Lucas Underwood

Lucas Scott Underwood (born September 13, 1985) is an American politician who served as the 7th president of the United States from April 1, 2021, to April 30, 2021. He ascended to the presidency following the resignation of Hillary R. Cunningham. He currently serves as the senior United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Cambridge and President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate. Underwood is currently the second-highest ranking official of the Senate and third in line to the succession of the presidency. He previously served as Representative from Cambridge's 1st & 2nd Congressional Districts, United States Senator from the Commonwealth of New Columbia, the 1st Governor of Cambridge, the 10th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Attorney General, and the 6th Vice President of the United States. A member of the Democratic Party, Underwood is the 1st African American senator and governor who has served New Columbia and Cambridge, respectively, and the 2nd African American senator in DES history. He is the 3rd and 4th person of color to serve in the House and in the Senate, respectively. He is also the 1st African American to serve on a major party's ticket for vice president and to win.

Born in Buffalo, New York, Underwood attended Grover Cleveland High School and graduated from Syracuse University and Harvard Law School. He was elected the second Congressman from Cambridge's 2nd District - then District 10 - and he won unopposed. He ended up serving a total of two terms before losing re-election to Roman Sasse. Underwood later ran for the United States Senate in New Columbia where he beat the incumbent, Brett Cawthorn, by a margin of 13 points.

Underwood was thought of running for President in Season 2, but he later declined. In the Season 4 Presidential Race, Hillary Cunningham selected Underwood as her running mate and they would later go on to win the Democratic Nomination for President and Vice President on March 5, 2021. Underwood would later accept the nomination for Vice President on March 8, 2021, with Cunningham, at the Democratic National Convention in Miami, Florida. Cunningham and Underwood would go on to win the Season 4 Presidential Election with 285 electoral votes, on March 13, 2021. Underwood would later run for President in Season 6 & 8, losing both elections with 181 and 195 electoral votes, respectively, to Brett Cawthorn and Everett Terry. Many are speculating that Underwood would be the Democratic Party's frontrunner for Season 10 but Underwood has yet to comment.

Early life
Underwood was born on September 13, 1985, at the Women's & Children's Hospital of Buffalo - now Oishei Children's Hospital - in Buffalo, New York. He was raised in Buffalo and attended elementary school at Public School #93 before attending high school at Grover Cleveland. He graduated high school with the class of 2003 and attended university at Syracuse studying Film Media, Pre-Law, and General Studies. He later attended Harvard Law School and graduated with a Juris Doctor. He has sub-Saharan African and English ancestry.

Election
Underwood filed his candidacy for Congress on November 24, 2020. He was elected as a Congressman from Cambridge's Second District - then District Ten -, on December 11, 2020. At the time he was elected, he entered Congress with a Republican supermajority in both Chambers of Congress. While combating a GOP controlled House Chamber, Underwood proposed many pieces of legislation to reform the criminal justice system. While serving in the House, Underwood was considered one of the most active and transparent Representatives, making a congressional website and actively introducing legislation.

Prohibiting Law Enforcement Use of Chemical Weapons Act
Underwood proposed the Prohibiting Law Enforcement Use of Chemical Weapons Act on December 24, 2020. The bill would make sure law enforcement officers would be prohibited from using mustard gas and other weapons classified as a chemical weapons and that was warned to cause death to civilians. The bill was very well received by House Republicans but not so much by Senate Republicans.

The final vote of the bill, in the House, was 7-2-1-1. When introduced to the Senate Judiciary Committee, the bill failed as GOP senators called the bill "unneeded and unnecessary". Underwood called about certain Senators in the Judiciary Committee who failed the bill saying "they clearly lack the common sense and decency to know that this bill is needed, especially in the times we live in."

Speakership Candidacy
When Underwood won re-election for his second term in Congress, he announced his candidacy to be the Speaker of the House on December 31, 2020. He faced Congressman Tom Bush. Republicans won the majority and the House and is was expected that Underwood would lose. Despite all of the talk from members within his own party, Underwood stayed in the race and said "I'm staying in this race so we can bring the reform we need to Congress and fix the unorganized way the House is ran." Underwood would later lose the Speakership election by a 6-3-2 vote. It was later revealed that Fmr. Congressman Santiago Martinez and Fmr. Congresswoman Sophia Bennett, voted against Underwood because they were alts controlled by Jakob Goldwater and Tom Bush.

Criminal Justice Reform & the American Prison Reform Act
During Underwood's second term in the House, he introduced a legislative agenda to combat the unorganized criminal justice system in the United States. He introduced the plan on January 13, 2021, and the plan was met with support by House Republicans. He teamed up with Congressman Charlie Williams to propose the American Prison Reform Act, which is the biggest piece of legislation targeted with reforming our prisons and discrimination in prisons in DES history.

