By the lakeside, Hicks was holding a fishing rod and staring at the rippling surface, stirred by the occasional breeze.
But his attention was actually focused on the other people beside him.
"Tracy's approval rating is only sixty percent in the polls, and it's continuing to decline."
"Some of the policies and reforms she mentioned before haven't been fully implemented. This has made voters question whether she can truly bring them the things she promised them."
"By contrast, your approval rating has been steadily rising. If we announce your candidacy now, there's a very good chance we can win this term's gubernatorial election."
The Swing States were very pragmatic places. People would believe the grand promises made by those running for governor.
They would also abandon those governors when they failed to fulfill those promises.
Ms. Tracy couldn't exactly be said to have made nothing but empty promises. However, compared to what she had told the people she would give them during her campaign speeches, what she had delivered still fell far short.
Wages hadn't risen any further, and living conditions hadn't improved. Educational resources and opportunities might have gotten somewhat better, but many other things had not been achieved.
Not many of the things she had discussed had actually been accomplished, especially compared with the visions she had shared with the people.
On top of that, she wasn't a local and lacked a voter base within the state.
Even her sixty-percent approval rating was entirely due to the portion of her promises that she had fulfilled over the past four years.
In the eyes of these voters, although Ms. Tracy couldn't do everything exactly as she had promised, or deliver everything she had guaranteed them, she was still doing quite well overall.
Without any other competitors, she had a