During the last US presidential election in 2012, Game of Thrones was a brand new show on HBO that had the nerve to chop off Sean Bean’s head. Although the politicking in King’s Landing made it popular in political circles, it wasn’t until after the election, and the Red Wedding, that the show became a full blown phenomenon. Since then, many countries have undergone election cycles, and in each case, the references to Game of Thrones has been unavoidable, especially in the UK. Now finally, it’s America’s turn to discover that all presidential elections will at some point be compared to the political turmoil in Westeros.
Hillary Clinton already found herself compared to Daenerys Targaryen at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner last year. Trump has already been inserted into scenes from earlier Game of Thrones seasons, to the horror of the main cast. Now, a new poll conducted via SurveyMonkey shows that neither of them have the lead in the general election. That honor goes to Tyrion Lannister, who’s in a dead heat with Bernie Sanders. (This should tell you all you need to know about the intransigence of Sanders supporters.)
(It’s moments like this when you can picture John Kasich arguing that we should let Cersei Lannister in the race, so that he can stop coming in last. He can even thank her for coming out of the kitchen to run against him. That will go over like gangbusters.)
For those who are looking for a candidate who will be able to garner support across a broad spectrum, Tyrion Lannister is definitely the one to beat. Unlike everyone else, his ability to drink and know things brings in support across ideological lines.
But if all this polling has you depressed about the state of our country, not to worry. When asked who has the better functioning government—Westeros and its incestuous monarchy, or the US and its gridlocked democracy, everyone agreed we’re all still better off for having overthrown Kings and Queens.
Sorry, Queen Elizabeth. If you were hoping this might finally be the election that inspired us to finally come round and asked to be taken back, that’s not happening. After all, we still haven’t forgotten that when push comes to shove, royalty—and that includes both Lannister and Targaryen—sends a fully armed battalion to remind you of their love.