The bill was met with support from House Republicans but was bad-mouthed by Senate Republicans. Underwood addressed the concerns of the bill, saying "this piece of legislation is one of the most important pieces of legislation we need right now. It's important we look at what this bill will do to help those that were treated unfair in the criminal justice system."

Underwood would later re-introduce the American Prison Reform Act in the Senate where it passed with a 4-1-0-3 vote.

U.S. Capitol Attack
On January 17, 2021, the terrorist group known as ISIS attempted to attack the United States Capitol. Multiple Representatives and Senators were injured including Senator Edwin House. After the capitol was cleared, Underwood made a statement that he was alright and that "those (ISIS) terrorists who tried to attack the citadel of democracy will face the wrath of American justice."

Election
After losing re-election to the House, by one vote to Roman Sasse, Underwood decided to take a break from politics. He moved to Alexandria, Virginia in New Columbia. Later, he announced his candidacy for Senate running against the incumbent, Brett Cawthorn. Underwood would win and was elected on February 21, 2021.

American Prison Reform Act
On March 5, 2021, Underwood would introduce the American Prison Reform Act in the Senate, his first in the Senate.. It is one of the biggest bills targeted with prison reform in DES history. The bill is best known to include a startup plan for the American Rehabilitation Drug Courts Program, which would make sure individuals charged with a non-violent drug offense, seek rehabilitation rather than going to prison for such a small offense. The bill would pass the Senate the same day and also pass the House. As of March 10th, 2021, the bill has been signed into law by President Benjamin Bryant.

Law Enforcement Identification Act
Underwood introduced the Law Enforcement Identification Act on March 6, 2021. The bill would enforce that federal law enforcement officers show their identification badges before acting in a civil duty. It will ensure that people, in public, know who to identify as a law enforcement officer and reduce the risk of a police/civilian incident. As of March 11, 2021, the bill has been signed into law by President Benjamin Bryant.

Immigration Reform
Following reports of a massive immigration crisis in central America, that would lead its way to the Southern Border of the United States, Senator Underwood teamed up with Senators Kenneth Allen and Charlie Williams to bring immigration reform on the table. The trio addressed the situation at the Senate Emergency Session on March 7, 2021.

Capital Punishment Abolishment
During a Senate session to debate the Capital Punishment Abolishment Act, introduced by Senator Charlie Williams, Underwood strongly supported the bill stating "Since the start of this country, the death penalty has been used to wrongfully take the life of those who were convicted of specific crimes. What example would we set to the younger generation if we continue to live by the unmoral phrase of 'an eye for an eye'? The government killing an individual is still murder, under the death penalty or not, it we must stop this unlawful act."

His response to the legislation was met with much praise my Democrats and Republicans, alike. After the session, he joined a couple senators in co-sponsoring the legislation and working on getting it passed in both Chambers of Congress.

Committee Assignments
While in the Senate, Underwood served as a member on the following committees.


 * Committee on Armed Services
 * Committee on the Budget
 * Committee on Defense
 * Committee on Health
 * Committee on Veteran Affairs

Caucus Memberships

 * Congressional Black Caucus

Vice Presidential Nomination
Underwood was first expected to be the Democratic Nominee for Vice President in Season Three but it was instead Senator Kenneth Allen. Underwood would then be picked by Hillary Cunningham as her running mate in the Season Four presidential race, on March 5, 2021. He is the first African American to be on a major party's ticket for Vice President and the third African American Vice President if elected. Due to the first and second African American Vice Presidents to be nominated to the office of Vice President, Underwood would be the first African American elected Vice President.

Underwood accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for Vice President on March 8, 2021.

Vice Presidential Campaign
During the Season Three Presidential Election, many members of the Democratic Party endorsed the idea of a Cunningham/Underwood ticket when Hillary Cunningham won the nomination. Instead she picked Senator Kenneth Allen, who many believe would have been a better pick than Underwood.

When Cunningham ran for President, again after losing in Season Three to the incumbent Benjamin Bryant, she picked Ashton Sinclair to be her running mate. Many hated the idea of Sinclair being her running mate as many viewed him as an inexperience Congressman. He later dropped out from the ticket.

On March 4, 2021, NPR Politics reported a story that Cunningham would pick Underwood as her running mate.

On March 5, 2021, Cunningham picked Underwood to be her running mate. Many were surprised with the decision and delighted. People quickly approved of the ticket and Underwood was seen as a far more better pick than Sinclair to be the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President.

On March 6, 2021, Cunningham and Underwood won the Democratic Party's nomination for President and Vice President and accepted the nomination on March 8, 2021.

Underwood became Vice President-Elect following the Cunningham/Underwood ticket's victory in the Season Four Presidential Election on March 13, 2021.

