The office door was shut tight.

The ambition that had burned like molten iron just moments ago began to cool as Murphy sat back down on the sofa.

Reason retook control of the Congressman’s mind.

He was a veteran who had fought his way through Washington for many years, and he knew just how many insurmountable chasms lay between "I want to be a Senator" and "I am a Senator."

Murphy picked up the bond proposal from the table and flipped through it again.

This time, his eyes were on the financial figures and risk assessment clauses.

Once the passion faded, it was time to face the cold, hard reality.

"Leo, your vision is brilliant." Murphy’s voice had regained its composure. "Use five hundred million US dollars to leverage the port, use the port to leverage jobs, and use the jobs to leverage the entire state’s vote. It’s a perfect logical loop. Sounds impeccable."

He closed the file and tossed it back onto the coffee table.

"But that’s just in theory."

Murphy stood up and walked over to the huge map of Pittsburgh on his office wall.

"Do you know what the Democratic National Committee is thinking right now? Those bigwigs sitting in their Washington offices, their eyes are fixed on one place: Philadelphia."

He extended a finger, gesturing toward the eastern side of the map.

"The political map of Pennsylvania is like a seesaw. In the east, you have Philadelphia. It’s densely populated, economically prosperous, and a major voter stronghold for the Democratic Party. In the west, you have us, Pittsburgh. And while we’re a blue-collar town, we’re suffering from severe population loss and a stagnant economy."

"The party leadership already has their preferred candidate." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Murphy turned and looked at Leo.

"All the resources are already being funneled to him, while I’m just an old veteran from the west."

Leo sat behind the desk, listening quietly.

He knew Murphy was telling the truth.

This was the political reality.

A political party doesn’t just care about ideals; it cares more about winnability.

In the eyes of the leadership, the return on investment for Philadelphia was far greater than for a declining Pittsburgh.

"I could even announce my own candidacy, that’s not the problem," Murphy continued. "But without the party’s endorsement, I won’t get any campaign funding from the National Committee, and I won’t get checks from the super PACs."

"Which brings us back to the problem with that five-hundred-million-dollar bond."

Murphy spread his hands, a resigned smile on his face.

"It’s a vicious cycle, Leo."

"This five-hundred-million-dollar bond has a very low rating. In the eyes of Wall Street, it’s a junk bond. To sell it, we’d need a credit guarantee from the Federation, or at the very least, underwriting from one of the major investment banks with close ties to the Democratic Party."

"To get that level of financial support, I would need to be the party’s official nominee for Senator, with the power to mobilize party resources."

"But."

Murphy’s tone grew heavy.

"If I can’t deliver this five-hundred-million-dollar accomplishment, if I can’t make some earth-shattering noise in Pittsburgh, then I have no standing to challenge the Vice Governor from Philadelphia. And if I can’t do that, I won’t get the party’s support."

"No party support, no five-hundred-million-dollar bond."

"No five-hundred-million-dollar bond, no party support."

Murphy sank back into the sofa, looking completely dejected.

"It’s a chicken-or-the-egg problem. We’re locked in a loop. Unless you have some Magic that can make the CEO of Goldman Sachs or JPMorgan Chase suddenly go crazy and decide to throw five hundred million USD into a city of rust and unemployed workers."

Silence fell over the office.

This was the high wall that stood between ambition and reality.

Leo said nothing. He simply closed his eyes.

Although he had relied on his political instincts to devise the crazy plan of "holding the Democratic Party hostage" with a five-hundred-million-dollar bond, he had to admit that when it came to the complex strategic details of a statewide campaign, he lacked experience.

Before proposing the plan, he hadn’t even had a chance to ask Roosevelt if an old-school Representative like Murphy truly had a chance of winning a statewide seat.

’Of course, for him, whether Murphy actually became a Senator was secondary.’

’He just needed Murphy to get to work, like a donkey turning a millstone, and help him secure that five hundred million dollars in financing.’

’But if Murphy could actually win, then the meaning of all this would be completely different.’

’Mr. President,’ Leo called out to Roosevelt in his mind. ’Is Murphy right? Without the party’s support, is this really a dead end? Or is he just terrified by Philadelphia’s shadow?’

’Do you think he has a chance to win?’

Roosevelt’s voice answered promptly.

’He’s right, Leo. In terms of conventional political logic, this is indeed a dead end.’

’But.’

Roosevelt’s tone shifted.

’He’s only looking at the first layer. He sees Philadelphia’s strength and the party’s closed doors, but he doesn’t see Philadelphia’s weakness, nor does he see the true path to victory on this map.’

’Open your computer. Pull up the voter map for Pennsylvania.’

Leo went to the computer and did as instructed. A map of intermixed red and blue appeared on the screen.

’Look closely,’ Roosevelt said.

’Pennsylvania is a very special state. People often say that Pennsylvania is Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in between.’

Leo looked at the map.

Philadelphia in the east was a sea of deep blue, as was Pittsburgh in the west.

But the vast expanse sandwiched between them—the patchwork of small towns, farms, and mining districts—was a glaring sea of red.