Link to My Way Up to the Top: The Political Memoir from Former President Lana Del Rey
"I ride, I just ride." ― Del Rey
Lana Del Rey is an American singer, songwriter, poet, politician, and businesswoman. Del Rey became the first female member of the Big 5 Democratic Party Leadership (Chair, Vice-Chair, Senate Leader, House Leader, and Presiding Officer) after the reformation of the Democratic Party when she won the DNC Presiding Officer special election, the first female Chair since the reformation of the Democratic Party when she won the August 2022 Chair election, was the first Democrat to become Vice President of the United States of America since June 19th, 2022 and the first President to enter office as a Democrat since Scott Anderson became President on September 7th, 2021.
Del Rey has perviously served as the U.S. Representative for Virginia's 11th Congressional District from January 25th, 2022 to February 20th, 2022, as Deputy Democratic House Leader from February 7th, 2022 to February 20th, 2022 until she resigned from Congress to run for United States Senate in Arkansas, as Director of Central Intelligence from February 17th, 2022 to February 28th, 2022, and as a Senator from Arkansas from February 24th, 2022 to March 2nd, 2022 until she resigned to run for United States Senate in Virginia, as a Senator from Virginia from March 6th, 2022 to May 7th, 2022, as Secretary of Education from February 28th, 2022 to March 14th, 2022, as Secretary of State from March 15th, 2022 to March 28th, 2022 and June 17th, 2022 to June 21st, 2022, was the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in the 72nd presidential election, the Socialist nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 72nd presidential election, as Democratic Senate Whip from March 6th, 2022 to April 5th, 2022, Deputy Democratic Senate Leader from April 5th, 2022 to April 8th, as Presiding Officer for the Democratic National Committee from April 8th, 2022 to April 18th, 2022, as the Vice-Chair of the Democratic Senate Caucus from May 1st, 2022 to May 13th, 2022, and as a Senator from Idaho from May 13th, 2022 to May 13th, 2022, and as Assistant Regional Organizer for the Democratic Party in Region One from April 21st, 2022 to May 14th, 2022, as the Democratic House Whip from May 16th, 2022, to June 2nd, 2022, as member of the Democratic Party Security Council from May 1st, 2022 to June 14th, 2022, and as the Deputy Democratic House Leader from May 16th, 2022 to June 14th, 2022, as the U.S. Representative for California's 28th Congressional District from May 15th, 2022 to June 23rd, 2022, as the Democratic House Leader from June 14th, 2022 to June 23rd, 2022, as Democratic House Leader from July 9th, 2022 to August 10th, 2022, as the Chair of the Stonewall Caucus from April 7th, 2022 to August 10th, 2022, and as the U.S. Representative for Florida's 24th Congressional District from July 9th, 2022 to August 18th, 2022, and as the Chair of the Democratic Party from August 10th, 2022 to August 24th, 2022, as a Senator from North Dakota from August 24th, 2022 to August 28th, 2022, and as a Senator from Kentucky from September 2nd, 2022 to September 6th, 2022, a U.S. Senator from Washington from September 10th, 2022 to September 17th, 2022, as a Senator from Louisiana from September 20th, 2022 to September 29th, 2022, as the Director of Inter-Party Affairs for the Democratic Party from September 5th, 2022 to October 5th, 2022, as the Attorney General from September 27th, 2022 to October 11th, 2022, as an Associate Justice of the Democratic Anti-Corruption Court for October 8th, 2022, as a U.S. Senator from New York from October 10th, 2022 to October 20th, 2022, as a U.S. Representative for New York's 8th Congressional District from January 10th, 2023 to January 25th, 2023, as Deputy Democratic House Leader from January 10th, 2023 to January 25th, 2023, as Speaker of the House of Representatives from January 16th, 2023 to January 25th, 2023, as Deputy Democratic House Leader from January 25th, 2023 to February 1st, 2023, as a U.S. Representative for Utah's 3rd Congressional District from January 25th, 2023 to February 13th, 2023, as Speaker of the House of Representatives from January 25th, 2023 to February 16th, 2023, as Democratic House Leader from February 1st, 2023 to February 13th, 2023, as the Constitutionalist nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 95th presidential election, as Vice President of the United States of America from February 13th, 2023 to February 17th, 2023, as U.S. Representative for Utah's 3rd Congressional District from February 14th, 2023 to February 27th, 2023, as Democratic House Leader from February 14th, 2023 to February 27th, 2023, and as President of the United States from February 17th, 2023 to February 27th, 2023.
Del Rey has previously served as the Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, the Chair of the House Ethics and Rules Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committee, the House Education and Labor Committee, the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, the Senate Health Education Labor Pensions Committee, the Senate Science Transportation Commerce Committee. Del Rey was appointed and served as Assistant Regional Organizer for Region One for the Democratic Party by Senator Billy Heitkamp on January 31st, 2022 until she resigned after moving to Arkansas to run for United States Senate. Democratic National Committee Presiding Officer, Ed Strathmore, appointed Del Rey as Secretary of the Democratic National Committee on April 5th, 2022. Shortly after, Strathmore resigned and Del Rey won the special election for Presiding Officer with 71% of the vote.
Following Senator Garrett Norris' win in the February 7th, 2022 Democratic Presidential Primary, Del Rey became Norris' Chief of Staff until the end of his term on February 14th, 2022. Del Rey is also a contributor for the Norris Gazette since January 30th, 2022 and serves as Chief Financial Officer for Norris Bank since February 14th, 2022, Chief Executive Officer for Norris Bank since February 26th, 2022, President of Norris Real Estate since February 21st, 2022, Vice President of Norris Technology since February 21st, 2022, and President of the Kennedy Family Foundation since May 1st, 2022. After then Speaker of the House, Evan Kennedy, announced his bid for President of the United States, Del Rey was named Kennedy's Chief of Staff and served until the end of his term on March 14th, 2022. On May 9th, 2022, Del Rey founded the vinyl record company, Norman Fucking Rockwell. On March 14th, 2022, Del Rey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Marjorie Rowntree and on March 28th, 2022 by President Maximilian Basler. On January 31st, 2023, Del Rey received the Congressional Gold Medal for her work as Speaker of the House.
Life and Music Career[]
1985–2004: Early life[]
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant was born on June 21, 1985, in Manhattan, New York City, to Robert England Grant Jr., a Grey Group copywriter, and Patricia Ann "Pat" (née Hill), an account executive at Grey Group. She has a younger sister, Caroline, and a younger brother, Charlie. She was raised Roman Catholic and is of Scottish descent. Her ancestors were from Lanarkshire. When she was one year old, the family moved to Lake Placid, New York. In Lake Placid, her father worked for a furniture company before becoming an entrepreneurial domain investor; her mother worked as a schoolteacher. There, she attended St. Agnes School in her elementary years and began singing in her church choir, where she was the cantor.
She attended the high school where her mother taught for one year, but when she was 15 her parents sent her to Kent School to resolve a budding drinking problem. Her uncle, an admissions officer at the school, secured her financial aid to attend. According to Grant, she had trouble making friends during much of her teenage and early adult years. She has said she was preoccupied with death from a young age, and its role in her feelings of anxiety and alienation:
After graduating from the Kent School, she spent a year living on Long Island with her aunt and uncle and working as a waitress. During this time, Grant's uncle taught her to play guitar, and she "realized [that she] could probably write a million songs with those six chords." Shortly after, she began writing songs and performing in nightclubs around the city under various names such as "Sparkle Jump Rope Queen" and "Lizzy Grant and the Phenomena". "I was always singing, but didn't plan on pursuing it seriously", she said. "When I got to New York City when I was eighteen, I started playing in clubs in Brooklyn—I have good friends and devoted fans on the underground scene, but we were playing for each other at that point—and that was it."
2005–2010: Career beginnings and early recordings[]
In fall of 2004, at age 19, Grant enrolled at Fordham University in The Bronx where she majored in philosophy, with an emphasis on metaphysics. She has said she chose to study the subject because it "bridged the gap between God and science... I was interested in God and how technology could bring us closer to finding out where we came from and why." In the spring of 2005, while still in college, Del Rey registered a seven-track extended play with the United States Copyright Office; the application title was Rock Me Stable with another title, Young Like Me, also listed. A second extended play, From the End, was also recorded under Del Rey's stage name at the time, May Jailer. Between 2005 and 2006, she recorded an acoustic album, Sirens, under the May Jailer project, which leaked on the internet in mid-2012.
At her first public performance in 2006, for the Williamsburg Live Songwriting Competition, Del Rey met Van Wilson, an A&R representative for 5 Points Records, an independent label owned by David Nichtern. In 2007, while a senior at Fordham, she submitted a demo tape of acoustic tracks, No Kung Fu, to 5 Points, which offered her a recording contract for $10,000. She used the money to relocate to Manhattan Mobile Home Park, a trailer park in North Bergen, New Jersey, and began working with producer David Kahne. Nichtern recalled: "Our plan was to get it all organized and have a record to go and she'd be touring right after she graduated from college. Like a lot of artists, she morphed. When she first came to us, she was playing plunky little acoustic guitar, [had] sort of straight blonde hair, very cute young woman. A little bit dark, but very intelligent. We heard that. But she very quickly kept evolving." Film actress Lana Turner(pictured) inspired Del Rey's stage name.
Del Rey graduated from Fordham with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 2008, after which she released a three-track EP, Kill Kill, as Lizzy Grant, featuring production by Kahne. She explained: "David asked to work with me only a day after he got my demo. He is known as a producer with a lot of integrity and who had an interest in making music that wasn't just pop." Meanwhile, Del Rey was working doing community outreach work for the homeless and drug addicts; she had become interested in community service work in college, when she had helped paint homes on an Indian reservation in Utah.
Of choosing a stage name for her feature debut album, she said: "I wanted a name I could shape the music towards. I was going to Miami quite a lot at the time, speaking a lot of Spanish with my friends from Cuba—Lana Del Rey reminded us of the glamour of the seaside. It sounded gorgeous coming off the tip of the tongue." The name was also inspired by actress Lana Turner and the Ford Del Rey sedan, produced and sold in Brazil in the 1980s. Initially she used the alternate spelling Lana Del Ray, the name under which her self-titled debut album was released in January 2010. Her father helped with the marketing of the album, which was available for purchase on iTunes for a brief period before being withdrawn in April 2010. Kahne and Nichtern both said that Del Rey bought the rights back from 5 Points, as she wanted it out of circulation to "stifle future opportunities to distribute it—an echo of rumors the action was part of a calculated strategy."
