The Politician’s Payton Hobart (Ben Platt), an enterprising and ambitious teen was one of the most nuanced fictional protagonists to have come up in the last decade. And a couple of decades before that, we had the politically-driven and quick-witted Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon). Tracy was the protagonist of the 1999 movie Election, which is based on the Tom Perrotta novel of the same name.

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Both Payton and Tracy want to become student body president of their respective schools and of course, envision a high-powered Washington DC career path for themselves. But who’d win the battle of wits if Payton and Tracy were to run against each other? Let’s figure it out with an old fashioned candidate debate:

Payton is more intelligent: A Better Manipulator

Both presidential aspirants have very different strategies for winning people over, so it may not be a fair comparison. But Payton is clearly a more convincing liar. One only needs to think back to the scene where Payton is at Dusty and Infinity Jackson’s home to convince the latter to be his running mate; he knew exactly how to broach the topic to the money-grabbing Dusty so she could convince her grand-daughter to run with him and even offered them a cash loan.

For some reason, we know that if Tracy was in Payton’s position she would have handled things very differently with her peak first-bencher energy!

Tracy is The Smartest: Wins Against a Vengeful Teacher

Tracy Flick smiling in Election

Tracy’s high school teacher Jim McAllister’s (Matthew Broderick) pathetic and inappropriate vengeance scheme against Tracy falls flat when at the end of the movie Tracy wins the election and Jim loses his job and ends up as a tourist guide in New York City. But Tracy is a formidable opponent and the fact that she has a fully grown nemesis, hell-bent on destroying her campaign doesn’t stop her in her tracks, especially since she thrives when challenged.

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There’s no telling how Payton would have fared against a resentful teacher who directs so much of his energy towards ending his campaign run; truth be told, amid the two sophomores, Tracy is clearly less sentimental and more likely to succeed under pressure.

Payton Is More Intelligent: Way Better At Confrontations

Remember when Tracy confronted Paul Metzler about running against her? It was not democratic at all, considering how anyone can run for opposition; throughout Election, Tracy comes across as a person who is very vocal about how she feels about her opponents. Interestingly, this makes her a weak politician, as she does not attempt to mask her true feelings.

Payton, on the other hand, recognizes the significance of keeping his enemies close and is superbly cautious even while dealing with someone like Astrid, who is shrewd but clearly doesn’t share Payton’s passion for the presidency. If say, Payton and Tracy were running against each other, this would earn Payton a lot of political cred.

Tracy is the Smartest: The Epitome of Over Preparedness

Across pop culture and real-life politics, the over-prepared female opponent has been brought down by misogynistic tirades; Hilary Clinton’s famous “And you know what else I prepared for? I prepared to be president,” is something we can totally hear Tracy saying in her campaign speech.

This is not just one of Tracey’s strengths but also key to her eventual success; she is prepared to tackle every challenge head-on. And while Payton is unbelievably alert and crafty, there are moments in The Politician when he is left befuddled; there are instances in the show which may lead the viewers to think, ‘you know who could solve this problem in a minute? Tracy Flick!’

Payton Is More Intelligent: Dealing With Mediocrity

Both Tracy and Payton are exceptional political aspirants and a couple of total Hermiones; they are wired to survive in a cutthroat, unforgiving world. But they are still high schoolers, which means they are surrounded by a lot of stereotypical run-off-the-mill teenage elements (not everyone can be expected to have read Saul Alinsky’s path-breaking 1971 manual Rules for Radicals, which sits pretty on Payton’s shelf).

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But Payton is visibly better at coming to terms with averageness of others, without being condescending or derisive, which actually furthers his political agendas and makes him more relatable; while Tracy, despite her best efforts, sometimes gives in to her Slytherin-ish sense of superiority.

Tracy Is The Smartest: Not Held Back By Emotions

Stepping over one’s ex is almost mandatory if you have high-flying political ambitions, but Payton and Tracy have very different problems to deal with. River’s tragic death affects Payton deeply and leaves him visibly shaken. But Tracy handles a scandalous affair with her teacher extremely well, and even after they are found out and the teacher loses his job, none of it really affects Tracy’s political ambitions.

Payton, much like River, feels everything deeply, though he is very deft in hiding his true emotions in the face of crises. On the other hand, Tracy’s energies, both emotional and intellectual, are very obviously directed towards one thing and one thing only: being president!

Payton Is More Intelligent: Good At Picking Friends

Payton’s BFF squad will literally help him cover up a murder! His girlfriend Alice actually tells Payton in the pilot episode that she will have his back even if he kills someone, plus even teaches him how to lie through a polygraph test. Payton’s friends are also his biggest support system, they do nurture some of his best personal and political traits.

Tracy has been quite unpopular, going by the general opinion of her classmates. Now, obviously Payton doesn’t have a vengeful, fully grown teacher hell-bent in sabotaging his entire campaign as Tracy does, but considering Jim’s weird vendetta against her, Tracey could really use a friend. Unlike Payton who relies upon his friends quite a lot, Tracy works best when she’s on her own, although a trusted cluster of allies could have made things a lot easier for her.

Tracy is the Smartest: Doesn’t Let Class Bog her Down

Payton and Tracy have a huge class divide; while Payton lives with his wealthy adopted family and literally has a Valentino-clad Gwyneth Paltrow as an adoptive mother. Tracy comes from a lower middle class family and lives with her single mum, and there’s an element of bitterness that’s subtextually present in Witherspoon’s portrayal.

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She’s obviously not happy with the rich kid running against her, who’s just riding on the sympathy wave, but she makes the most of her situation and does not really let her social identity come in the way of her dreams. There’s no telling how politically-driven Payton would be if he had the same economic anxieties and had to go to a suburban New Jersey high school.

Payton Is More Intelligent: Tracy is more likely to switch sides

At the end of Election, Tracy takes up a job with a Republican Congressman, and that's not surprising. Considering her political ambition, obviously, she is on the fast track for a high-powered political career. But knowing how much she likes to win, Tracy is more likely to switch sides if it helped to win her more votes.

But Payton, though equally politically savvy, has a deep-rooted commitment to his ideals, especially those which helped him win. And of course, he's more of a people's person than Tracy is. He also knows that his efforts to be relatable are not in vain, because they help him connect.

Tracy Is The Smartest: More Detached Emotionally

The reason why Payton’s character made such a deep impact on fans of the show is because he's so emotionally evolved; he has a great deal of emotional expanse, which makes him a really complex anti-hero (if we can call him that). Tracy is unsentimental, and can disassociate if need be.

This is what makes her a more competent politician than Payton, who's almost too self-aware and conscientious. “I try to do good things, right? But I'm not a good person. That's my flaw. I'm ambitious. I am political. I'm conniving,” he says about himself. Tracy can choose to leave her personal baggage aside, especially if it stands in the way of her political ambition.

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