Vice Presidency
During his Vice Presidency, Underwood helped manage the White House Immigration and Border Security Council that President Cunningham established to take care of the immigration crisis at the southern border. Underwood was also in charge of multiple White House councils that included promoting women in America's workforce, promoting LGBTQIA+ rights, and etc.

In his Vice Presidency, Underwood was liked among the public and received approval ratings of about 75-90%.

On the morning of April 1, 2021; President Cunningham announced she would resign from the Presidency because of something happening irl. Because of this, Underwood would be President. His Vice Presidency ended on April 1, 2021 at 6:00 AM EST, to assume the duties of the office of President of the United States. He had only served two weeks in the Vice Presidency.

Presidency
After the resignation of Hillary Cunningham, then Vice President, Underwood assumed the duties of the office of President of the United States at 6:00 AM EST, on the morning of April 1, 2021. He was sworn in by Chief Justice Everett Terry later on the same day, in a private ceremony in the Oval Office, at 11:00 AM EST. In his first address to the nation, minutes after his was sworn into office, Underwood stated that he would "make it my duty to make sure my administration is the people’s beacon of hope for change. When I was Vice President I said 'Not only is the White House the office place and residence of the President of the United States, but it is the people's house. It is also your house.'. I will ensure that transparency is front and center and that I put the interests of the American people first". Underwood expressed the need for unity and stated that he would make sure "that the country would be unified at the end of the day".

Within his first hours as President, Underwood announced that he would nominate President Pro Tempore Harry Bennett as Vice President. Over 80% of the general public supported this nomination and the Underwood administration was off to a good start. He then announced the nominations of Attorney General and Secretary of State, and began fulfilling his promise to the American people of making sure there was a "full and detailed administration".

On Underwood's last day in office as President, his approval rating reached a record high of 86.4% making him the most popular President in DES history.

Criminal Justice Reform and Immigration Reform Executive Actions
A fierce advocator of criminal justice reform and immigration reform, Underwood signed multiple executive orders that addressed the federal criminal justice system and the topic of private prisons that have contracts with the Department of Justice. As President, Underwood ordered the Department of Justice to not renew any contracts with privately-owned detention centers and he then ordered the Department of Homeland Security to review all of their policies to make sure that "all department actions and directives that were signed before the Underwood administration was constitutional and legal". On April 30, 2021, Underwood signed the biggest immigration reform package in history, into law. This bill was named the Immigration and Naturalization Reform Act. It was written by then Senator now Vice President Charlie Williams, Senator Monique Henderson, Congressman George Richardson, Attorney General Kenneth Allen, along with Underwood himself.

Legislative Agenda & Cabinet Nominations
On his second day in office, Underwood was able to score a 80.6% approval rating from the American people, becoming one of the most popular presidents in DES history. Underwood also nominated 4 more people to his cabinet, filling the roles in the Department(s) of Defense, Health & Human Services, Treasury, and Labor. Underwood was known as a man who was "quick on his feet" and a great example of this was when he sent his legislative agenda to Congress, 4 days after he assumed the Presidency. He called for "progress directly to the American people" and he urged Congress to act in a "quick and efficient manner that would fit on the American people's timetable", not theirs. Included in his agenda was a plan to bring over 750,000 jobs to America's fishery and oceanic industries. He also announced the American Carbon Emissions Fee & Energy Development Act. This bill would establish a carbon tax and use the revenue to distribute it to low-income families so they can spend it to invest in green energy. Underwood also announced that the checks would serve as stimulus checks to stimulate the economy. Unfortunately, both bills were not completed before Underwood's presidency ended. Because of this, Underwood promised that if he was elected Governor of Cambridge, he would work with leaders across the nation to get those bills enacted into law.

Educational & Civil Rights Executive Actions
Addressing education, Underwood signed another batch of executive orders on his 1 week anniversary as President. He signed Executive Order 705, which ordered the Department of Education to work with the Justice Department to review all policies within the DoED to make sure that those policies will not and can not result in the continuing discrimination in public schools that have become more frequent. He also signed Executive Order 706, which established the White House Council on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He was praised by the African American community on focusing on the education of students in HBCUs and his effort to maintain order in America's public schools. Underwood took another courageous step in expanding civil rights for transgender students, by signing Executive Order 707. This executive order directed the Department of Education to send a guidance to school districts around the country to inform them that they have to allow transgender students to use a bathroom assigned to the gender they identify with. He was the first President to address the civil rights of those in the LGBTQIA+ community and he actively praised the community as a "symbol of hope to all Americans, that sends a message that you can be whoever you want to be".

