Trey Cranfield

Trey Michael Cranfield (born April 3, 2003) is an American politician who is the 12th and current vice president of the United States since March 2022. He previously served as the fifth vice president from February to March 2021. He briefly served as the 11th in March 2022. A member of the, he served as the 13th from December 2021 to February 2022 and was the  from 's  from December 2021 to March 2022, holding the positions of  and. A member of the, he represented in the  in three non-consecutive terms from January to February, March to June, August to September, and as an Independent in late December 2021, holding the positions of , chair of the , and. In early 2021, he served as the acting under Benjamin Bryant.

Cranfield was elected vice president in March 2022 alongside Charlie Williams, having ran uncontested in the season 11 DES presidential election. He was re-elected in the season 12 DES presidential election alongside Tom Mulroney. They defeated and  with 297 electoral votes.

Early Life
Trey Michael Cranfield was born on April 3, 2003 in. Although, he has and currently lives in.

Cranfield attended elementary school at Throop Elementary, graduating with academic honors, winning the honor roll every year. He also received the Presidential Award for Academic Achievement.

After graduating elementary school in good fashion, he attended. He was the Secretary of the Paoli Jr. Sr. High School NJHS program, and the Vice President of the 9th grade class (freshman class).

Cranfield is also in the Pride of Paoli band program, one of the top notch programs in the state of Indiana. The band has won 15 ISSMA Championship titles, 6 runner-ups, and has been in the finals 34 times. The program is led by new band director, Benjamin Werne.

Acting secretary of defense
On January 1, 2021 President of the United States Benjamin Bryant announced he would be nominating Cranfield to serve as the, and until his pending commenced, would be serving in the position in an. Shortly after he took office, Cranfield announced he would be challenging his fellow cabinet official in the, where Cranfield was considered a narrow favorite. Cranfield won the election with 59% of the vote to Fiztpatricks' 40%, considered as an over-performance on Cranfield's behalf, and took office on January 14, 2021, immediately resigning from his position as acting secretary. Cranfield was succeeded by on  January 26, 2021.

January 2021
Main article: 

In January 2021 Cranfield challenged secretary in the district three Senate special election, contested after the resignation of Senator. Cranfield ran uncontested in the Republican primary, and faced Fitzpatrick in the general election, in which he defeated the latter by nearly twenty percent in what many pundits believed to be a Republican over-performance in the midst of a dwindling majority. Cranfield took office a day later on January 14, 2021.

Tenure
Upon being sworn in, Cranfield remained mostly silent, until he began to gain traction within the Republican Caucus' establishment, eventually culminating in the ousting of, who two weeks prior left the caucus due to a dispute with Aaron Scott and  Jakob Goldwater. On January 26, 2021, Cranfield became the Republican whip with unanimous consent from the caucus, and immediately assumed the office of, the third highest-ranking position in the Senate.

On January 27, 2021, Cranfield authored a bipartisan bill with Senator of  to authorize  to Presiden Benjamin Bryant after. The bill passed both chambers of congress and was signed by President Bryant on January 28.

On February 1, 2021, Cranfield introduced a motion to hold a snap election for, in an attempt to remove , the incumbent officeholder. The motion to hold the election failed, in which the motion to reconsider was laid on the table and remained open for 24 hours by vice president Jakob Goldwater. After the vote, the Independent Senators consisting of, , , and others formed the. Soon thereafter, the vice president, speaker of the House, and Senate minority leader all left the community. Cranfield assumed the positions of chair of the and the.

On February 3, 2021, a day after shockingly aligned with Cranfield in the, Cranfield and Bennett both voted in favor of  in a  vote on the rules of impeachment trial proceedings against  Jakob Goldwater, who was impeached almost unanimously by the  on February 1, 2021.

On February 4, 2021, Goldwater was, conducted by a private ballot at the request of Cranfield. Upon his conviction, the office was vacant, and Cranfield was floated as a possible option as a replacement for under. Early in the morning on February 5, it was announced that Cranfield had been selected as Goldwater's successor.

On February 8, as provisional chair of the, Cranfield appointed former  to former majority leader Aaron Scott's old seat in. The appointment received backlash from, who voted in favor of Cranfield's nomination to the vice presidency the day prior. Cranfield resigned his position on February 14, 2021 upon assuming the.

