The Kid Who Ran for President

The next morning, the newspaper headline states that Judson won the debate with his strategy of eliminating the issues and that he’s ahead in the polls. His parents are so excited they throw a party, and even Lane is excited, congratulating Judson on following his instincts. While everyone else has a good time, Judson feels like he’s in a haze, unable to figure out “how I’d messed up messing up the debate” (128). Instead of ruining his run, his tactics turned it into a runaway train.

Guerra calls during the party to ask if Judson broke into a kid’s locker in fourth grade to steal a term paper. Judson did—it was Arthur's paper that Judson stole to get back at him for putting a “kick me” sign on Judson’s backpack. Guerra thanks Judson and hangs up.

The next day, an article in the Capital Times from Guerra announces the “Moongate” scandal. The article talks about how Judson broke into the locker. It also details how he didn’t know Chelsea before he asked her to be First Lady and that he changed his parakeet’s name. Judson is sure Arthur ratted him out. With only two days until