Del Rey met her managers, Ben Mawson and Ed Millett, three months after Lana Del Ray was released, and they helped her get out of her contract with 5 Points Records, where, in her opinion, "nothing was happening." Shortly after, she moved to London, and moved in with Mawson "for a few years". On September 1, 2010, Del Rey was featured by Mando Diao in its MTV Unplugged concert at Union Film-Studios in Berlin. The same year, she acted in a short film, Poolside, which she made with several friends.
2011–2013: Breakthrough with Born to Die and Paradise[]
In 2011, Del Rey uploaded self-made music videos for her songs "Video Games" and "Blue Jeans" to YouTube, featuring vintage footage interspersed with shots of her singing on her webcam.The "Video Games" music video became a viral internet sensation, which led to Del Rey being signed by Stranger Records to release the song as her debut single. She told The Observer: "I just put that song online a few months ago because it was my favorite. To be honest, it wasn't going to be the single but people have really responded to it." The song earned her a Q award for "Next Big Thing" in October 2011 and an Ivor Novello for "Best Contemporary Song" in 2012. In the same month, she signed a joint deal with Interscope Records and Polydor to release her second studio album Born to Die. She started dating Scottish singer Barrie-James O'Neill in the same year. The couple split in 2014 after three years together. Del Rey performed two songs from the album on Saturday Night Live on January 14, 2012, and received a negative response from various critics and the general public, who deemed the performance uneven and vocally shaky. She had earlier defended her spot on the program, saying: "I'm a good musician ... I have been singing for a long time, and I think that [SNL creator] Lorne Michaels knows that ... it's not a fluke decision." Del Rey attending the 2012 Cannes Film Festival Born to Die was released worldwide on January 31, 2012 to commercial success, charting at number one in 11 countries and debuting at number two on the US Billboard 200 album chart, although critics at the time were divided. The same week, she announced she had bought back the rights to her 2010 debut album and had plans to re-release it in the summer of 2012 under Interscope Records and Polydor. Contrary to Del Rey's press statement, her previous record label and producer David Kahne have both stated that she bought the rights to the album when she and the label parted company, due to the offer of a new deal, in April 2010. Born to Die sold 3.4 million copies in 2012, making it the fifth-best-selling album of 2012. In the United States, Born to Diecharted on the Billboard 200 well into 2012, lingering at number 76, after 36 weeks on the chart.
In September 2012, Del Rey unveiled the Jaguar F-Type at the Paris Motor Show. Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar's global brand director, explained their choice, saying Del Rey had "a unique blend of authenticity and modernity". She also recorded the song "Burning Desire", which appeared in a promotional short film for the vehicle. In late September 2012, a music video for Del Rey's cover version of "Blue Velvet" was released as a promotional single for the H&M 2012 autumn campaign, which Del Rey also modeled for in print advertising. On September 25, Del Rey released the single "Ride" in promotion of her upcoming EP, Paradise. She subsequently premiered the music video for "Ride" at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, California on October 10, 2012. Some critics panned the video for being allegedly pro-prostitution and antifeminist, due to Del Rey's portrayal of a prostitute in a biker gang.
Paradise was released on November 12, 2012, as a standalone release, as well as Born to Die: The Paradise Edition, which combined Del Rey's previous album with the additional eight tracks on Paradise. Paradise marked Del Rey's second top 10 album in the United States, debuting at number 10 on the Billboard 200 with 67,000 copies sold in its first week. It was also later nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. Del Rey received several nominations at the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards in November and won the award for Best Alternative performer. At the Brit Awards in February 2013, she won the award for International Female Solo Artist, followed by two Echo Award wins, in the categories of Best International Newcomer and Best International Pop/Rock Artist.
Over the next several months, she released videos of two cover songs: one of Leonard Cohen's "Chelsea Hotel#2", followed by a duet with her then-boyfriend, Barrie-James O'Neill, of Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra's "Summer Wine". In May 2013, Del Rey released an original song, "Young and Beautiful" for the soundtrack of the 2013 film adaptation of The Great Gatsby.Following the song's release, it peaked at 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, shortly after its release to contemporary hit radio, the label prematurely pulled it and decided to send a different song to that format; on July 2, 2013, a Cedric Gervais remix of Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness" was sent there; a sleeper hit, the song proved to be a success, surpassing "Young and Beautiful", reaching number 6 and becoming her first American top ten hit. The remix won the Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical in 2013, while "Young and Beautiful" was nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
In June 2013, Del Rey filmed Tropico, a musical short film paired to tracks from Paradise, directed by Anthony Mandler. Del Rey screened the film on December 4, 2013, at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. On December 6, the soundtrack was released on digital outlets.
2014–2016: Ultraviolence, Honeymoon, and film work[]
Del Rey performing at Coachella Festival in 2014
On January 26, 2014, Del Rey released a cover of "Once Upon a Dream" for the 2014 dark fantasy film Maleficent. Following the completion of Paradise, Del Rey began writing and recording her follow-up album, Ultraviolence, featuring production by Dan Auerbach. Ultraviolence was released on June 13, 2014, and debuted at number one in 12 countries, including the United States and United Kingdom. The album, which sold 880,000 copies worldwide in its first week, was preceded by the singles "West Coast", "Shades of Cool", "Ultraviolence", and "Brooklyn Baby". She began dating photographer Francesco Carrozzini after he directed Del Rey's music video for "Ultraviolence"; the two broke up in November 2015 after more than a year. Del Rey described the album as being "more stripped down but still cinematic and dark", while some critics characterized the record as psychedelic and desert rock-influenced, more prominently featuring guitar instrumentation than her previous releases. Later that year, Del Rey contributed the songs "Big Eyes" and "I Can Fly" to Tim Burton's 2014 biographical film Big Eyes.
Honeymoon, Del Rey's fourth studio album, was released on September 18, 2015 to acclaim from music critics. Prior to the release of the album, Del Rey previewed the track "Honeymoon", the single "High by the Beach", and the promotional single "Terrence Loves You". Prior to the release of Honeymoon, Del Rey embarked on The Endless Summer Tour in May 2015, which featured Courtney Love and Grimes as opening acts. Additionally, Del Rey co-wrote and provided vocals on the track "Prisoner" from the Weeknd's Beauty Behind the Madness, released on August 28, 2015.
In November 2015, Del Rey executive produced a short film Hi, How Are You Daniel Johnston, documenting the life of singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston. For the film, she covered Johnston's song "Some Things Last a Long Time". In November 2015, Del Rey received the Trailblazer Award at the Billboard Women in Music ceremony and won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Alternative.
On February 9, 2016, Del Rey premiered a music video for the song "Freak" from Honeymoon at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. Later that year, Del Rey collaborated with the Weeknd for his album Starboy (2016), providing backing vocals on "Party Monster" and lead vocals on "Stargirl Interlude". "Party Monster", which Del Rey also co-wrote, was released as a single and subsequently reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified double-platinum in the US.
2017–2019: Lust for Life and Norman Fucking Rockwell![]
Del Rey performing at the Flow Festival in Helsinki, Finland, in 2017
Del Rey's fifth studio album, Lust for Life, was released on July 21, 2017. The album was preceded by the singles "Love", "Lust for Life" with the Weeknd, "Summer Bummer" with A$AP Rocky and Playboi Carti, and "Groupie Love", also with Rocky. Prior to its release, Del Rey commented: "I made my first 4 albums for me, but this one is for my fans and about where I hope we are all headed." The record further featured collaborations with Stevie Nicksand Sean Ono Lennon, marking the first time she has featured other artists on her own release. The album received generally favorable reviews and became Del Rey's third number-one album in the United Kingdom, and second number-one album in the United States. On September 27, 2017, Del Rey announced the LA to the Moon Tour, an official concert tour with Jhené Aiko and Kali Uchis to further promote the album. The tour began in North America during January 2018 and concluded in August. Lust for Life was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album for the 60th Grammy Awards, marking Del Rey's second nomination in the category.
In January 2018, Del Rey announced that she was in a lawsuit with British rock band Radiohead over alleged similarities between their song "Creep" and her song "Get Free". Following her announcement, legal representatives from their label Warner/Chappell denied the lawsuit, as well as Del Rey's claims of the band asking for "100% of the song's royalties". Del Rey announced that summer while performing at Lollapalooza in Brazil the lawsuit was "over".
Throughout 2018, Del Rey appeared as a guest vocalist on several tracks by other musicians, including "Living with Myself" by Jonathan Wilson for Rare Birds(2018), "God Save Our Young Blood" and "Blue Madonna" by Børns for Blue Madonna (2018), and "Woman" by Cat Power for Wanderer (2018). In November, Del Rey was announced as the face of Gucci's Guilty Fragrances and subsequently appeared in print and television advertisements with Jared Leto and Courtney Love. Del Rey performing at the Grammy Museum in October 2019
On August 6, 2019, Del Rey presented filmmaker Guillermo del Toro with his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and subsequently released a cover of "Season of the Witch" for his film, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. On the same day, Del Rey released the non-album single "Looking for America" which she spontaneously wrote and recorded earlier that week in response to the back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton.
Her sixth studio album, Norman Fucking Rockwell!, was released on August 30, 2019. Having announced the album in September 2018, the album was preceded by the singles "Mariners Apartment Complex", "Venice Bitch", "Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman like Me to Have – but I Have It", and "Doin' Time", as well as the joint-single "Fuck It, I Love You"/ "The Greatest". The album received widespread critical acclaim, and, according to review aggregator website Metacritic, is the best-reviewed album of Del Rey's career to date. NMEawarded the album five out of five stars. In his review for Rolling Stone, Rob Sheffield wrote that "the long-awaited Norman Fucking Rockwell is even more massive and majestic than everyone hoped it would be. Lana turns her fifth and finest album into a tour of sordid American dreams, going deep cover in all our nation's most twisted fantasies of glamour and danger," and ultimately deemed the album a "pop classic". The album was nominated for two Grammy Awards, Album of the Year and Song of the Year for its title track.