First vice presidency (Feb-Mar 2021)
Cranfield was nominated to serve as vice president by President Benjamin Bryant on February 5, 2021, and his nomination was sent to the for consideration. His hearing was conducted on February 6, lasting nearly two hours, and he received a sufficient number of votes for confirmation in the early morning of February 8; his unanimous confirmation in the House was a first for a major, beginning a long line of the necessity of vice presidential confirmations. His confirmation passed the Senate unanimously. Cranfield is the first federal official and vice president to assume office after the impeachment and conviction of a sitting officeholder.

On February 13, 2021,  suspended the rules and allowed the bypass of a hearing for Cranfield, immediately opening the vote on his confirmation. Early in the morning on February 14, Cranfield received a sufficient number of votes to be confirmed as the sixth vice president of the United States, and took office shortly thereafter.

On February 14, 2021, President Bryant issed a statement that as of February 15 he would be invoking the, citing family concerns. Due to this occurrence, Cranfield assumed the responsibilities of the presidency at 5:00pm EST and remained until the evening of February 18, 2021.

Early on February 17, 2021, Cranfield announced he approved the emergency declaration request from the and was deploying 2,500 members of the  in response to. Later that day, Cranfield appointed to serve as the acting, attempting to build a response team for the hurricane's impact on.

On February 18, Cranfield approved a disaster declaration request from Acting Administrator Davidson. In addition, he instructed the to monitor all air traffic to-and-from the island and grounded all flights therefrom. He signed the early that morning, appropriating nearly five trillion dollars of federal support. At 8:52pm EST, President Bryant informed Cranfield that he was able to once-again discharge the duties of the office of the president, and Cranfield reassumed the duties of the vice president shortly thereafter.

Following the, where the Republicans lost the majority in the House by four seats, it was speculated that Cranfield had been planning a run for president in the. Cranfield's apparent effort to succeed President Bryant initiated claims that Bryant was attempting to institute a that included vice president Cranfield and former president.

On February 22, Cranfield announced he would be traveling to for a major announcement. It was widely speculated he would be declaring candidacy for the presidency. Between the evening and morning of February 22 and 23, numerous Republican officials and affiliates of the party endorsed former president and season three presidential candidate, leaving many to wonder about the strength of support for Cranfield in his apparent run.

On February 24, Cranfield officially announced he would be running for president, and it was widely speculated he would be choosing as his running mate. Following the announcement, and with the help of House and President Bryant, Cranfield managed to swing numerous Republican officeholders, who subsequently rescinded their prior endorsements of Henderson. Following his subsequent announcement, Cranfield became the first incumbent vice president to challenge for the presidency.

On February 25, Cranfield announced that he had chosen Senator to be his running mate for. His shortlist included Senator of  and Senator  of. Following this announcement, Cranfield's polling numbers improved slightly, but never crested above 40 per cent in the fortnight preceding the election, trailing Henderson by a consistently considerable margin of around 20 per cent.

Cranfield presided over a session of the Senate on March 3, where numerous Republican officeholders the, notable for passing the House almost unanimously. After taking four votes on the legislation, it finally passed with a Democratic majority of members present for the vote. The filibuster was led by Cranfield's running mate, Senator, who received stark criticism for his role in delaying the vote for well over two hours. House's filibuster time exceeded 40 minutes, in which he orated about American prosperity and prudence. The Republicans' efforts were a result of the contents of the bill containing the. On March 5, Cranfield maintained that he supported the passage of the bill, despite siding with House's opposition in the bill's debate period.

Cranfield officially became the first vice president on March 6, 2021 when he suspended his campaign for president. He later filed to run for his former seat in the Senate, running unopposed.

On his final day in office, President Benjamin Bryant awarded Cranfield the with Distinction, one of only three members of the community to receive the honor. The outgoing president also awarded the Medal to. It was revealed concluding the as vice president that Cranfield left a letter for him. Underwood remarked that it was "probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me in government".

