The Walking Dead Is Proving More Politicians Survived The Outbreak

Rumors of the government’s demise in The Walking Dead have been greatly exaggerated, as more and more politicians crawl out from the woodwork. By the time Rick Grimes awoke from his coma in The Walking Dead season 1, the world’s authorities had already fallen. Met by hordes of hungry undead, Rick quickly discovered that civilization as he knew it had fallen, and while the US government made an initial attempt to suppress the outbreak through Operation Cobalt, it wasn’t long before Washington was no more. 10 years have passed since then (both in-universe and out), but still there’s no sign of the White House making a comeback.

The Walking Dead season 5 introduced Deanna Monroe, a former Ohio Congresswoman and the original leader of Alexandria. Deanna explained how some politicians were evacuated when the outbreak began, but if any others did survive, they were no longer in contact. With no news of the President or an inner circle keeping the federal government alive, it seemed highly likely that most politicians had perished close to the apocalypse’s outset.

For the best part of a decade, Deanne Monroe was the sole political remnant glimpsed in The Walking Dead – not a great sign for the country’s leadership. Now, however, political figures are swarming The Walking Dead like post-apocalyptic flies. In Fear The Walking Dead‘s season 7 premiere, Will reveals that, until very recently, he was a companion to Senator Elias Vasquez, who had managed to survive all this time in the zombie outbreak. They moved from camp to camp before settling at the Franklin Hotel, and the Senator only perished due to Teddy, the cult leader. Will’s story opens the possibility that many more US politicians and members of their staff are still dotted across the country in various settlements and encampments after that initial evacuation. Will gives no indication that Senator Vasquez held any sort of power or privilege since leaving Washington, but his survival alone proves the lack of political presence in The Walking Dead may have been misleading, and there’s a larger federal influence than many viewers assumed.

Curiously, Vasquez isn’t the only political survivor confirmed recently. Over in The Walking Dead season 11, Eugene’s group finally enter the Commonwealth, a huge community led by the elusive Pamela Milton. Though the Governor herself is yet to appear, Pamela hails from some famous political dynasty, and at least one member of her family (the delightful Sebastian) still accompanies her. The Walking Dead hasn’t yet revealed what position she held before the apocalypse, but Yumiko’s stunned reaction proves Pamela was a pretty big deal on Capitol Hill. Unlike Senator Vasquez, Pamela Milton has carried her position over into the new world by maintaining a vice-like grip on the Commonwealth’s leadership.

Many The Walking Dead viewers have theorized that the Civic Republic and CRM could’ve formed from remnants of the US government. Though the group’s leadership structure remains a mystery at present, the CRM adopts a traditional military ranking structure, and rules over the largest settlement current sitting on U.S. soil. Additionally, Lieutenant Colonel Elizabeth Kublek revealed her former job as an attaché for the UK’s Ministry of Defence in Walking Dead: World Beyond season 2. Given how Kublek was already in and around governance before the outbreak, it would make sense that the Civic Republic is where most of the surviving politicians currently reside.

As the Walking Dead franchise expands, the scale of the communities gets larger and larger. This might explain why more politicians are suddenly coming into view now. Though the federal government might not exist in any recognizable form, the old world’s structures aren’t necessarily as dead as the walkers that kicked them out of Washington in the first place. Through one-off survivors like Monroe and Vasquez, protected families like the Miltons, and the potential political beehive that is the Civic Republic, the United States government may be preparing to launch a comeback in The Walking Dead.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3635 Articles Published)

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Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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