In September, Del Rey was also featured on a collaboration with Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus, titled "Don't Call Me Angel", the lead single of the soundtrack for the 2019 film Charlie's Angels. The song was moderately successful internationally and later certified Gold in several countries. In November, Del Rey appeared in the Amazon Prime Special The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show alongside special guests such as Camila Cabello, James Corden, and Troye Sivan.
2020–present: Chemtrails over the Country Club, Blue Banisters and poetry collections[]
In an interview for L'Officiel's first American edition in early 2018, when asked about her interest in making a film, Del Rey responded that she had been approached to write a Broadway musicaland had recently begun work on it. When asked how long it would be until completion of the work, she replied, "I may finish in two or three years." She also announced that she would be contributing to the soundtrack of a new adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
After announcing a spoken word album in 2019, Del Rey released Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass and a corresponding spoken word album in 2020. The physical book was released on September 29 and the Jack Antonoff-produced audiobook on July 28. The spoken word poem "LA Who Am I to Love You" was released as the lead single the day before the album's release. On May 22, 2020, Del Rey announced that a second book, Behind the Iron Gates – Insights from the Institution, would be released in March 2021, but this did not happen.
In September 2020, Del Rey was featured on a remix of Matt Maeson's 2019 song "Hallucinogenics". The duo had previously performed the song together live in 2019. In November 2020, Del Rey announced that she would release a digital record composed of "American standards and classics" on Christmas Day, though it has yet to be released. The record features several songs recorded with Nikki Lane. The same month, she contributed to a documentary about Liverpool F.C., The End of the Storm, where she performed the club's anthem, "You'll Never Walk Alone". Del Rey also released the cover as a limited-edition single, with all profits going to the LFC foundation. Del Rey is known to be a fan of the club, and has attended matches at Anfield. In December 2020, it was reported that she was engaged to musician Clayton Johnson.
On March 19, 2021, Del Rey released her seventh studio album, Chemtrails over the Country Club, to critical acclaim. Announced in 2019, the album was originally slated for release in 2020 under the title White Hot Forever, but was postponed in November 2020 due to a delay in vinyl manufacturing. Like Norman Fucking Rockwell!, Chemtrails over the Country Club was mostly produced by Del Rey alongside Jack Antonoff. It was preceded by the singles "Let Me Love You Like a Woman" on October 16, 2020, and the title track on January 11, 2021.Videos for both songs as well as "White Dress" were also released.
Her eighth studio album, Blue Banisters, was released on October 22, 2021. It was preceded by the simultaneous release of three singles on May 20, 2021: the title track, "Text Book", and "Wildflower Wildfire", as well as the release of the single "Arcadia" on September 8, 2021.
2022 congressional campaign[]
Del Rey made a run for congress in Virginia's 11th congressional district after being tapped by then Democratic Senate Whip Garrett Norris and Senate Leader Adam McCord. All three individuals would eventually succeed to hold the office of Democratic Party Chair. This marked the beginning of two key relationships in Del Rey's political career.
The seat had been previously held first by Annabeth Chase and then later by Calvin Coolidge who vacated the seat to run for congress in Texas.
Del Rey ran unopposed for the seat and would hold it for six consecutive terms.
2022–present: Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd[]
On January 21, 2022, Del Rey premiered a song titled "Watercolor Eyes" on an episode of Euphoria. Del Rey confirmed in 2022 she has been working on new music and poetry; however, on October 19, 2022, she posted a series of videos to her Instagram revealing her car was burgled "a few months" prior, and her backpack—containing a laptop, hard drives, and three camcorders—was stolen, giving thieves access to unfinished songs, a 200-page manuscript of her upcoming poetry book Behind the Iron Gates - Insights from an Institution, and two years' worth of family video footage. Del Rey erased the stolen laptop's contents remotely, which contained the only working copy of her poetry book. "Despite all of this happening, I am confident in the record to come", Del Rey concluded in her Instagram videos. On October 21, 2022, Del Rey was featured on "Snow on the Beach" by Taylor Swift, written by Swift, Del Rey, and Jack Antonoff. The song debuted at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Del Rey's highest-peaking entry on the chart.
On December 7, 2022, Del Rey released "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" as the lead single from her ninth studio album. In January, 2023, Del Rey was photographed by Nadia Lee Cohen, and interviewed by Billie Eilish for the cover Interview's March issue. In the interview, Del Rey revealed that the album would explore her innermost thoughts. On February 14, 2023, "A&W" was released as the second single from the album. Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd is scheduled to be released as her ninth studio album on March 24, 2023. The was released alongside the album announcement on December 7, 2022, followed by "A&W" on February 14, 2023.
Political career[]
Del Rey working through her "Families First" legislation which later passed the House and Senate and was signed into law by President Yuri Plisetsky.
U.S. House of Representatives (January 25th, 2022 – February 17th, 2022)[]
Del Rey was sworn into Congress on January 25th, 2022 marking the first time she had ever held elected office.
In her first few terms in the House, Del Rey has introduced five pieces of legislation. The "Preservation of American Lands Act," the "Families First Act," and the "Revised Expansion of Internet Access Act" were all passed by Congress and signed into law by the president. Del Rey also introduced the "Expansion of Internet Access Act" and the "Economic Stimulus Act," however they were rejected by Congress.
On February 7th, 2022, Del Rey was appointed Deputy Democratic House Leader by Democratic House Leader Walter Mondale. This marked the beginning of Del Rey's rise in Democratic leadership. She declined to seek another term in the House after being tapped by then-Senate WhipGarrett Norris to run for Senate in Arkansas and then later Virginia.
Del Rey negotiating with the Iranian Foreign Minister to secure the release of Wilbur Rivers and Yasamin Tehrani.
Director of Central Intelligence (February 14th, 2022 - February 28th, 2022)[]
President Yuri Plisetsky announced his appointment of Del Rey as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency on February 17th, 2022. Del Rey was swiftly sworn in that same day. This was her first position in any presidential administration and began her career in American foreign policy. Shortly into her term as CIA Director, two American citizens were detained in Iran for "homosexuality." Del Rey quickly negotiated for the exchange of three "persons of interest" in American custody for the couple: Wilbur Rivers and Yasamin Tehrani.
During the Congressional Assassination Crisis on February 26th, 2022, Del Rey worked closely with FBI Director Ivanka Trump to determine the origin of the attack and those who perpetrated it. Del Rey frequently filled a void of leadership within the Plisetsky Administration. She described an ineffective and absent National Security Council and long periods of waiting to receive confirmation from Plisetsky on whether or not she could move forward on key national security issues.
2022 Arkansas Senate election[]
On February 20th, 2022, Del Rey was selected by the Democratic Party to run for United States Senate in Arkansas. Del Rey resigned from her congressional seat in Virginia's 11th congressional district as well as her position as Deputy Democratic House Leader. Del Rey won the primary and general elections, unopposed. Arkansas was then the home state of her close political ally: Evan Kennedy.
U.S. Senate (February 24th, 2022 – May 13th, 2022)[]
Upon entering the Senate, she was elected Democratic Whip following the vacancy created when Senator Garrett Norris became Democratic Senate Leader. Norris' mentor, Adam McCord, left the role of Senate Leader to become Vice-Chair. Del Rey would work closely with Norris during this period and could be considered the height of good feelings between the two. However, Del Rey was unhappy with some of the tactics Norris would employ to get his way. In some moments Del Rey felt his conduct bordered on "unethical behavior."
On April 5th, 2022, following Senator Garrett Norris' re-election as Senate Leader, Del Rey was appointed Deputy Democratic Senate Leader. Del Rey resigned as Deputy Leader shortly after to become Presiding Officer of the Democratic National Committee.
Following Senator Dr. Thomas Wyatt's ascension to Democratic Senate Leader, Del Rey became the Vice-Chair for the Democratic Senate Caucus. However, after deciding to move back to Los Angeles, California, Del Rey resigned from the United States Senate and subsequently as Vice-Chair.
Secretary of Education (February 28th, 2022 - March 14th, 2022)[]
On February 28th, 2022, Del Rey was sworn in as Secretary of Education under President Marjorie Rowntree. On March 7th, 2022, Del Rey introduced the "Education for the Future Act," a competitive grant program designed to reward states for improving their education systems. In a statement, Del Rey said, "As Secretary of Education, it is my duty to 'encourage the involvement of the public, parents, and students in Federal education programs.' I believe this legislation does exactly that. By encouraging competition, the American spirit of innovation and progress will certainly make huge strides in creating an education system that works for all students."
The bill passed both Houses of Congress and was signed into law by President Marjorie Rowntree who said, "This is a wonderful bill created by our own Secretary of Education Lana Del Rey, looking to give grants to schools who outperform across the nation, both in management and in curriculum." Del Rey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work as Secretary of Education in the Rowntree Administration on March 14th, 2022. This program would be one of the most impactful pieces of legislation to pass through the government during this period.
A county map of the March 6th, 2022 Virginia Senate election.
2022 Virginia Senate election[]
On March 2nd, 2022, Del Rey declared that she was running for United States Senate in the state of Virginia. After winning the primary unopposed, Del Rey faced off against Congressman Timothy W. Harless in the general election. While Harless ran a more aggressive, attacking campaign, Del Rey largely campaigned on her policies and experience. Del Rey won the election with 60.53% of the vote, defeating Harless and independent incumbent Eric Plaza who did not mount a significant reelection effort.
Secretary of State (March 14th, 2022 - March 28th, 2022)[]
After President Maximilian Basler narrowly won the March 14th, 2022 presidential election, Del Rey was named as his Secretary of State. The nomination of Del Rey by Basler was a surprise to many given Basler was a member of SPUSA which had a checkered past with the Democratic Party. The two would go on to have a close personal friendship and strong working relationship with Basler at one point joining the Democratic Party.
Del Rey listening to President Basler speak at the signing of the NODRPAC Charter.
On March 17th, 2022, Del Rey attended a meeting between the French President, Martin de l'Aube, President Basler, and Vice President Valery Sablin. The talks were very productive and set the stage for the upcoming conference between the United States of America, French Republic, Federal Republic of Germany, and the United Kingdom on establishing a defensive alliance. Climate change, the Republic of China, and military actions were all discussed at this meeting.