Season four presidential election
Cranfield had been considered as a potential successor of President Benjamin Bryant by many, and it was widely reported he would be running for president in. In late February, and  presidential candidate  announced her candidacy, as well as. Harper's initial announcement was taken in jest by many in the community, and she failed to gain much traction. Cranfield officially announced his candidacy for president of the United States on February 24, 2021. He immediately struggled to gain support,. At the end of February, Cranfield never polled above 40 per cent to Henderson's range of 60 to even 70 per cent. Senator Harper managed to garner around ten per cent in polling and wasn't seen as having enough support to even gain debate privileges. On February 25, Cranfield announced he had chosen as his vice presidential nominee. This announcement was met with stark criticism and little commendation.

In the first week of March, Cranfield's support continued to dwindle, and while he managed to regain the support from high-profile members of his party in late February, they once again began to turn on him as it was claimed there was a lack of enthusiasm from the ticket. The dynamic of the race shifted dramatically when Harper announced she had chosen former president as her running mate. This established Harper's credibility in the ever-changing field of candidates, and this announcement eventually led to the demise of the Cranfield campaign. In a poll conducted on March 6, he managed to only garner around five per cent of eligible voters having polled, and he officially suspended his campaign later that evening.

Cranfield is the first incumbent vice president to have suspended a major presidential campaign before party primaries, and is the lowest-polling executive official to have ran for president in DES history. On March 8, Cranfield, then a, filed to run for the Senate seat that Rachel Harper vacated in her run for president.

March 2021
On March 19, Cranfield won back his seat in the and relinquished his duties as vice president to. On March 20, Cranfield accepted a position from to be the  amidst rising tensions with. He was unopposed in his race, winning with 87.3 per cent of the vote, and was sworn-in by Underwood on March 22.

Tenure
On March 27, controversy arose when senator of, along with senator  of  worked with Cranfield to expedite the confirmation of Benjamin Bryant to be an. In the session, which was being conducted with a, four senators were present, including senator of. The leadership of the was completely absent and the present senators were able to confirm Bryant with a simple majority. There was minimal issue with the business quorum model as all present senators voted unanimously to confirm Bryant. He assumed his position on the court on March 29, 2021.

This controversy gave way to, a now upholding the constitutionality of Bryant's confirmation to the Court. The tied decision of one vote each led to a deadlock on the court, the first in DES history, ultimately resulting in the failure of the plaintiff's case, allowing the of Bryant to happen uncontested. authored the majority opinion, while authored the minority opinion.

On March 30, the confirmation of to be the  occurred in the. During this, senator Robert Sanders motioned to open the hearing up for a full-senate event, which was met with backlash from senator of. The motion was agreed to with four senators voting in the affirmative, and Volfson's hearing continued under a full-Senate jurisdiction. Prior, Cranfield motioned to the Senate to strip Allen of his committee chairmanship, which was agreed to by Shabeen, as well as Democratic senators and  (no relation). This prompted Allen to resign his position as chair of the and later his seat in the Senate. Following his resignation, senator Charlie Williams assumed the position of, Alexander Williams as , and was chosen as Allen's replacement by , the interim chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Cranfield's hardliner questioning of Volfson continued for nearly an hour, pressuring him on his stance regarding the and his refusal to label it as such. Cranfield also pushed Volfson on 's utilization of as well as, , and. Cranfield challenged Volfson on his moral beliefs and the contradictions he held between those and his political ideology. He also questioned briefly on the between the United States, China, and. The Senate rejected the nomination by a unanimous vote and Cranfield was widely credited for having changed the dynamic of Volfson's performance before the committee and the Senate.

On April 1, resigned the presidency for the second time, and  became the seventh. Cranfield was considered as a possible replacement for, along with , , and. Later that evening, Underwood nominated Bennett as the eighth vice president. It was widely reported that evening that Underwood offered Cranfield the positions of and, both of which Cranfield declined. Cranfield voted to confirm Bennett on April 5, and he was sworn-in soon thereafter. Cranfield cast the vote.

On April 12, Cranfield was reported to have been on the shortlist for vice president for Representative. That same day, Cranfield unofficially confirmed that he would not be seeking the presidency following his season four attempt. It was also reported that Cranfield was playing a major role in 's candidacy for president, and was floated as his number one choice as a running-mate. It was widely rumored that Cranfield heavily considered a bid for the presidency up until mid-April when he saw Sanders excessively lacking in polls between him, Bennett, and Jones.

