“She was supposed to be Governor.”

But when the results came in, showing a deal between the Republicans and the Socialists that gave H.S.C. Tiger the nomination for governor in the Chesapeake, those dreams fell apart for Congresswoman Tuck L. Ett, affectionately called “Tucklet” by supporters and adversaries alike.

A flurry of increasingly desperate and unsuccessful opinion pieces from every side of the aisle couldn’t change the outcome. The GOP-Socialist Coalition is alive and prospering in the Chesapeake.

It will likely mark the first time since in recent history that the Governor of the Eastern State is a Socialist. And it brings to a close one of the longest careers in the history of Eastern politics and one of the last vestiges of a bygone era.

“The last of the moderates,” former governor Terry McAuliffe said of Tucklet.

In a period of hyper-partisanship, Tucklet bet that voters would gravitate toward the candidate who rose above the political fray; the independent who served with both the Socialists and the Republicans; the candidate who at least one supporter branded “a little-i independent.”

For the better part of elections past, that worked. This time, it didn’t.

“It’s unfortunate,” McAuliffe said. “But it just feels like her brand of politics is going away.”

“My political career will not be over.” | J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press

In a state that has seen a flurry of PAC activity, and which even the Atlantic called “the more exciting Commonwealth,” Chesapeake’s was the election to watch.

“This is the most important election of our lifetimes,” an email to supporters from the Chesapeake Progressives said. The Eastern Conservative Coalition seemed to agree, a robocall instructing voters to “dig deep into your pockets—because the left will dig deeper if we lose.”

Then a deal came across the desks of Democratic National Committee members with less than two weeks before primaries. There was “a major impasse,” it said of the Chesapeake. But “the parties have agreed to nominate a Socialist Governor.”

The DNC voted. 64 and 1/2 members voted in favor. 365 and 1/2 voted against the deal. (The four Democrats Abroad have half a vote each.)

DNC Chair Zairn could not be reached for comment. A senior staffer at the DLCC gave us her thoughts: “It’s a fucking disaster.” | Bang Showbiz

“The deal with the GOP and the Socialists seems very very off color,” Tucklet told the press yesterday. From a politician known for her criticism of Governor Raisin (R-CH), the response was expected. So was the qualifier: “I think this is an incredibly big chance to turn the GOP into a progressive party.”

Recent polling shows Socialist H.S.C. Tiger likely to win the Governor’s race. Heavy campaigning in the state by Socialists and Republicans has some pundits calling Democratic odds dead on arrival.

“Governor HSC…has my full and complete endorsement. We might disagree on a lot, but we agree on so much more and he’s the best choice running so far,” said Tucklet in a phone interview.

A spokesperson for the Chesapeake arm of the Democratic Governors Association called Tucklet’s stance “half-hearted…You can’t fully endorse someone you once called clueless. The fact is that Tucklet wants H.S.C. to lose so she can launch her own campaign the day after Election Day. The good news for Congresswoman Tucklet is that H.S.C. is going to lose. And we are going to win.”

In a campaign announcement, Tucklet said that “Socialists and Democrats like HSC and Goog have no idea what they’re doing and simply cannot be trusted with the extremely hard job of running the greatest state in the Union.”

But wherever Tucklet stands on the election today, her future goals, however indefinite, are clear.

“I will become Governor of Chesapeake eventually,” she said. “Whether that be this election, the next, or the next after that.”

Rachel Fischer contributed to this report.