On March 19th, 2022, Del Rey hosted a meeting with the British Prime Minister, Joseph Harrison, and Vice President Valery Sablin. President Basler was unable to attend the meeting so the President asked Del Rey to step in for Basler. Similarly to the meeting with French President, Martin de I'Aube, climate change, the establishment of a defensive alliance, and supporting democracies around the world were discussed.
On March 28th, 2022, President Basler and French President Marc-Antoine Chagnon both signed the North Atlantic Defensive Pact Charter (NORDPAC) which would create a defensive alliance between the United States of America, United Kingdom, French Republic, and Federal Republic of Germany. Del Rey authored the charter and was crucial in laying the groundwork for the charter through effective diplomacy with U.S. allies. The Charter was ratified by the United States Senate by a margin of 24-10. Del Rey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work on the NORDPAC Charter. The creation of NORDPAC is arguably one of the most important achievements in American foreign policy and is a large part of Del Rey's legacy as Secretary of State.
March 2022 Presidential Election[]
Del Rey announcing her candidacy for president on stage in Central Park in New York City.
On March 15th, 2022, Del Rey announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in New York City, New York, where her career in music started. Del Rey highlighted the economy, infrastructure, and education as some of the most important issues in the country during her announcement. Very quickly after Del Rey's announcement, she received overwhelming support to appear on the ballot.
Senators Billy Heitkamp (CT) and Kyle Night (AL) as well as Congressman Jack Jones (MI - 1) announced their intentions to run for the nomination but dropped out on March 16th (Heitkamp and Jones) and March 20th (Night). Senators Frank Longobardi (MO) and John Reede (CT) both stayed in the race. Later, Heitkamp would recall this election as a breaking point between him and Del Rey prior to the Presiding Officer election.
Only Senator Reede attended the debate alongside Del Rey. The topics ranged from foreign policy, to minimum wage, education, and free speech with Georgia Senator, Secretary of the Treasury, and DNC Presiding Officer, Ed Strathmore moderating. Polls showed that Del Rey overwhelmingly won the debate and she had a 55.6% lead over Senator Reede going into the first ballot. Reede had come off too aggressive and even questioned Del Rey's position on universal basic income based on her personal experiences with poverty.
Del Rey won the nomination with 68.4% of the vote, Senator Longobardi came in second with 21.1% of the vote, and Senator Reede came in third with 10.5% of the vote. In her acceptance speech Del Rey said,
"The journey that we begin tonight is only the first step towards a better and brighter future for our country. While the path to the White House is steep, all of us can see the mountaintop and we will get there! Perseverance and grit built this country and they will raise us up to new heights as long as we keep believing in ourselves. As long as we keep fighting everyday for what is right, we will get there.
Our strength lies in our unity, our love of country, and our principles. The principle that all people are created equal, everyone deserves a shot at their dreams, everyone deserves their liberty. Our duty as Americans and as elected officials is to stand up when people’s freedoms are threatened and I am going to be a fighter, win, lose, or draw."
Electoral college results of the 72nd Presidential election.
Del Rey's warnings about MILITECH would come to pass but she would never receive recognition for her foresight. With the MILITECH candidate, Texas Senator El Poirot, leading throughout the general election, Senator Poirot was expected to win. On election day, MILITECH flipped California and its 55 electoral votes pushing Senator Poirot from 197 to 252, way over Del Rey's 119 and Socialist candidate, Antonie HighValley's, 87. The Socialist Party of America attempted to take some states back from MILITECH like California, but were unable to secure any in time for election night. This victory by MILITECH signaled the end of SPUSA's dominance in the political sphere.
At 12:03 AM EST on election night, Del Rey conceded the election with this speech, "I would like to again thank everyone who lifted me up and supported me throughout this electoral process. I am very proud to have represented this party and the ideals it stands for. However, I haven’t felt that we have been upholding those ideals recently. In my acceptance speech I said that our strength comes from the idea that all people are created equal and deserve their liberty. Throughout this election cycle, we have seen Militech dominate across the electoral map. While we cannot fight back there, we must fight back through legislation and through our platform. The Democratic Party must stand opposed to the bigoted, hurtful, and discriminatory polices promoted by Militech, and must stand as the antithesis to Militech's attacks on the queer community. Thank you all very much. It has been an honor." This marked the first of many failed attempts by Del Rey at the White House.
Presiding Officer of the Democratic National Committee (April 8th, 2022 - April 18th, 2022)[]
Following the retirement of DNC Presiding Officer Ed Strathmore, Del Rey won a special election to replace him. However, Presiding Officer was a difficult change for Del Rey that required knowing the ins and outs of the DNC rules, something Del Rey was just starting to get used to being a relatively new member of the DNC. After a little over a week into the job, Del Rey faced a challenge by Senator Billy Heitkamp (CT). Heitkamp and Del Rey worked together as regional organizers and were close personal friends. Del Rey felt this was a great betrayal by Heitkamp and was frustrated when he would not reveal his motivations for running against her. It was later revealed that Adam McCord had pushed Heitkamp into making a bid for Presiding Officer. The election between Del Rey and Heitkamp was vicious and brutal with both candidates in a dead heat for almost two days until Heitkamp barely squeaked it out in a 6-5 vote win.
Billy Heitkamp (left) successfully challenged Lana Del Rey (right) to become DNC Presiding Officer.
The election left deep divisions within the party. Garrett Norris was enraged at Heitkamp's challenge to Del Rey who Norris considered a protégé and a key ally within the "Big 5" of Democratic Party leadership: Chair, Vice-Chair, Presiding Officer, Senate Leader, and House Leader. Norris' tactics of intimidation and a pressure campaign to flip votes for Del Rey backfired badly when freshman Georgia Senator Jack Jones reported Norris to the Anti-Corruption Court for violating DNC rules and campaigning for a member when he was a member of the Big 5. Norris resigned as Senate Leader and as a member of the Democratic National Committee. Disagreement over how the entire affair should have been handled caused a rift with Norris on one side and Del Rey and Kennedy on the other.
The loss was devastating for Del Rey. After a meteoric rise within the Democratic Party bureaucracy, Del Rey had plunged back to the general rank and file. She wanted nothing more than to get back into the "Big 5" of Democratic leadership. She saw an opportunity to get back in with the vacancy created by Norris' resignation. The remaining members of the Big 5 were considering her among the candidates for Senate Leader but they ended up going for Ed Strathmore instead. Del Rey applied for a position within Senate leadership but was rejected. Suddenly Strathmore disappeared and abandoned his leadership position. Del Rey again lobbied the Big 5 for their nomination to become Senate Leader but was passed over for Deputy Leader Dr. Thomas Wyatt.
First Return to the U.S. House of Representatives (May 15th, 2022 - June 23rd, 2022, July 9th, 2022 - August 18th, 2022)[]
With rumors House Leader Evan Kennedy may run for Democratic Vice-Chair, Del Rey announced on May 13th, 2022 that she would be resigning as Senator from the state of Idaho and would be moving back to Los Angeles to run for California's 28th congressional district. Becoming House Leader and following in the footsteps of Kennedy was Del Rey's way back into the Big 5 and having Kennedy alongside her was greatly appealing and well worth the "prestige" of a Senate seat.
Del Rey made a triumphant return to the House after serving in the Senate for almost ten terms. She worked hard to ensure Democratic members of the House ran again for their seats as well as recruiting new members into the party. She describes managing House elections as one of the most tedious activities known to man but the majorities she presided over during her time in House leadership demonstrate her ability as an organizer. The Democrats gained a net of one seat and managed to remain in the minority in the May 15th, 2022 House elections.
On May 16th, 2022, Del Rey was appointed as both House Democratic Whip and Deputy Democratic House Leader by Democratic House Leader Evan Kennedy. Kennedy, a close ally of Del Rey ever since she was first elected to the House in January of 2022, tapped Del Rey for Whip and Deputy Leader after her work organizing the Democratic House campaign in the May 15th, 2022 House elections. Kennedy and Del Rey would be close political allies and personal friends until both of their eventual retirements, resurgences, and final retirements. Del Rey voted for the impeachment of President John Philips on the charge of abuse of power for ordering military actions in France. Philips would later swear in Del Rey as President of the United States as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
The cover page of the House Ethics Committee Report on Rep. SussyNoodle authored by Ethics Committee Chair Lana Del Rey.
During the May 20th, 2022 House elections, Del Rey was crucial in the Democratic gaining the majority. They gained six seats in the election which was the first time they had taken the House majority in weeks. This election was regarded as a big victory over MILITECH by the Democrats. The Democrats would hold onto that majority for many election cycles. Evan Kennedy was elevated to the role of Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party which allowed Del Rey to assume the role of Democratic House Leader seeing as she was Deputy Leader under Kennedy.
On June 23rd, 2022, Del Rey took a leave of absence until July 8th, 2022. During that time Del Rey traveled the country and finally ended up in Florida where she ran for Florida's 24th Congressional District. Approval rating polls showed Del Rey had an 85.7% approval rating, 14.3% neutral, and 0% disapproval rating. This was the highest approval rating out of the DNC, House, and Senate Leadership. Later in her term as House Leader, Del Rey became crucial in blocking several bills proposed by MILITECH that would lower the minimum wage further than $1, ending access to abortion, and ending same-sex marriage. This was the beginning of her reputation as a master vote counter.
As Chair of the House Ethics Committee, Del Rey lead the investigation into Representative SussyNoodle (SC - 5) regarding bribery, obstruction of justice, and obstruction of Congress charges. Del Rey's report to Speaker Gary Bibb revealed that Rep. SussyNoodle was guilty of these crimes. Following the report, Speaker Bibb removed SussyNoodle from her committee assignments.
Secretary of State (June 17th, 2022 - June 21st, 2022)[]
After President Lalisa Manoban switched parties from MILITECH to Democrat, she purged many MILITECH cabinet members. Secretary of State, Joseph H. Randolph, was replaced by Del Rey on June 17th, 2022. During the Yellowstone floods, Vice President of the United States, SussyNoodle, invoked the 25th amendment with a majority of the Cabinet to make the Vice President the Acting President. Del Rey was named Acting Vice President while the crisis was ongoing. This was the first time Del Rey would interact with SussyNoodle and began a long and largely strained relationship that would be ended by a future House Ethics investigation into SussyNoodle's conduct lead by Del Rey as Ethics Committee Chair.