Cranfield, despite denying ambitions to be the running-mate of senator in the, was placed on the ballot for  as the Republican nominee. The ticket received 126 and carried 15 states, losing in a  to the independent ticket of incumbent vice president  and Senate President pro tempore. It was the first time Cranfield received electoral votes for either president or vice president, preceding his ticket's victory in the Season 11 DES presidential election, where he received both electoral votes for president and vice president.

From April 27 to his removal on May 2, Cranfield's position as chair of the was disputed with  after Saders took the reins of the party following Cranfield's inactivity. Cranfield never confirmed that party leadership had been transferred to Sanders, and on May 2, filed for re-election to his senate seat as an independent. On the same day, DES owner recognized Cranfield's chairmanship as defunct and a new party was formed, headed by Rachel Harper.

On May 14, Cranfield was re-elected to a third term after defeating in a race that many believed to be solid Democrat. Cranfield carried a little over 53 per cent of the vote to Jones' 45 per cent. Third party candidate Ethan Davis won under two per cent of the vote. After the loss of, Cranfield became the most senior senator and on May 17, 2021. Cranfield resigned from his seat on June 1, 2021 and was succeeded by. He later said his decision to resign back to private life was due to family responsibilities and stated he needed more time to contribute to Young & Associates, LLC, a law-firm for which he served as vice president before his career in politics. He joined as a weekday contributor before returning to public service upon his appointment to serve in 's former Senate seat in New Columbia.

Tenure
Cranfield made a sudden return to public service in early August 2021, after a nearly two-month hiatus. Upon his return, he was floated as a potential selection to be in the newly-elected. It was announced on August 9 that Cranfield was nominated to be the next and his confirmation hearing was slated for the following week. Upon the ascension of to the vice presidency, it was rumored that former president  would be appointed to fill his seat in the U.S. Senate. After Cawthorn was selected to serve on the Administration team, it was reported Cawthorn asked Cranfield directly if he would consider appointment to the seat he was formerly expected to fill. of asked Cranfield the following day if he would be interested in filling the seat, and Cranfield accepted. He took office on August 15, 2021, his third time serving as a senator from New Columbia.

On August 18, 2021, Cranfield was awarded the from, Cranfield's longtime political ally and close friend.

Cranfield announced he wasn't running for re-election in season eight, and left office on September 15.

Tenure
Cranfield was appointed by  on December 19, 2021 to the  seat vacated by, who assumed the position of. Since the seat fell in of the election rotation, Cranfield was virtually a  incumbent until a new senator was sworn in following the season nine midterm elections. He was speculated to be considering candidacy for the in, and announced his candidacy on December 22.

The ruled two to one in favor of the state of  in  on December 21. The case revises  and permits states to define marriage between a man and a woman, while not allowing states the right to refuse same-sex civil union partnerships. Cranfield expressed his disapproval of the majority opinion, consisting of justice and  Benjamin Bryant, both nominated and confirmed during the.

On the same afternoon, there was controversy surrounding Cranfield's appointment to the seat since the states the governor must appoint someone of the previous senator's party. was a while Cranfield was a registered. Calls for Terry's resignation were later disregarded due to the law's outdated enforcement and a widespread lack of knowledge of the clause.

December 2021
Cranfield announced his candidacy for 's on December 22, 2021, three days after assuming office as a U.S. senator. He challenged in the general election, receiving slightly over 54 per cent of the vote. He was the best-performing non-Republican nationwide in what many believed to be a election cycle. The certified results showed a Democratic and Republican deadlock in the incoming House, with Cranfield being the only independent. It was floated that Cranfield was considering caucusing with the and running for, which would've given the Democrats both the majority and a Speaker from the majority party given he won. It was the first time Cranfield served in the House, and his first time holding an office he had been elected to since June 2021.

On December 25, it was announced by many that Cranfield had filed for the Democratic nomination for Speaker, and on December 26 he officially announced he would be caucusing with the Democrats in the next Congress, giving them the one seat majority and all but guaranteeing Cranfield the speakership. The same day, Cranfield was given the Democratic nomination for the speakership with no opposition from the.

