"A shy, bookish child, Willow excelled in school, eventually skipping two grades on her way to becoming, at 16, the youngest valedictorian in Sunnydale High School history. Rupert Giles, her former librarian, remembers her fondly:"

"It was during her high school years that Willow gave up her childhood dream of becoming a florist and began to consider a career in teaching."

"When asked by this reporter for his recollection, Percy West, assistant junior varsity boys' basketball coach at Podunk High School and a former classmate of Willow's, had this to say:"

"Willow's tutoring may not have led to a teaching career, but it did offer her vital contacts for her first political aspiration: President of the Student Council. Willow lost that election to cheerleader Cordelia Chase, but would later dismiss it as 'a popularity contest.' Despite her disappointment, Willow made the most of her tenure on the Student Senate, almost single-handedly pushing through the 'Lunchtime Be Damned!" initiative, which allowed students to eat during whichever free period they chose.

Perhaps the most important event that happened to Willow at this time was meeting her future husband, Larry Blaisdell. Though the couple are adamantly private about their personal lives, in a 2007 interview with Larry King, Willow was candid about her childhood sweetheart…"

"True love was put on hold, however, when Larry accepted a football scholarship to USC and Willow headed north to Stanford, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with degrees in history and political science in three years. Willow returned to Southern California for the summer to rekindle her romance, but the fall would find her in Cambridge, Massachusetts, earning a law degree from Harvard. From there she went to the University of Michigan to complete her formal education with an MBA in 2006. But her heart remained in California, where Larry had taken a job as a creative consultant to David Geffen. Willow had numerous offers from top L.A.- area corporate and legal firms, but chose instead to take a position in the District Attorney's office, where she spent two years before the world of politics again beckoned. In 2008, on the eve of her first bid for Congress, she popped the question. Larry remembers their wedding…"

"They honeymooned at the home of friends in Provincetown, Massachusetts, returning after three weeks of wedded bliss to dive headfirst into her campaign. She won against incumbent Richard M. Wilkins by the narrowest of margins, but the grueling race had taken its toll. Larry would spend most of the next four years in Key West, while Willow split her time between Sunnydale, Washington, and her vacation home in rural Alabama.

"In her first Congressional term, Willow advocated a wide array of social programs and anti-discriminatory legislation, but as a freshman Congresswoman, she held little influence in the halls of power. She was reelected in 2010, but again found most of her initiatives stymied. Her push to have Wicca added to a list of protected religions did not even make it to committee. After two terms in Congress, Willow had had enough.

"Her political career might have ended there, were it not for the tragic death of California's beloved Governor Joyce Summers in the midst of her reelection campaign. The Democratic Party tapped Willow in her stead. Running against Sacramento businesswoman Anya Jenkins-Harris proved to be the fight of Willow's career, as both campaigns resorted to increasingly negative 'attack ads.' In one, Jenkins-Harris' husband, a childhood classmate of Willow's, claimed that she had once vandalized school property and pinned the blame on him. Willow adamantly denied the charge, and countered with this now infamous ad:"

"Willow won by a landslide, and news outlets nationwide ran footage of hundreds of voters sporting 'Rosenberg-red' wigs at the polls. With tearful hubby Larry by her side, she took the oath of office. In her first official act as Governor, she signed into law the long-delayed same-sex marriage proposal, which was just one of many accomplishments during her tenure. In addition to passing universal healthcare and expanding the state scholarship program, she also enacted stronger penalties for violent criminals-the so-called 'Warren Mears Law,' after the man who stalked and murdered his ex-girlfriend in cold blood.

"In the summer of 2016, Willow was contemplating a second term when she was again called on by the Democratic Party. Political prodigy Justin Christopher handpicked Willow as his running mate, and the pair became the youngest President and Vice President, respectively, of the United States. In their four years, they not only brokered a lasting peace accord in the Middle East, they also passed the National Marriage Act, allowing same-sex marriage in all 50 states, brought the War on Terror to a successful conclusion, and forced the auto industry to convert to hydrogen fuel cell cars. It was a shock to the entire nation when President Christopher declined to pursue a second term, but no surprise at all when Willow won the November primary by the largest margin in history, defeating her old schoolmate Cordelia Chase by 95% of the vote.

"Willow immediately tagged the well-known software designer and erstwhile rock musician Daniel 'Wolfman' Osbourne as her running mate, but Osbourne was forced to withdraw when scandalous photos of the Wolfman in a compromising position with notorious porn star Veruca were published in the National Enquirer. The question was on everyone's mind: who would Willow choose?"

"Tara Maclay was as unlikely a politician as you'd ever meet. Born and raised in Bensonville, Alabama, population 42-most of whom she was related to-Tara was home schooled by her parents, Doris and Jasper. When Tara was fifteen, her elder brother Donny drowned while performing high dives into a flooded quarry. Haunted by the death of her best friend and protector, Tara was determined to honor his memory by becoming the first person from Bensonville to graduate from college. She earned a degree in environmental science from Jacksonville State University, and won a scholarship to the University of Michigan's prestigious graduate program in Ecosystem Management. After graduating in 2006, she spent two years doing research on the beaches of Southern California, followed by a brief sojourn on Cape Cod.

"In 2008 she returned to Alabama to work for the state forestry service, spending months on end alone, studying the Shoal Creek region of Talladega National Forest. Tara might have remained an unknown Ranger, were it not for a freak hailstorm in the summer of '11 back in Bensonville that sadly took the lives of the entire town, assembled for one of Jasper's bi-weekly 'State of the Village' speeches in the Maclay's front yard.

"Tara reluctantly accepted the title of Mayor, but refused to move back to the deserted town, choosing instead to lease it to the Michigan Womyn's Festival, which had remained homeless following the 2009 realization by Michiganders that the festival was a haven for half naked lesbians.

"Tara felt most at home in the woods, and often found herself acting as nature and tour guide to stray hikers and school groups alike. It was in the winter of 2013 that Tara Maclay became nationally known as 'The Mayor Who Cares,' after bravely battling the elements to find little Carly Watson, who had wandered off on a Girl Scout camping trip, sparking worldwide media interest. Two days later, Tara and Carly walked out of the wilderness and into the nation's hearts! When asked how she'd done it, Tara said:"

"Tara shied away from the spotlight, spending the next six months on sabbatical in Sacramento, California. When she returned home, she found to her surprise that she had won the 2014 Green Party nomination for U.S. senate as a write-in candidate. Despite refusing to campaign, or even accept or reject the nomination, she won the general election in a bizarre race in which the Republican and Democratic candidates were both viewed so negatively that registered voters of all parties rallied around their small town sweetheart. Betty Louise Plotnick had this to say:"

"Despite her initial reluctance, once elected Tara threw herself into the business of government. Over the next six years, she introduced several pieces of legislation, such as the bill to convert cars to hydrogen fuel cells and the National Marriage Act. Her fellow Senators universally praised her dedication. Iowa Senator Riley Finn recalls…"