July 2022 Presidential Election[]
On July 19th, 2022, Del Rey announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in Miami, Florida. This would be Del Rey's last primary bid for the Presidency but there would be many other attempts to become President through other means. Del Rey outlined the economy, foreign policy, and civil protections as her main priorities. Shortly after her announcement, she received many endorsements from fellow party members. Most notably Senate Leader Billy Heitkamp (FL), Congressman Leo Brooks (LA), and DNC Presiding Officer Matthew Williams (SC).
The Democratic presidential primary debate between House Majority Leader Lana Del Rey (FL) and Senator Frank Longobardi (MO) was widely anticipated and it did not disappoint. The topics ranged from LGBTQ+ rights to abortion to education. A post debate poll showed that 80% of viewers believed that Del Rey won the debate and 20% of viewers believed Longobardi won the debate.
Del Rey on the debate stage.
Longobardi came out swinging criticizing Del Rey on her response on abortion saying, “I think that by House Leader Lana Del Rey saying abortion should be ‘safe, legal, and rare,’ she is demonizing women who have abortions. It isn't up to us to decide if abortions are rare or not.” Longobardi went so far as to demand Del Rey apologize to all women. Del Rey hit back with, “I am a strong proponent of people capable of pregnancy have access to abortion and my answers demonstrate that. Senator, you are grasping at straws to find a way to attack me.”
When the candidates were asked about their education policy, Longobardi claimed, “I am, hands down, the strongest candidate here on education issues.” When pressed for specific examples on his accomplishments for education all Longobardi could provide was, “I have introduced countless bills to ensure our public schools get the monies they deserve.” Yet again Longobardi attacked Del Rey claiming that she had never introduced any legislation on the issue of education. In response, Del Rey cited her experience as Secretary of Education under the Rowntree Administration and the “Education for the Future Act” which has provided billions of dollars in grants to public school systems. President Rowntree awarded Del Rey with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work on this legislation. A common theme that permeated the debate was when Longobardi was pressed for specifics he would respond with a generic answer about “getting the job done” or “digging out of the trenches.”
In the final moments of the debate, Del Rey brought up Longobardi’s term as Chair of the Democratic Party saying, “Hmm it appears you were chair for only two days. That is a remarkably short time to do all of that. Can you give some specifics on what you did to set the party up for victory?” To which Longobardi, yet again, provided a vague answer: “As I stated previously, I put in all the work necessary to ensure a smooth transition to our next Chair and ensure our party had all the supports needed for victory.”
Overall, Longobardi attempted to come off as a strong, proactive candidate who could take on MILITECH and finally win the White House for the Democrats but came off as overaggressive and even misogynistic towards Del Rey. Some observers even compared Longobardi’s performance to Donald Trump’s debating style. This was in stark contrast to Del Rey’s calls for bipartisanship and unity: “As I've said many times throughout this debate, I believe in unity and bringing people together… Especially now, we need a president who is focused on the issues and not the politics.”
Del Rey won the late July 2022 Democratic Presidential Primary with 2,663 delegates and 66.93% of the popular vote. This was the largest electoral victory since the primary system was established. (Grey denotes a tie)
Longobardi News Now came out with an article bashing Del Rey's debate performance while the Associated Press laid out its argument for why Del Rey won the debate. A media fight ensued as supporters for both candidates attacked the other side.
The primaries opened immediately after the debate. During voting, fraudulent ballots were discovered and subsequently thrown out. Many in the party accused Longobardi of committing voter fraud seeing as all of the fraudulent ballots were cast in his favor. Longobardi denied he was involved in any fraudulent activity and even claimed Rep. Leo Brooks (LA) masterminded the plot in order to end Longobardi's chances at victory.
Del Rey surged in early results and her lead never let up. On July 25th, 2022, Del Rey was projected to be the party's presumptive nominee with 2,663 delegates and 66.93% of the popular vote. Longobardi received 1,316 delegates and 33.07% of the popular vote. This was the largest delegate margin ever since the new presidential primary system was created in May of 2022. Longobardi came out with a statement shortly after the projection where he said, "It's clear to me that the Democratic Party establishment has come out in full force to try to put a stop to my presidential campaign. " Longobardi continued by naming members who endorsed Del Rey saying that they are, "very sick people." He criticized Rep. Leo Brooks' (LA) handling of alleged voter fraud and called for Speaker Gary Bibb (AL) to be stripped of his Speakership. Eventually, Longobardi's comments got him censured by the Democratic Party.
Electoral results of the 81st presidential election.
On August 1st, 2022, Del Rey named Former Democratic Party Vice-Chair, Former Speaker of the House, Senator Evan Kennedy as her running mate. On Election Day, several Democratic states flipped over to MILITECH and SPUSA. Del Rey became the first Democratic presidential candidate to lose states from a previous general election since the reformation of the Democratic Party, going from 133 electoral votes in the previous election to 112 electoral votes. MILITECH Party Chair, Madison Philips, won a fifth presidential term in this election with 379 electoral votes. However, Philips resigned making her Vice-President, Nathan Grant, the next President of the United States. This would be the last time Del Rey was at the top of a presidential ticket.
Secretary of the Army (7/22/22 - 8/1/2022)[]
On July 22nd, 2022, President Martin Solborn appointed Del Rey to be the Secretary of the Army for his administration. Del Rey helped coordinate the military response to Hurricane Able which battered the Eastern coast of the United States in late July. Her interest in the position largely came from a frustration of not having a clear avenue to becoming President.
August 2022 Campaign for Party Chair[]
Who would succeed Adam McCord as Chair of the Democratic Party was the most important decision the party had to make in a long time. Originally Del Rey was considering making a bid for Vice-Chair of the party, growing tired of the tedium of the House. However, that would mean she would have to challenge long-time friend and long-time party leader Ivanka Trump, the incumbent Vice-Chair. Del Rey soon abandoned those plans and began making preparations for a run for Chair. At this point, Garrett Norris was a rival to Del Rey within the party and the two were not on the best of terms. Norris' plans to make a bid for Chair to replace McCord were widely known and Del Rey saw Norris as Chair as an existential threat to the party. Her plan was to support Leo Brooks for Chair because of his vast experience with the Democrats but she was concerned about how Brooks would fare in an election with such a cutthroat political operator like Norris. Brooks was not a member of Big 5 leadership and Del Rey had just received the highest approval rating of any other member of leadership. She commissioned a poll of potential Chair candidates to gauge who would be the best to take on Norris. The polling showed Del Rey leading a large slate of candidates: Rep. Leo Brooks (LA), Sen. Garrett Norris (VA), Democratic Party Vice-Chair Ivanka Trump (FL), Sen. Leader Billy Heitkamp (FL), and DNC Presiding Officer Matthew Williams (SC). The poll broke down as follows: Del Rey: 35% Norris: 26% Brooks: 19% Heitkamp: 10% Trump: 6% Williams: 3%. Brooks, Norris, and Trump ended up declaring their candidacy. Del Rey's campaign for Chair was already in motion when the poll came out but it sealed her decision on actually committing to this effort.
On August 3rd, 2022, Del Rey announced her candidacy for Chair of the Democratic Party. Incumbent Chair Adam McCord declined to run for re-election as Chair of the Democratic Party. Following her announcement, Del Rey received many endorsements from her colleagues in the House as well as others in the party. The Stonewall Caucus and the Progressive Caucus voted to endorse Del Rey on August 4th, 2022. That same day Sen. Norris was called out for joining every single interest caucus to vote for himself in their endorsement selections. But that was overshadowed by comments he made to MILITECH Party Chair, Madison Philips, in which he offered party secrets in exchange for a Senate seat. The early campaign made it clear that Norris and Del Rey were the two main contenders with Brooks in a distant third.
Results from the August 2022 Democratic Party Chair election.
August 5th, 2022 was the debate. Every candidate was in attendance and it quickly became a contentious fight. Loyalty to the party, job performance, and past scandals all came up during the debate. In the end, Del Rey won the debate with 45.8% of viewers saying she won. In a surprise move, Chairman Adam McCord endorsed Del Rey, over his protégé Norris, following the debate saying, "I encourage you all to lend your support to her cause and let her show you what she has shown me, which is complete loyalty and dedication. Now she may oppose my positions at times, but I've always respected someone willing to challenge me even though they fail in the end. But this proves she is not weak and will stand up even knowing she may lose. Cowardice is a cancer within this party, but Lana is no coward, and she will lead you into tomorrow with strength and conviction." The Love Caucus, Economic Caucus, Foreign Affairs Caucus, and Constitutionalist Caucus all endorsed Del Rey on August 5th as well as a majority of the former presidents in the party. Momentum appeared to be on her side.
The campaign experienced a lull in between the debate and the election where Brooks and Trump virtually ceased campaigning entirely. Del Rey and Norris continued to campaign up until Election Day: August 9th. In the early results, Norris swept to the lead as he took advantage of Del Rey's slow mobilization. However, the Del Rey operation quickly tightened the gap and the vote went back and forth until finally Del Rey won the election at 12:34 PM EST. In the first round, Del Rey lead with 45%, Norris in second with 44%, Brooks in third with 8%, and Trump trailed at 3%. Trump was eliminated in round one which pushed Norris to 47% in round two. Finally, Leo Brooks was eliminated which pushed Del Rey to 51% and left Norris with 49%.
Del Rey announcing her victory to her supporters.
Norris conceded at 12:45 PM EST saying, " I called, chairwoman-elect Lana Del Rey, to wish her congratulations on her victory. Unfortunately, the result this movement and campaign worked so hard for, was not the result we wanted. This record-breaking election was tough. It’s still hard to believe how close the margins were, but that's the result and we must accept it." Del Rey officially announced her victory at 1:04 PM EST saying: " I am astounded by our party’s turnout in this election. I am confident that with this kind of engagement there’s no doubt we can hang on to the House and expand our majority again. I would like to thank my campaign manager: Sen. Evan Kennedy (AR), my campaign staff: Former POTUS Maxi and Speaker Gary Bibb (D-AL), my support team: Rep. Scott Anderson (D-VT) , Rep. Chris Scott (D-AL), Billy Heitkamp, and Rep. Leo Brooks (D-LA), everyone who gave me their endorsement, and all of the people who have put their trust in me to carry out the duties of this great office on which I am about to enter."
