"I don’t know what kind of spell you cast on that stubborn old man from Vermont to get Daniel Sanders himself to run with these municipal bonds for you. That was a truly impressive move."

He leaned back, his gaze growing profound.

"But don’t think I don’t know which way the political winds are blowing. You may have handled the progressives in Washington, but that doesn’t mean you can handle the crowd in Harrisburg."

Morganfield extended a finger and jabbed it in the air a few times, pointing east—in the direction of the Pennsylvania state capital.

"Although the current governor is a Democrat, and the Democrats hold a good number of seats in the State Assembly, you and I both know exactly what kind of Democrats they are."

"They’re part of the Establishment Faction, the guardians of party order. In their eyes, you and Sanders aren’t allies—you’re a virus. They find you more disgusting than the Republican Party."

"That door in Harrisburg is locked tight for you. The Secretary of Community and Economic Development is the governor’s staunchest ally. He’d love nothing more than to nip a disruptive element like you in the bud."

"And there’s something even more important."

Morganfield stood up and walked to the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down at the city twinkling faintly in the night below.

"Many people say Pittsburgh is in decline. Population loss, decaying industry... that it’s an irrelevant place."

"But on this country’s political map, Pittsburgh carries far more weight than its population suggests."

"Every pulse, every protest, every speech about revival here travels down the Ohio River and spreads throughout all of Pennsylvania."

"You’ve lit a fire here, and they can feel the heat in Philadelphia and Harrisburg."

Roosevelt’s voice rang out in Leo’s mind at just the right moment.

’He’s right, Leo. Pennsylvania is the Keystone State. It supports the entire structure of the Electoral College, and Pittsburgh is the most critical fracture in that keystone.’

’This is a geographical and cultural fault line. It has the DNA of northern industry, and it’s also the starting point of the culture of Appalachia.’

’In the traditional political landscape, Philadelphia’s voter base is fixed, and so are the red votes from the vast rural areas in the middle of the state.’

’Only here, only the hundreds of thousands of votes in Allegheny County, are fluid, alive, and up for grabs.’

’Win Pittsburgh, and you counteract the rural red wave. You win Pennsylvania.’

’And in this winner-take-all Electoral College system, without Pennsylvania’s nineteen electoral votes, no one from either party can walk comfortably into the White House.’

’You are a fulcrum, but this lever is long enough to move Washington.’

Morganfield turned, his back to the nightscape outside the window, his face hidden in shadow.

"My old friend, Warren, called me late last night."

"He’s very anxious. The midterm elections are coming up, and he told me in no uncertain terms that you’ve been making too much noise lately. Your voice is carrying beyond Pittsburgh and starting to affect the statewide election."

"He demanded that I get your momentum under control."

"He doesn’t want to see an uncontrollable Democratic Mayor using a massive five hundred million US Dollars to buy loyalty in the heart of a Swing State. For the Republican Party, that’s a huge threat."

Morganfield walked back to the sofa, braced his hands on his knees, and stared down at Leo from that posture.

"So, do you see the situation clearly now?"

"In Harrisburg, your fellow party members want you to fail, as a warning to anyone who tries to challenge the Establishment Faction."

"In Washington, Republican Senators want you to disappear, to protect their seats."

"Sanders? That old man might have a loud voice, but he’s ultimately a niche figure. In the Senate, he’s often a lone wolf."

"And you, Leo Wallace, you’re the niche of the niche, an outlier among outliers."

"On this giant chessboard, whether at the state level or outside the party, you are completely and utterly alone."

"And now, you come to me with a plan that everyone is trying to shoot down."

"You’re telling me you want to use my credit to get Harrisburg to sign off on it."

Morganfield let out a cold laugh.

"You’re trying to get something for nothing, young man. What makes you think I would offend my friends in Washington and Harrisburg for you?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Faced with Morganfield’s interrogation, Leo’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest.

’Of course, he knew he was all alone.’

’He also knew he was walking a tightrope.’

’But it was precisely because he was all alone, precisely because there was a bottomless abyss beneath him, that he possessed the resolve of a man with nothing to lose.’

"Everything you’ve said is right, Douglas."

Leo spoke, his voice steady.

"Politically, I am indeed surrounded. The Establishment Faction hates me, and the Republican Party fears me."

"But that just proves one thing."

Leo looked up, his eyes burning with intensity.

"It proves that the chips I’m holding have weight."

"If I were truly irrelevant, Senator Warren wouldn’t have called you late at night. If Pittsburgh were truly unimportant, those bureaucrats in Harrisburg wouldn’t be trying so hard to block me."

"They’re afraid because they know what this five hundred million US Dollars means."

"This is a win-win," Leo corrected. "Once the port is built, the biggest beneficiary will be the Morganfield Group."