January 2022
Cranfield filed for re-election to the House on January 1, the first day filing opened to prospective candidates. On January 3, Daniel Stevenson joined Cranfield in the race for what was intended to be a rematch from the season nine midterm election. In a poll released early January 6, Cranfield held a commanding lead of 95 per cent to Stevenson's 5 per cent. In another poll released on January 9, Cranfield led once again by over 90 per cent, this time with 92 per cent of the vote to Stevenson's eight. From January 9, Cranfield was the highest-polling candidate for the House among candidates with opposition. Predicted to be significantly closer on election day, the race was rated safe National Union by numerous pundits given Cranfield's stark. Prior to the election, Stevenson suspended his campaign, leaving Cranfield unopposed. was temporarily a candidate but suspended his campaign after only a few days. He was easily re-elected on January 22 with slightly over 92 per cent of the vote, the highest vote share nation-wide.

February 2022
On January 31, Cranfield filed for re-election to the House for the second time, seeking his third consecutive term. He went unopposed in the National Union primary for the second consecutive election, and was never pitted against anyone after his initial election in December. Cranfield was one of only two incumbents running unopposed, the other being in 's. On February 14, chair of the RNC Myles Kinney announced that the intention was to run a Republican candidate in each House district except NC-03, the district Cranfield represents, due to his immense popularity and the strong incumbency advantage. A Republican contested every House district except the one which Cranfield represents. Cranfield was easily re-elected on February 19 with over 95 per cent of the vote, the highest vote share of any candidate in the Season 10 midterm elections.

Speakership
On December 27, the new Congress was sworn-in and Cranfield was widely expected to become the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. The did not put up a nominee to challenge Cranfield, and he became the presumptive Speaker in the early evening of the same day. , a Republican in his eighth nonconsecutive term, swore Cranfield in as the 13th Speaker of the House.

Cranfield supported his friend, Michael Sturgis of, for the position of , the second-ranking post in the House Democratic Caucus. He had no competitor and was backed up by Cranfield's longtime friend as, who would resign from the House soon thereafter after an appointment by governor  of  to the Senate, which would then be barred by the  due to pending litigation against Richards for his involvement in the.

In his speech, Cranfield hinted at the House being the only chamber the Democrats controlled in Congress, as well as the, nodding at his historic decision to break a presumptive Republican (control of both chambers of Congress, the presidency, and majority governorships): "In terms of Congress and control of the federal government of the United States, House Democrats are alone in our resolve to implement our vision for the future of this country. Nevertheless, we are determined to hit the ground running and I vow that this next Congress will not waver in our commitment to providing the American people meaningful and soluble results that do not cater to any privilege or prejudice. I am humbled and honored to serve as the Speaker of the House among this talented group of Representatives."

At the conclusion of his first week in office, Cranfield enjoyed an approval rating of 80 per cent, his highest since early 2020, and had the second-highest approval numbers of any federal official behind only Lucas Underwood, the incumbent, who polled at 90 per cent. On December 31, held the  ceremony, where Cranfield was named the best independent, most centrist politician, and most non-partisan.

On January 3, 2022, Cranfield invited president Aaron Scott to deliver his first before a  on January 4. In his letter to Scott, Cranfield remarked "...It is an honor to extend this invitation to you and Vice President Harper as Speaker of the House of Representatives during your respective tenure as president of the United States."

On January 10, amidst the debate regarding the of, which Cranfield was instrumental in passing through Congress as vice president, Cranfield announced that he would not support newly-elected representative 's proposal, known as the , which would repeal the  in exchange for a significantly more progressive approach. This essentially halted all healthcare discussions due to the political difficulties that faced the Democrats in their efforts to get the legislation through Congress easily. Cranfield stated that he welcomed discussions regarding a comprehensive healthcare plan that leans toward affordability, but renounced any plan that would fully replace former President Bryant's 2021 proposal.

On January 12, President Aaron Scott announced the formation of the, and named Cranfield as the party's first. In doing so, Cranfield relinquished his duties as leader of the and assumed the title of leader of the. This led to the Democrats losing their majority in the House.