Chair of the Democratic Party (August 10th, 2022 - August 24th, 2022)[]
Del Rey was inaugurated as Chair at 1:08 PM EST on August 10th, 2022. She reversed Executive Action Order 7 which could lead a ban by the party for trading campaign funds with the American MILITECH Party and changed the rule so if a member of the Democratic Party traded campaign funds with a member of the American MILITECH Party, they would become ineligible to receive funds from the Democratic Donor Committee. One of her first goals as Chair was to repair the party's relations with SPUSA and try to somehow combat MILITECH's political dominance. Her overtures to SPUSA did not amount to anything substantial.
In her first days as Chair, Del Rey was swarmed by political allies and friends asking for help or money or favors. Everything needed a decision from her which became tiring very quickly. The Democratic Party was the largest political party at the time and the bureaucracy was compared to being President. Forming her cabinet became a process of offending one friend or the other and she began to feel her vision for the party slip away. Disputes between members attempted to draw Del Rey in but she did her best to stay out of interpersonal conflict which caused some to lose faith in her loyalty to them. Del Rey saw it as loyalty to the party rather than to an individual.
It was later revealed that Former Chair Adam McCord had rigged the election in Del Rey's favor without her knowledge. At first McCord's claims were discredited because he had stolen over $1 billion from the Democrats, however, Leo Brooks presented undeniable evidence of electoral fraud. Del Rey deliberated with her two closest advisors: Garrett Norris and Matthew Williams. She came to the conclusion that it would be best to step down as Chair. Del Rey resigned as Chair on August 24th, 2022. The job of Chair was more draining than Del Rey had expected and she knew that if her election had been called into question there would be no way that she could ever be effective or legitimate in the eyes of the party or even within herself. Matthew Williams had recently prevailed in the Vice-Chair elections that Del Rey had conducted herself. Therefore, she reasoned that since Williams had been fairly elected, he should be the one to be Chair.
First Return to the U.S. Senate (August 24th, 2022 - August 28th, 2022)[]
Following the election fraud scandal and her resignation as Democratic Party Chair, Del Rey returned to the U.S. Senate as a Senator from the state of North Dakota. She describes this period as a "wandering" where she would look for an empty Senate seat to fill for as long as she could until someone in that state ran against her.
Departure from the Democratic Party[]
On August 29th, 2022, it was revealed that then Vice-Chair Matthew Williams and Senate Leader Garrett Norris coordinated to coerce Del Rey to resign so they could take control over the party. Their secret political society, "The New Wave," was used to sabotage Del Rey's term as Chair and plotted to remove Presiding Officer Billy Heitkamp and House Leader Leo Brooks from their positions in leadership. Del Rey left the party after learning of these developments and joined MILITECH, a party she had condemned her entire political career. The departure from the Democrats marked a dark moment for her career. While Norris and to a lesser extent Williams had always been somewhat of political rivals, Del Rey had been personal friends with both Norris and Williams. She felt deeply betrayed and failed to see any hope for the Democratic Party after this episode.
Return to the Democratic Party[]
Del Rey returned to the Democratic Party after then MILITECH Chair, Joseph McCarthy, caused several high ranking members to leave and changed the party back to the Reform Party. Her only motivation for staying with MILITECH was having a shot at the Presidency and that seemed impossible within the new Reform Party. Del Rey then became Director of Inter-Party Affairs for the Democratic Party and was elected to the Democratic National Committee once again in a touching homecoming.
Second Return to the U.S. Senate (September 2nd, 2022, - September 6th, September 10th, 2022 - September 17th, 2022, September 20th, 2022 - September 29th, 2022, October 10th, 2022 - October 20th, 2022)[]
This period was a continuation of Del Rey's "wandering." She had no interest in going back to the tedium of the House. Del Rey had no major accomplishments during this period. The outlook for the Democratic Party looked bleak and her political career looked to be over after her resignation as Chair. Whether people believed she cheated or not, she felt she couldn't shake the image of a quitter who left when times got rough.
Director of Inter-Party Affairs for the Democratic Party (September 5th, 2022 - October 5th, 2022)[]
Chair of the Democratic Party, Leo Brooks, named Del Rey as his Director of Inter-Party Affairs after the departure of Former Chairman Adam McCord. Del Rey brokered a deal with the newly formed MILITECH, America in order to establish a Democratic presence on the electoral map and in the U.S. Senate once again. She was very successful and the party gained upwards of nine seats after the deal was made. Del Rey was fired from her post after being nominated to become an Associate Justice on the Democratic Anti-Corruption Court.
Attorney General (September 27th, 2022 - October 11th, 2022)[]
Del Rey was named Attorney General by President Akbar and was the only Democrat to serve in his cabinet. Later, Akbar (under the new name of John Fetterman) would serve as Director of National Intelligence in Del Rey's Administration.
Anti-Corruption Court (October 8th, 2022)[]
Del Rey became an Associate Justice on the Anti-Corruption Court on October 8th, 2022 after her nomination by Democratic Party Chair Kyle Night. She fell into a retirement shortly after being nominated and had no major accomplishments in this role.
Second Return to the U.S. House of Representatives (January 10th, 2023 - February 13th, 2023)[]
In a political comeback, Del Rey ran for New York's 8th Congressional District and became Deputy Democratic House Leader immediately following the beginning of her new term, returning to House Leadership. Later, on January 16th, 2023, Del Rey was elected as Speaker of the House with 21 members voting aye, 16 voting nay, and 3 voting present.
Following Rep. Dr. Rajashima Reddy's (IL-10) election as Chair of the Democratic Party, Lana Del Rey succeeded him as Democratic House Leader, returning to a role that she has described having a "love-hate relationship" with. Del Rey would continue to be a key part of the Democratic House operation, almost singlehandedly keeping the caucus together.
Speaker of the House of Representatives (January 16th, 2023 - February 13th, 2023)[]
Del Rey was elected as Speaker by a 21-16 vote margin with three members voting present. Becoming Speaker was one of the biggest moments in Del Rey's career. This was the closest she had ever been to the presidency which had long been her political aim. She succeeded two of her closest political allies as Speaker: Evan Kennedy and Gary Bibb.
Committee chair elections had fallen by the wayside for many of Del Rey's recent predecessors. However, on becoming Speaker, Del Rey reinstated chair elections to the 1st and 16th of the month as well as reorganizing committee membership to remove members who were no longer Representatives. Del Rey left a legacy of efficient operation in the House that brought energy back to a chamber that had long been dead.
Del Rey was challenged for the Speakership by Rep. John Robert Lewis (MC-IL) on January 26th, 2023. Lewis' bid failed by a 1-20 vote margin in a dramatic demonstration of her might as a leader in the House. Shortly before becoming Vice President, Del Rey resigned as the Representative for Utah's 3rd Congressional District and as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Secretary of Health and Human Services (January 30th, 2023 - February 13th, 2023)[]
President Jack Colfax (MC-AK) named Del Rey as Secretary of Health and Human Services after his upset win in the 94th Presidential Election on January 30th, 2023. On February 4th, 2023, Del Rey announced that gender affirming care and HIV prevention medicines would become a part of the federal government's universal healthcare program. In a press release she said, "This decision reflects our commitment to ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation, have access to the medical care they need to lead healthy and fulfilling lives."
Vice Presidency (February 13th, 2023 - February 17th, 2023)[]
After winning a contentious election against incumbent President Jack Colfax, Constitutionalist presidential nominee Alex Archer named Lana Del Rey as his nominee for Vice President of the United States of America on February 13th, 2023. Del Rey was the first Democratic Vice President since Adam McCord had been made Lalisa Manoban's Vice President during her chaotic administration.
On February 14th, President Archer issues Executive Order #0001 which was aimed at tackling climate change and "reach net-zero carbons emissions" by 2035. The executive order also established a national task force on climate change which included Vice President Del Rey. On February 16th, Representative Josh B. Geotts (MC-OH) introduced a resolution to impeach President Archer over two executive orders he had signed which dictated parts of curriculum and courses in public schools which Rep. Geotts said violated the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015. The Articles of Impeachment against President Archer were largely without basis and were masterminded by Del Rey and MILITECH, America's Senate Leader and Co-Chairman Ja Morant.
Del Rey arriving at Capitol Hill to ensure a conviction of Alex Archer in the Senate and securing her place as a President of the United States.
The basis for the impeachment was questioned however it was still passed by a 16-10 vote in the House in another example of Del Rey's mastery of the House floor. The President released a statement about the impeachment where he said, "As I am sure you are all aware, there is a vote occurring in the house concerning my impeachment. What some of you may not be aware of is the fact that my vice president, Vice President Lana Del Rey, has been whipping the house democratic caucus to vote in favor of this (with punishment for those who do not) in the hopes that she can ascend to the presidency." And later went on to say, "She has breached not only the sacred institution of trust between the presidency and vice presidency, but the American peoples as well. Unacceptable." Del Rey released a statement following the vote saying, "I would like to say that there have been serious allegations thrown around about my personal conduct through the House process and I will be addressing them once the impeachment process has concluded."
Following the House impeachment vote, the House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committee held a vote on whether or not to investigate the impeachment of President Archer in which the committee decided not to through more vote-whipping by Del Rey. In a shock, the Senate voted to convict the President in a 48-22 vote with 2 voting present. The vote appeared to be heading to failure but a final surge in votes to convict pushed it well over the 2/3rds threshold needed. Del Rey was relentless in whipping votes for a conviction in the Senate against a strong coalition united behind the political powerhouse Deorux and a strengthened SPUSA caucus. Even Democratic Senators and close allies of Del Rey voted to acquit Archer. She was one step away from the Oval Office and was not going to turn back for anything or anyone: "This was my reputation on the line. This was everything I worked for. There was no going back. There was no reparation after this. I was either going to be President of the United States or I was going to be nothing - and I didn't come to Capitol Hill to be nothhing." One gambit to increase the margin of votes involved getting the Democratic Governor of Connecticut, former political opponent in the March 2022 Democratic Presidential Primaries, John Reede to appoint a Democratic Senator to fill a vacancy in order to vote to convict President Archer.