United States - ASEAN Trade Agreement
On April 19, 2021, Underwood has a secret meeting with the Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which happens to be one of the most influential and biggest economic alliances in the world. In the meeting, Underwood was trying to score a trade deal with the association. During the State of the Union Address on April 22, 2021, Underwood announced that the deal was agreed to and he introduced the agreement to Congress on April 29, 2021. The Secretary of State, Marty Walsh, was also mentioned as the driving force for the agreement to even exist and Underwood praised him for his work and effort. This trade agreement is the biggest trade agreement in DES history and it was signed and ratified on April 30, 2021, only 7 hours before Underwood's presidency ended. Underwood was met with praise after announcing the deal and his approval rating went to an all-time high becoming the most popular President in DES history.

Cancelling Student Loan Debt
7 hours before his presidency ended, Underwood signed Executive Order 708 which would cancel up to $52,500 of student loan debt of all American citizens after 7.5 years of the authorization of the order. Many called this a "bold step in the right direction" and Underwood become the third President behind Benjamin Bryant and Hillary Rylee Cunningham to cancel a certain amount of student loan debt by executive action.

Cabinet of President Lucas Underwood
The following are members of the 7th White House Administration and the cabinet of Lucas Underwood.


 * Vice President of the United States | Harry Bennett (April 5, 2021 - April 30, 2021)
 * White House Chief of Staff | Cory Booker (April 1, 2021 - April 18, 2021)
 * Secretary of State | Monique Henderson (Acting; April 1-5, 2021); Marty Walsh (April 15, 2021 - April 30, 2021)
 * Secretary of the Treasury | Vacant
 * Secretary of Defense | Cameron Daniels (April 1-5, 2021)
 * Attorney General | Kenneth Allen (April 1, 2021-); Attorney General under Bennett Administration
 * Secretary of Labor | Davy P. Long (April 1, 2021 - April 21,2021) *Fired due to unethical and unprofessional work ethics.*
 * Secretary of Health and Human Services | Rick Fitzpatrick (April 1, 2021 - April 14, 2021)
 * Secretary of Education | Jamaal Jones (April 21, 2021 - April 30, 2021)
 * Special Congressional Financial Policy Advisor | Sethyy Bro (April 4, 2021-April 30, 2021)

Post-Presidency
After his presidency ended, Underwood was appointed to the United States Senate to serve the Commonwealth of Cambridge by Vice President Charlie Williams. Afterwards, he got elected Governor of Cambridge and served 6 weeks in his term before being banned in the server for "unethical and inappropriate behavior towards another member." This ban was later appealed and overturned quickly because of "misunderstandings and misinformation" and Underwood returned to the server to run for House later on. He would win his House race in the 1st congressional district of Cambridge and would become Speaker of the House before running for President in Season 8. Underwood lost the Season 8 Presidential election to incumbent President, Everett Terry, and would win 195 electoral votes. He later was nominated to the position of United States Attorney General and get confirmed and served in the position for a month before running for Senate and winning his election on November 27, 2021.

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (Post-Presidency)
Regarded as the most effective and approved Speaker by DES historians, Underwood implemented bold measures as Speaker during his tenure in Season 7. Due to a large public outcry that the House was "inactive, ineffective, and indolent", Underwood implemented weekly VC sessions, daily activity checks, and weekly updates from his office. This is what started the "Underwood Speakership Era" which is known to have set a clear precedent for the Speaker to track the House and increase transparency from the House to American constituents.

Conservative Majority
During the Season 7 midterms, the newly formed political party, the Conservatives, won a 7-4 majority in the House. Due to this, many believed that Underwood's time as Speaker would be over as the Time Magazine stated "Is Underwood days in office numbered?". Underwood quickly acted and fought through attempts to coup him out of the Speakership and was re-elected Speaker on September 6, 2021. Because of this event, Underwood earned the name "The Iron Speaker".

United States Senate (Post-Presidency)
Assuming office on November 29, 2021, Underwood become an active member of the Senate and being a vocal critic of Senate GOP leadership and their inactivity.

President Pro Tempore
Underwood announced his candidacy for President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate on December 25, 2021. On that same night, the New York Times released an article stating that close sources within the Senate believes "Lucas Underwood will be the next PPT" due to Senator Myles Kinney publicly stating that there were 5 votes to elect him to the position. The election took place on Monday, December 27, 2021 and Underwood won with a 7-0-0-1 vote, making him President Pro Tempore.

Committee Assignments
Underwood currently serves as a member on the following committees.


 * Committee on Agriculture
 * Committee on Defense & Veteran's Affairs
 * Committee on Environment
 * Committee on Ethics
 * Committee on Health & Human Services
 * Committee on the Judiciary

Caucus Memberships

 * Congressional Black Caucus
 * Congressional LGBTQ Caucus
 * Democratic Party Caucus