Following Cranfield's successful re-election bid in the season 10 election, it was rumored whether or not he would be running for a second term as speaker of the House, given his party switch and the rising possibility of a challenge coming from prominent Democrats like Michael Sturgis or. Cranfield had yet to announce a second bid for speaker but was backed early by numerous centrist figures in government, including senator Elizabeth Kent of the Democratic Party.

On January 23, Sturgis announced he would not be seeking the speakership, and it was believed that Henderson also decided against a bid (although Henderson herself never confirmed her decision), leaving Cranfield as the presumptive speaker once the new House was sworn-in on the evening of January 24.

On January 24, following the swearing-in of new Congress, the nominations for the speakership commenced and Cranfield was put up by of  on behalf of the. Henderson was nominated by newly-elected representative but that was later rescinded, leaving Cranfield unopposed and the presumptive speaker for his second term. He was sworn-in later that morning by the new,. The same day, news broke of a underway in, in which the  under  collapsed to a. President Scott, Vice President Harper, Mulroney, and both the, Benjamin Bryant, and the , , condemned the coup and pledged to support the AMLO-led government. Cranfield, along with numerous members of Congress, began working with Vice President Harper in crafting legislation to prevent a on the.

Cranfield announced on January 26 that new would be altered to further punish. During Cranfield's first term as speaker, House activity was extremely limited as many members failed to propose even one piece of legislation. One live session was held, which was noted as being significantly less than usual. Cranfield was criticized by for his inability to get the House active, and as a result pledged to work with new members of the  on imposing regulations for activity and service in the House.

Early morning on February 8, Cranfield announced that he would not be seeking a third term as speaker. Later that evening, he appointed five representatives to the newly-formed.

Cranfield's final day as speaker of the House was on February 21, 2022. For the, he retained his leadership of the after lobbying Olivia Hutchinson out of contesting for the position. In addition, since he was the longest-serving member at the commencement of the session, he assumed the role of.

Post-speakership
Cranfield assumed the position of for the first time on February 21, 2022. Following his party's loss in another strong Republican cycle, Cranfield lost support from and faced likely competition with Michael Sturgis for the speakership, despite having announced his retirement from the position. While Cranfield never formally declared candidacy for a third term as speaker, it was reported he had floated the idea before having faced opposition from much of his caucus and the Republicans. Sturgis, whom he narrowly avoided a contest with in season nine, lost the speakership to, garnering just two votes (himself and Cranfield) to Abdullah's seven. After the election, Olivia Hutchinson declared candidacy for leader of the House Unionist Caucus, but later rescinded that decision after talks with Cranfield.

On the week of February 21, Cranfield and a vast majority of the Unionist Caucus vigorously reprimanded speaker for his handling of committee assignments after placing himself on fifteen of the seventeen committees as either chair or third member, as well as his failure to appear at a session regarding  on February 24.

On February 24, former vice president Charlie Williams announced his candidacy for president of the United States, making him a leading contender among the field in the Season 11 DES presidential election. Cranfield was seen as a possible, and even likely contender to be Williams'.

In the early morning of February 25, Tom Mulroney, the incumbent announced his resignation effective March 1. It was widely reported that Cranfield was in talks with President Aaron Scott on his potential replacement of Mulroney in the position. On February 27, Scott announced he had nominated Cranfield to be secretary of state and sent the nomination to the for confirmation.

released two of Charlie Williams' shortlists for vice president on February 25 and 26, and Cranfield was featured on both alongside Rachel Harper,, Myles Kinney, and Michael Sturgis. Cranfield was among the final three on the shortlist released on February 27 with Sturgis and Jovonnie.

Cranfield resigned his position on March 1, 2022 and was succeeded as leader of the House Unionist Caucus by Olivia Hutchinson.

Tenure
On March 1, Cranfield was confirmed unanimously by the and subsequently the full Senate. He was sworn-in by President Aaron Scott later that evening and became the 11th person to hold the position. In his confirmation hearing, Cranfield expressed desire to work with the and the  in ousting, and announced plans to strengthen relations with the newly-formed  following the  and.