Presidency (February 17th, 2023 - February 27th, 2023)[]
Del Rey ascended to the Presidency following the Senate vote causing a massive political uproar. Del Rey garnered condemnation from people like Associate Justice Claire Underwood, Rep. Martin Mitchell (D-AR), Senator Marjorie Rowntree (C-WY), just to name a few. Articles of impeachment were immediately filed against her in the House by Rep. Mr Cheeks (SP-KS) for one count of treason which failed in a 7-12 vote. Del Rey made Ja Morant her Vice President for his albeit limited assistance with the Senate vote.
President Lana Del Rey signing the UBI for Veterans Act into law on February 17th, 2023.
In her inaugural speech Del Rey said, "As we begin this new chapter in our nation's history, I want to acknowledge the manner in which I have risen to the presidency. I can admit that whipping votes to impeach a president that I served under is dubious at best and I am admitting that it was not a justified act on my part. Our party leadership approved a decision to support impeachment and I was carrying out that decision to fulfill my duty as Leader of the House Democratic Caucus." Addressing her vision for her term she said, "We will prioritize the health and well-being of all Americans and work to rebuild our economy in a way that benefits everyone, not just the wealthy and well-connected. Under the guidance of myself and my Secretary of State, our nation will ensure that democracy returns to Taiwan and the Taiwanese people are liberated from Communist rule."
Her first acts as President were to sign the "UBI for Veterans Act," the "Safe Trains Act of 2023," and the "Adapted Public Transportation Revitalization Act." All three were sponsored by Democrats with the last two being focused on transportation and the first focused on helping veterans by giving them a $6,000 income per month.
On February 18th, 2023, Del Rey and her Secretary of State, Ivanka Trump, met with President Hu Jian-jun concerning the situation in Taiwan where a PRC backed coup overthrew Taiwan's sovereign government. The summit saw heated debate between the world leaders with President Hu questioning Del Rey's legitimacy as President of the United States. Finally, an agreement was made that if the UN could ensure the new Taiwanese elections were free and fair then the U.S. would agree to not intervene further. Following the summit, the cities of Keelung and Taipei were liberated by pro-democracy forces against the Chinese backed military.
Later that day, Del Rey met with the German Vice-Chancellor, Markus Schwarzenfels, where they signed a trade agreement between Germany and the United States. Schwarzenfels said: "After some challenges between our countries in the past I hope we can return back to friendlier terms. I have always valued our friendship and gladly signed the US-German treaty of friendship and support back in my term as Chancellor." The agreement would see the U.S. give Germany 8.7 million barrels of oil over five years in exchange for 20,000 German made electric vehicles. In a press release Del Rey said: "I am incredibly excited to have signed this most recent trade deal with Germany. We will be able to provide Americans with electric vehicles at a reduced cost and ensure our allies can bolster their strategic oil reserves in the event of any unforeseen global conflicts."
Del Rey signed bills to ban fracking, update military retention and recruitment standards, and redistribute farm subsidies to small farms on February 19th, 2023. At the signing of the "Ban on Hydraulic Fracking Act," Del Rey said, "Fracking represents the past of energy which has damaged American communities and families for far too long."
The 20th of February saw Del Rey's first veto of the "Clean Keyboards Mandate": "It is a bit much to fine for example a hotel for not cleaning their keyboards. Also, why would we ever need a "keyboard cleaning authority" to check if people are cleaning their keyboards." Del Rey also signed into law the "Creating a 'Jimmy Carter Service Award'" which created a new civilian honor which she bestowed upon Arkansas Representative and vocal critic, Martin Mitchell. Mitchell famously voted against the impeachment of Alex Archer in the House and resigned as Secretary of Veterans Affairs after Del Rey took office. In a statement Del Rey said this: "Rep. Mitchell has always been an unyielding advocate for the American people with his most recent accomplishment of passing the "UBI for Veterans" Act which will help thousands and thousands of veterans out of poverty. A proud American and effective legislator, I am proud to bestow the Jimmy Carter Service Award on Martin Mitchell."
Del Rey leaving the Capitol Building after her State of the Union Address on February 21st, 2023.
"The state of our union is not strong." Del Rey's opening words for her State of the Union Address on February 21st, 2023 have only been said by one other president, Gerald Ford. "While many would point to my accession to the presidency as the root cause of our disunity, my presidency is a product of an era of political warfare that has torn our country apart. The focus of our political parties is to dominate completely rather than compete fairly. Representing the will of the American people is an afterthought. In order to fix the issues of our nation, we have to come together and focus on our economy, on our healthcare systems, on our education systems, on the real issues that ail the American people, not what political partisans value.
Our country may not be at our zenith, but we are not weak. My administration has made great strides in the areas of transportation, poverty, and the environment. I have signed two bills aimed at improving Americans’ access to public transportation and fixing our railroads. I signed a bill providing veterans, those who put their lives on the line for this country, $6,000 per month so they may live comfortably after bravely serving our country. I signed a bill banning fracking which has poisoned communities across America for too long. Americans are being treated with dignity and respect again.
On the world stage, America is standing strong against our adversaries. China believes that they will be allowed to unlawfully seize Taiwan but the Taiwanese people have shown the Chinese that they will not succeed. In recent days, pro-democracy forces have retaken the cities of Keelung and New Taipei which marks an important victory in this brutal civil war. I’d like to recognize the Taiwanese ambassador to the U.S.: Hsiao Bi-khim. We commend her and her people for their strength and resilience through such adversities. The United States has strengthened our ties with our allies. After signing a trade deal with Germany, both countries have made great strides towards uniting to support democratic values. Democracy must and will prevail against tyranny and autocracy. America may not be at its strongest now but it is my belief that my administration, however long I have the opportunity to serve, is setting our nation on a path towards success. The state of our union can be and will be stronger than ever!"
Two bills regarding national parks were signed by Del Rey on February 22nd, 2023. The "Hanauma Bay National Park Act" and the "Federal Land Energy Management Act" would protect federal lands from drilling and mining and create a new national park in the state of Hawaii. Del Rey also signed the "Fourth Amendment Enforcement Act" and the "A National Standard for Paid Parental Leave Act" to clarify surveillance laws and provide families with parental leave. The "Domestic Abuse Victims Protection Act" was signed into law by Del Rey on February 23rd, 2023 which was a massive step forward in protecting the most vulnerable Americans. On February 25th, 2023, Del Rey signed the "Oahu World War II Pillbox Preservation Act" which would preserve important structures in Hawaii from World War II.
Lana Del Rey waving to supporters as she leaves the White House for Utah aboard Marine One.
On February 27th, 2023, Del Rey signed the "Autism Caregivers Act" to support anyone who takes care of an individual with autism. She awarded her Secretary of Energy, Billy Heitkamp, and her Secretary of Transportation, Bjork Guðmundsdótti, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for their work during her administration. Following the award ceremony, Del Rey said this in her farewell address, "My fellow Americans, as my time in office comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on our nation's past, present, and future. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your president and I am grateful for the opportunity to have led this great country.
Throughout my time in office, we have faced many challenges and celebrated many triumphs. We have worked to strengthen our economy, improve our transportation, and protect the rights and freedoms of all Americans. But our work is never truly done, and there will always be more progress to be made.
As I prepare to retire from the political arena once again, I want to offer some words of advice to my fellow Americans. Let us remember that our strength lies in our unity. We must continue to come together as a nation, despite our differences, and work towards a common goal of creating a better future for ourselves and future generations.
I want to encourage all Americans to put aside our differences and actually work on solving the problems of our country. Too much time and money is wasted over petty squabbles when we could be expanding healthcare or reinvigorating our education systems. Our nation must come together, work together, for a better tomorrow. I implore all of you to find ways to bridge the divides so our political disagreements are no longer wars between factions but conversations between friends.
In closing, I want to thank the American people for their unwavering support and dedication to our country. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as your Congresswoman, your Senator, your Speaker, your Vice President, and your President. I am confident that our best days are still ahead, we just need the courage to make them better. Thank you. May God bless you all, and may God bless the United States of America."
Del Rey was succeeded by her Vice President, Ja Morant after the 107th Presidential Election and went on to retire at her home in Moab, Utah.
Legacy[]
Del Rey's Presidential Portrait
Any achievement or progress Del Rey actually made is likely overshadowed by her dramatic ascendancy to the Presidency. After cultivating a reputation of gentle leadership and values of ethics and rules, Del Rey finished her career by betraying her own President and taking the job for herself. Del Rey describes her legacy the best:
"Anyone would've done the same thing. They'll say they wouldn't but they would have. It's the Presidency! I would say 9 out of 10 people here are here because they want to be President. That was the ultimate goal for so many people I met during my time. I didn't come back from retirement after facing the humiliation of resigning as Chair and the chaos surrounding that election to just be House Leader again. I came back so I could be President. That didn't mean I didn't work hard. I still did my job, I wrote legislation, I created alliances, I helped the lives of millions of Americans but all people will remember is that I 'overthrew my President.' But you know what? I don't really care. I don't care because I got to be President. I don't care because now whenever anyone scrolls to look at who was President of the United States of America, my name and picture are there. I have a number: 94th. I was the 94th President of the United States of America. Forever I will be: Lana Del Rey the 94th President of the United States of America. That title will last longer than any memory of how I rose to that office. When you're in politics you gotta get in and get out. Fight quick and dirty and be relentless. And it's not like I didn't work for the office. I worked for it, I whipped votes for it, I did everything I could to reach my goal that I had held onto for over a year. And in the end I came out on top. Norris would've been proud. He was. He is.
In the end they can say whatever they want about me. I can't stop them. I am fucking crazy - but I am free."
