With the dawning of February comes two very important seasons for the American people: the season of primary elections for the 2016 presidential race and, of course, the mid-season premiere of The Walking Dead. Like the presidential race, the AMC show often addresses issues of leadership and diplomatic relations. The show even addresses issues specific to the 2016 election, such as the preservation of resources, asylum for refugees, and the death penalty. While the presidential candidates may be a little better dressed, and The Walking Dead characters more often than not express their views through violence, it is rather easy to draw a few parallels between the zombie show and the presidential arena.
Marco Rubio, Daryl Dixon
While Marco Rubio may be former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and Daryl Dixon may be a backwoods roamer from North Georgia, Rubio and Daryl have two distinct characteristics in common. Like Daryl, who has spent six seasons being the background tracker and crossbow-enthusiast of the group and doing whatever Rick says, Rubio has been one of the many background candidates for a long while in the presidential race. The two also share their good looks as a rather defining characteristic.
Photo Credit: Washington Post & Inquisitr
Hilary Clinton, Deanna Monroe
Presidential candidate Hilary Clinton and Alexandria resident Deanna Monroe share some powerful husbands. Deanna's husband designed the wall that protected Alexandria from walkers, and Clinton's husband served as president of the United States from 1993-2001. However, like Deanna, a former congresswoman who became the leader of the Alexandria community, Clinton has never sat and dawdled in her husband's shadow. Clinton graduated from Yale law school, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000, ran for president in 2008 and was appointed Secretary of State for the Obama administration in 2009.
Photo Credit: Mic & Wikia
Donald Trump, The Governor
Like Trump, the Governor was a political leader on The Walking Dead as, as many would assume from his name, the governor of the town of Woodbury. While these two leading gentlemen are often questioned for some of their immoral words or actions, they still gather a large following. The Governor had the loyal citizens of Woodbury and a gullible Andrea Harrison. Trump has roughly 41% of the GOP vote and an election win in the New Hampshire primary.
Another thing Trump and the Governor have in common? They're both untrustworthy of those people beyond their wall.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia & Mercury News
John Kasich, Andrea Harrison
Surprisingly, Ohio governor John Kasich and Andrea Harrison, an original member of Rick's group who was killed in season 3, both have a background in law. John Kasich has served many roles in law, including as an Ohio Senator and House Representative, while Andrea served as a civil rights attorney before the zombie apocalypse. Like Andrea, Kasich has recently proved himself a contending leader in the presidential (or apocalyptic) race. However, just like Kasich took second to Trump in the New Hampshire primary, Andrea took second to the Governor during her season 3 stay at Woodbury.
Dispatch & The Walking Dead Data Base
Ben Carson, Eugene Porter
Former head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins, Ben Carson is the only presidential candidate without a political background. Like Eugene's ability to survive the zombie apocalypse, some may question if Carson's background has prepared him for such a role. Both Carson and Eugen also often apply their scientific smarts to situations that may need a different type of skill.
Photo Credit: Mrctv & Blastr
Jeb Bush, Tyreese Williams
Joining The Walking Dead cast in season 3, the broad and tall Tyreese was regarded as more of a bear than a man when he was first introduced to the show. However, after Mika and Lizzie's deaths in The Grove, many fans agreed that Tyreese grew soft. In the season 5 premiere, he even let Martin, a cannibalistic Termite, live, who only minutes earlier had threatened the life of baby Judith. Since that turning point in Tyreese's character and his death in the season 5 mid-season premiere, Tyreese has been overshadowed by his fierce and sometimes-insane sibling Sasha. In the same way, throughout the presidential race, Jeb has been regarded as the weaker of the two Bush brothers.
Photo Credit: LA Times & Collider
Ted Cruz, Carol Peletier
Admittedly, Ted Cruz and Carol Peletier have very little in common. Cruz is a Texas senator and former U.S deputy assistant attorney general and Texas solicitor general. Carol is a sometimes-sweet-neighbor-sometimes-masked-vigilante and a formerly abused housewife. However, their roles in each of their stories are quite similar. For being a regular cast member, Carol was never really regarded with much support. She was mainly just the weak, whiny woman who lost her husband and daughter and needlessly killed a lady to stop the spread of a disease. Carol's efforts weren't truly appreciated until the season 5 premiere, when she almost single-handedly took down Terminus, a community of cannibals. Now, she is one of the five season 1 survivors and named by many as the strongest character on the show, above Rick and Daryl. In the same way, Cruz was one of the background players in the presidential race until he won the Iowa Caucus on February 1.
An issue that Cruz and Carol wouldn't agree on? Whether women should be allowed to serve in combat roles in the military.
Photo Credit: The Resurgent & Cinema Blend
Bernie Sanders, Hershel Greene
Yes, they are both the token old guys of their casts. That is a big similarity between the two. However, Bernie Sanders and Hershel Greene share the same view on a large number of issues. Sanders supports taking in Syrian refugees. Hershel took in Rick's group in season 2. Sanders supports increased gun control. Hershel restricted Rick's group's use of firearms on his farm. Sanders supports the preservation of the country's national park system. Hershel supported the preservation of his farm.
The biggest difference between the two? Sanders doesn't look like Santa Claus.