Cranfield resigned his position late on March 5, effective the next morning in lieu of assuming the vice presidency. He became the shortest-serving secretary of state, holding office for slightly over six days, less than a week. His final act was working with the, to impose strong sanctions on  and , resulting in both nations agreeing to come to negotiating terms following their military involvements in.

Season 11 vice presidential campaign
Main article: Season 11 DES presidential election

Beginning in late February, there was immense speculation as to who would be Charlie Williams' running mate in the Season 11 DES presidential election, and it was floated that was the leader among possible contenders for the position, including Cranfield. The last week of February, numerous news outlets reported various shortlists that featured high-profile government officials like former Secretary of State Tom Mulroney, Representative Michael Sturgis and others.

On February 26, Cranfield responded to media speculation and said he "would be honored" to be Williams' running mate and that he planned to support him either way. The following two days, and  reported that Cranfield was emerging as the frontrunner, and that those like Sturgis and Mulroney had declined interest in the position. Early on March 1, reported that Cranfield had been removed from the shortlist and that those speculated the week prior may not even be the final selection. Numerous refuted these claims, but never Williams himself.

In the early afternoon of March 1, Williams announced he had chosen Cranfield. He is the first former vice president to be on a major nominee's ticket for president and vice president, and on March 6, became the only person to hold the office twice non-consecutively.

Williams and Cranfield were officially nominated by the on March 11, and, the only challenger in the race, suspended his campaign the following day. announced his candidacy for president on March 13.

On March 19, Cranfield was elected vice president alongside Williams with 495 electoral votes. However, the day prior to the election, incumbent president Aaron Scott announced a write-in campaign for Cranfield, and he managed to garner 14 per cent of the popular vote and 28 electoral votes as a result. He won his home state of, along with and Scott's home state of. It was the first time Cranfield received electoral votes for president of the United States, and the second time he received electoral votes for vice president, the last occurring in the as the  running mate of. It was the first time Cranfield received a sufficient amount of electoral votes to be elected vice president, and became the first sitting unelected vice president to become the vice president-elect.

Scott Administration
On March 4, 2022, Rachel Harper announced her resignation as vice president of the United States, leaving the office vacant in the final weeks of the Aaron Scott presidency. The following day, on the morning of March 5, Scott announced his intentions to nominate Cranfield to serve as vice president, pursuant to the, which states that the president shall nominate someone to serve as vice president following of a majority vote by. Cranfield was first passed unanimously by the United States House of Representatives later that evening, and by the on March 6. Harper's resignation was effective on Monday, March 7 at 8 pm EST (1 am UTC), when Cranfield was sworn in by Benjamin Bryant, the and the president who nominated Cranfield to his first vice presidency in early 2021. Cranfield is the first person to hold the office of vice president twice and became the only person to have served in the office twice non-consecutively without having been elected by the either time.

Starting on March 13, Cranfield was the lead representative of the United States' delegation during the. Cranfield encouraged both nations to negotiate a instead of a  enforced by the. He stated that "any resolution presented before the UN for their enforcement of a DMZ will be vetoed by the United States unless this request is sufficed and in a manner that is soluble for both India and Pakistan." Cranfield was notable for having supported a re-drawing of the border so that had dual occupation from both nations that satisfied demands. His staunch opposition of a DMZ arose from Kashmir's harsh terrain and topographical limitations that would present numerous security concerns. This drew criticism from the as talks bled into a second day. of supported the United States' policy proposal.

At Cranfield's behest, the United States vetoed a resolution recognizing a between India and Pakistan-controlled regions of  on March 18 due to topographic reluctance, which angered both nations. The agreed to send peacekeepers representing numerous member states including the United States,, the  and others to ensure the area remained at bay. On March 20, Indian prime minister announced the end of its "no first use" policy regarding nuclear weapons following a Pakistani withdraw from peace talks in.

On March 20, Aaron Scott awarded Cranfield his third in his outgoing medal ceremony. Other notable recipients included, Tom Mulroney, Benjamin Bryant, and.

Charlie Williams and Cranfield were officially certified the winners of the season 11 election on the evening of March 21. An objection to the electors from was signed by senator  of  and representative  of. The Senate, which was being presided over by Cranfield, unanimously agreed to the objection. The House unanimously rejected the objection, and the electors remained valid. A second objection to the electors from was presented, signed by the same members of Congress. Both chambers rejected the objection. Further objections to various states were signed by sufficient number of members of Congress, but were not subsequently presented.