Electoral History[]
January 25, 2022
| Virginia's 11th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||
January 30, 2022
| Virginia's 11th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
February 4, 2022
| Virginia's 11th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
February 9, 2022
| Virginia's 11th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
February 14, 2022
| Virginia's 11th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
February 19, 2022
| Virginia's 11th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
February 21, 2022
| United States Senate Democratic primary results in Arkansas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
February 24, 2022
| United States Senate Election in Arkansas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
March 3, 2022
| United States Senate Democratic primary results in Virginia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
March 6, 2022
| United States Senate Election in Virginia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 60.48 | |
| Constitution Party | Timothy W. Harless | 39.52 | |
| Independent | Eric Plaza (Incumbent) | 0 | |
| Democratic gain from Independent | |||
March 13, 2022
| United States Senate Democratic primary results in Virginia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
March 16, 2022
| United States Senate Election in Virginia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
March 22, 2022
| March 22nd, 2022 Democratic Presidential Primary | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 68.4 | |
| Democratic Party | Frank Longobardi | 21.1 | |
| Democratic Party | John Reede | 10.5 | |
March 23, 2022
| United States Senate Democratic primary results in Virginia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
March 26, 2022
| United States Senate Election in Virginia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
March 28th, 2022
| March 28th, 2022 United States Presidential Election | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Electoral Votes | |
| MILITECH | El Poirot | 252 | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 119 | |
| Socialist Party | Antonie HighValley | 87 | |
| Constitution Party | George Sidamonidze | 54 | |
| Alternative Party | Deorux | 20 | |
| Republican Party | Jessica Fletcher | 3 | |
| MILITECH gain from Socialist | |||
April 2nd, 2022
| United States Senate Democratic primary results in Virginia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
April 5th, 2022
| United States Senate Election in Virginia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 58.27% | |
| Constitution Party | Timothy C. Harless | 40.37% | |
| Socialist Party of America | Jackson Krieger | 1.36% | |
| Democratic hold | |||
April 12th, 2022
| United States Senate Democratic primary results in Virginia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
April 15th, 2022
| United States Senate Election in Virginia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
April 22nd, 2022
| United States Senate Democratic primary results in Virginia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
April 25th, 2022
| United States Senate Election in Virginia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
May 2nd, 2022
| United States Senate Democratic primary results in Virginia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
May 5th, 2022
| United States Senate Election in Virginia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
May 10th, 2022
| United States Senate Democratic primary results in Idaho | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
May 13th, 2022
| United States Senate Election in Idaho | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
May 15th, 2022
| California's 28th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
May 20th, 2022
| California's 28th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
May 25th, 2022
| California's 28th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
May 30th, 2022
| California's 28th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
June 4th, 2022
| California's 28th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
June 9th, 2022
| California's 28th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
June 14th, 2022
| California's 28th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
June 19th, 2022
| California's 28th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
July 9th, 2022
| Florida's 24th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
| Democratic gain from Constitution | |||
July 14th, 2022
| Florida's 24th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
July 19th, 2022
| Florida's 24th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
July 24th, 2022
| Florida's 24th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
July 25th, 2022
| July 25th, 2022 Democratic Presidential Primary Popular Vote | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 63.9 | |
| Democratic Party | Frank Longobardi | 36.1 | |
| July 25th, 2022 Democratic National Convention | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Pledged Delegates | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 2,663 | |
| Democratic Party | Frank Longobardi | 1,316 | |
July 29th, 2022
| Florida's 24th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
August 1st, 2022
| August 1st, 2022 United States Presidential Election | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Electoral Votes | |
| MILITECH | Madison Philips | 379 | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 112 | |
| Socialist Party | 宇佐美いちか | 19 | |
| Alternative Party | Daniel Morgan | 12 | |
| Birthday Party | ज्यानम् | 7 | |
| Seadian Peasant Party | Sead | 6 | |
| MILITECH hold | |||
August 3rd, 2022
| Florida's 24th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
August 8th, 2022
| Florida's 24th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
August 13th, 2022
| Florida's 24th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
August 18th, 2022
| Florida's 24th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Constitution Party | Jezebel | 51.98 | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 48.02 | |
| Constitution gain from Democratic | |||
August 21st, 2022
| United States Senate Democratic primary results in North Dakota | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
August 24th, 2022
| United States Senate Election in North Dakota | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
| Democratic gain from Constitution | |||
August 28th, 2022
| United States Senate Democratic primary results in Idaho | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
August 31st, 2022
| United States Senate MILITECH primary results in Kentucky | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| MILITECH | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
September 2nd, 2022
| United States Senate Election in Kentucky | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| MILITECH | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
| MILITECH hold | |||
September 7th, 2022
| United States Senate Democratic primary results in Washington | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
September 10th, 2022
| United States Senate Election in Washington | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
| Democratic gain from Alternative | |||
September 17th, 2022
| United States Senate Democratic primary results in Louisiana | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
September 20th, 2022
| United States Senate Election results in Louisiana | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 82.07 | |
| Reform Party | Joseph H. Randolph (Incumbent) | 17.93 | |
| Democratic gain from Reform | |||
October 7th, 2022
| United States Senate Democratic primary results in New York | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
October 10th, 2022
| United States Senate Election in New York | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
| Democratic gain from MILITECH, America | |||
January 10th, 2023
| New York's 8th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
| Democratic gain from MILITECH, America | |||
January 15th, 2023
| New York's 8th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
January 20th, 2023
| New York's 8th district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
January 25th, 2023
| Utah's 3rd district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
| Democratic gain from Reform | |||
January 30th, 2023
| Utah's 3rd district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
February 4th, 2023
| Utah's 3rd district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
February 9th, 2023
| Utah's 3rd district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
February 14th, 2023
| Utah's 3rd district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
February 19th, 2023
| Utah's 3rd district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
February 24th, 2023
| Utah's 3rd district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % | |
| Democratic Party | Lana Del Rey (Incumbent) | 100 | |
| Democratic hold | |||
Summary of Political, Partisan, Legislative History[]
Political History:[]
President of the United States of America (2/17/23 - 2/27/23)
U.S. Representative (UT - 3) (2/14/23 - 2/27/23) (3 terms)
- Democratic House Leader (2/14/23 - 2/27/23)
Vice President of the United States of America (2/13/23 - 2/17/23)
Constitutionalist Nominee for Vice President of the United States of America (2/13/23)
U.S. Representative (UT - 3) (1/25/23 - 2/13/23) (4 terms)
- Democratic House Leader (2/1/23 - 2/13/23)
- Speaker of the House (1/25/23 - 2/13/23)
- Deputy Democratic House Leader (1/25/23 - 2/1/23)
Secretary of Health and Human Services (1/30/23 - present)
U.S. Representative (NY - 8) (1/10/23 - 1/25/23) (3 terms)
- Speaker of the House (1/16/23 - 1/25/23)
- Deputy Democratic House Leader (1/10/23 - 1/25/23)
Director of National Intelligence (10/11/22 - 10/25/22)
Director of Central Intelligence (10/11/22 - 10/25/22)
U.S. Senator (NY) (10/11/22 - 10/20/22) (1 term)
Attorney General (9/27/22 - 10/11/22)
U.S. Senator (LA) (9/20/22 - 9/29/22) (1 term)
U.S. Senator (WA) (9/10/22 - 9/17/22) (1 term)
U.S. Senator (KY) (9/2/22 - 9/6/22) (1 term)
U.S. Senator (ND) (8/24/22 - 8/28/22) (1 term)
- Democratic Senate Leader (8/26/22 - 8/28/22)
U.S. Representative (FL - 24) (7/9/22 - 8/18/22) (8 terms)
- Democratic House Leader (7/9/22 - 8/10/22)
Democratic Nominee for President of the United States of America (8/1/22)
Secretary of the Army (7/22/22 - 8/1/22)
U.S. Representative (CA - 28) (5/15/22 - 6/23/22) (8 terms)
- Democratic House Leader (6/14/22 - 6/23/22)
- Deputy Democratic House Leader (5/16/22 - 6/14/22)
- Democratic House Whip (5/16/22 - 6/2/22)
Secretary of State (6/17/22 - 6/21/22)
U.S. Senator (ID) (5/13/22) (1 term)
- Democratic Senate Caucus Vice-Chair (5/13/22)
U.S. Senator (VA) (3/6/22 - 5/7/22) (8 terms)
- Democratic Senate Caucus Vice-Chair (5/1/2022 - 5/7/22)
- Deputy Democratic Senate Leader (4/5/2022 - 4/8/22)
- Democratic Senate Whip (3/6/22 - 4/5/22)
Democratic Nominee for President of the United States of America (3/28/22)
Socialist Nominee for Vice President of the United States of America (3/28/22)
Secretary of State (3/15/22 - 3/28/22)
Secretary of Education (2/28/22 - 3/15/22)
U.S. Senator (AR) (2/24/22 - 3/2/22) (1 term)
- Democratic Senate Whip (2/24/22 - 3/2/22)
Director of the Central Intelligence (2/17/22 - 2/28/22)
U.S. Representative (VA - 11) (1/25/22 - 2/20/22) (6 Terms)
- Deputy Democratic House Leader (2/7/22 - 2/20/22)
Party History:[]
Member of the Democratic National Committee (1/30/23 - 2/1/23)
Associate Justice of the Democratic Anti-Corruption Court (10/8/22)
Member of the Democratic National Committee (9/18/22 - 10/8/22)
Director of Inter-Party Affairs (9/5/22 - 10/5/22)
Chair of the Democratic Party (8/10/22 - 8/24/22)
Chair of the Stonewall Caucus (4/7/22 - 8/10/22)
Member of the Democratic Party Security Council (5/1/2022 - 6/14/22)
Member of the Democratic National Committee (2/25/22 - 6/14/22)
Assistant Regional Organizer (Region 1) (4/21/22 - 5/14/22)
Presiding Officer for the Democratic National Committee (4/8/22 - 4/18/22)
Secretary for the Democratic National Committee (4/5/22 - 4/8/22)
Assistant Regional Organizer (Region 1) (1/31/22 - 2/20/22)
Legislative History:[]
Sponsor of the Fixing the Minimum Wage Act
Author of the North Atlantic Defensive Pact Charter
Sponsor of the Education for the Future Act
Sponsor of the Revised Expansion of Internet Access Act
Sponsor of the Economic Stimulus Act
Sponsor of the Families First Act
Sponsor of the Expansion of Internet Access Act
Sponsor of the Preservation of American Lands Act
Awards and Honors:[]
Recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal (1/31/23)
Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (3/28/22)
Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (3/14/22)
*Sections of the Lana Del Rey page on Wikipedia were used for this page