barbara Bell (mother)

While her children were growing up, Barbara was the picture of a model wife and mother. Cooking meals, doing laundry, and raising the children was simply what was expected of her, and raised by staunch Catholic parents, she never entirely questioned her role. Not much interested in that “women’s lib nonsense” (as she would call it). Meek and mild to a fault, Barbara was never really able to pursue any dreams of her own, though she showed talents at art that she certainly could have capitalized on. She is warm and caring, especially toward her children and grandchildren, even though most of them are grown now.

William is far more indulgent and doting with his mother than with his father. On the (admittedly rare) occasions he goes home to Milwaukee, he sets aside time to spend with her. In the past ten years or so she’s had health scares that cause him worry, but thus far has a clean bill of health. She too is proud of her son’s accomplishments in life and was one of the first beyond Cindy to support his presidential aspirations.

----

Dr. Donna (Bell) Freeman (sister)

Donna Bell suffered the plight of the middle child - low expectations that she was determined to prove wrong, wanting to stand out. While her brother climbed the military ranks, she set her sights on medical school, working to scrimp and save and get scholarships to get her through. She moved to St. Louis, where she earned her M.D. in the early 1990s. She married a classmate, Richard Freeman, in 1992, and the two still live in St. Louis, working in the same hospital - Donna as a general practitioner and Richard as a cardiologist. Focused and serious, Donna keeps her focus on her work, having opted to have no children.

Though they often worked out their differences as children, Donna and William do not get along whatsoever as adults. She finds her older brother’s politics to be archaic, and he finds her to be too stubborn to deal with. They rarely talk, and she especially wants nothing to do with him or his political career, declining to ever publicly comment on her brother’s campaign. More or less, Donna is the black sheep, but she doesn’t really care to change that any time soon.

----

Lisa (Bell) Rankin (sister)

Lisa was the youngest - by all accounts, a surprise to her parents, who had only ever planned for two children. Fiery and headstrong, she went her own way, which often got her into trouble, both with her family and with others. She met Jonathan Rankin in 1985, her senior year of high school, and when she ended up pregnant, she eloped with him and the pair moved to Chicago. It was a relationship doomed to failure no matter how hard they tried to make it work, and they divorced in 2000. Lisa took her son Jacob and moved back to Milwaukee, where she had another string of failed relationships. At the moment, she lives with her latest boyfriend and works for the Postal Service in Milwaukee. Jacob, now 33, lives close by with his wife and daughter, who Lisa frequently goes to visit.

— A list of issues/proposals

Abortion. Pro-life, with exceptions in cases of rape or incest. No government funds to organizations that support or perform abortion.

Death penalty. Supports the death penalty as punishment for violent crimes such as murder.

Education. Aims to support America’s K-12 schools and teachers, with particular focus on helping schools attended by children of middle-class and low-income families. Against the provision of free college tuition.

Employment. Vows to keep American jobs in America and reduce the movement of jobs overseas. Supports drug testing for recipients of welfare and stricter monitoring of welfare abuse. Supports raising the federal minimum wage.

Energy. Against Wright’s energy reforms, believing they will harm hardworking families in the coal and oil industries. Supports expansion of American oil drilling. 

Families. Reluctant supporter of same-sex couples being allowed to adopt, but stresses the importance of a mother and a father in a household. Supports paid family and medical leave.

Gun Rights. Believes in supporting the Second Amendment and is vocally opposed to Berkeley’s Disarmament Act. Claims gun ownership in all forms is a right and crucial to self-defense.

Healthcare. Believes in an open market for healthcare and supports repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Against single-payer healthcare. Supports marijuana use for medical purposes only.

Immigration. Encourages a strong crackdown on illegal immigration into America, including increased screening measures and border security. Against the premise of sanctuary cities.

National security. In favor of the increase of use of military force, citing national defense, particularly against terrorist groups such as the Islamic State. 

Taxation. Supports increasing taxation of the wealthy in order to better meet the needs of the American people. Promises a tax break for working Americans.

Veterans. Pro-reform of the healthcare system for veterans and families. Supports better funding for veteran’s groups and benefits.

— Please specify their target voter audience [age, ethnicity, region, income, etc]

Bell’s target audience includes a focus on middle and working class families - his father was a factory worker, and this is something he never fails to bring to attention when trying to make himself more relatable to the people and assure them he has their interests at heart. His supporters at the current moment are like Baby Boomers, particularly white Boomers, but he targets conservatives across the spectrum of age and race. He also makes a special note to focus his appeals to the heartland (citing his Milwaukee upbringing) and veterans across the board.

— What do their supporters love and believe in when it comes to their persona and campaign? AKA. What’s people’s reasoning for voting for your character?

William Bell is the tried and true model of the white male conservative that has been the stalwart of American politics for generations. He places real focus on the issues that affect "real” (read: white, middle-class) Americans, and most importantly to both Bell and the people that would support him: he isn’t a career politician like almost all of the opposing candidates. With over 25 years of service in the Navy, Bell’s supporters believe he has America’s best interests at heart, and that he can maintain that without being part of the corrupt political system that has placed in America in its current, divided position. He has strong leadership potential, as seen from his current position at the head of the Navy, and a blunt, no-nonsense attitude that has an appeal to those tired of political wheeling and dealing.

— What does the opposition hate when it comes to their persona and campaign? AKA. What points are brought up when trying to convince others your character isn’t a good choice for the seat?