Williams Administration
Williams and Cranfield were officially inaugurated on March 25, 2022. In the first few days of the administration, Williams' approval ratings struggled significantly, and in the first two approval polls conducted, never reached higher than 46 per cent, with an average of 45 per cent at the conclusion of his first week in office. It was the lowest polling numbers for a sitting president in their first week in well over a year. In the first approval poll conducted, Cranfield polled significantly higher than Williams at just over 79 per cent.

On March 28, the administration's nominees for and,  and  respectively, came under immense scrutiny from members of both parties in the , and drew disapproval from both majority leader Tom Mulroney and minority leader Benjamin Bryant. Cranfield released a statement soon thereafter encouraging the Senate to follow the same "benefit of the doubt" philosophy that the administration quickly adopted.

On April 12, Williams invoked the, making Cranfield acting president for the second time, and at six days, remains the longest period a sitting vice president has exercised the powers of the presidency. Williams cited personal reasons, and this came at the height of his disapproval, ranging from lower to upper 80 per cent for a majority of the second quarter of his presidency. Cranfield, however, remained increasingly popular, and enjoyed approval ratings upwards of 80 per cent upon the reassumption of his vice presidential duties. In a poll conducted on April 24, Cranfield's approval rating was at 87 per cent, the highest of all government officials, edging out Elizabeth Kent, then incumbent by 11 per cent. This popularity initiated claims that Cranfield was planning a run for the presidency in an effort to succeed Williams.

Cranfield formally declined to seek the presidency for a second time on April 18 after numerous polls circulated with him as a potential candidate in the Democratic primary. Instead, he hinted at possible plans with the next administration or a scaled-back role in the judiciary or Congress. In early May, speculation grew that Cranfield was being considered to remain as vice president in the next administration. This was confirmed on May 7 after Tom Mulroney announced Cranfield as the Democratic nominee for vice president at the conclusion of the season's.

In his final week in office, on May 16, Williams awarded Cranfield his fourth, along with six other recipients, including the likes of Jakob Goldwater, who received his fifth medal; , her second; and Lucas Underwood, his second.

Season 12 vice presidential campaign
Main article: Season 12 DES presidential election

Following the conclusion of the season 11 midterm elections, there was immense speculation that Tom Mulroney was planning a bid for the presidency. In late April, he made it official and there was banter about who he would choose as his running mate. Beginning in early May, rumors circulated that Cranfield was seen as a front runner to remain as vice president in a Mulroney presidency. Both Cranfield and Mulroney denied that there was any conversation between the two about running together in season 12.

In the second week of May, these rumors increased as Mulroney hinted at revealing his running mate at the. Cranfield's growing silence and increasing lack of publicity led many to believe Mulroney had settled on him. Considering Mulroney's immense popularity, it was widely believed that the announcement of his running mate would essentially mean the announcement of the next vice president.

On the evening of May 7, after Mulroney announced that he was unable to attend the convention, he released a statement officially confirming the selection of Cranfield as his running mate. With this, Cranfield became the second person to be the major party's nominee for vice president in two consecutive seasons, the last being Rachel Harper in seasons nine and ten. The election pitted the Democratic ticket of Mulroney and Cranfield against the Republican ticket of.

On May 14, Cranfield was re-elected vice president alongside Tom Mulroney with 297 electoral votes, a significantly closer election than was contested in season 11. As a result, Cranfield became the first person to serve as the second-in-command under four presidents, an unprecedented tenure of office in a major. If he serves until June 19, 2022, he will become the longest-serving vice president, surpassing the record held by his predecessor, Rachel Harper.

Mulroney Administration
Mulroney and Cranfield were inaugurated on May 20, 2022, which marked Cranfield's fourth swearing-in ceremony to a third full term. In a poll conducted on their second day in office, Cranfield's approval was at an all-time high of 95.6 per cent, and Mulroney at 91.3 per cent, the highest approval at any point of any administration since the latter months of the Aaron Scott presidency.