Jefferson Peralez

Jefferson Peralez is a member of the Night City Council and a candidate in the upcoming election for mayor. He is touted as an idealist and anti-establishment type who opposes corporate control of the city's government.

Overview
V may observe a very solid, somewhat symbiotic relationship between Jefferson and his wife Elizabeth. They value each others' opinions and share more than just unwavering political aspirations, to which they are fully devoted to. Their penthouse, located in the Luxury Apartments complex in the Westbrook District, has been fully transformed into an office. However, despite such steadfast commitment to the job and the active campaign, the couple still prioritizes family, as they will explain once V inquires about the framed portrait with their daughter Xochi.

Biography
Jefferson Peralez grew up in poverty, but his life turned around when he was given a full ride scholarship to Asukaga-Berkeley University, valued at 2,700,000, by Night Corp to study law. It was there that he met his future wife, Elizabeth, who was also studying law thanks to the same Night Corp scholarship. The two married, and returned to Night City where Jefferson worked his way up to the city's district attorney before making a successful run for a seat on the Night City Council. The Peralez raised one daughter, Xochi.

By 2077, Councilman Peralez positioned himself as a populist and vocal critic of corporate influence. In the case of the "City of Opportunity" bill that exempted 32 of the largest corporations in the city with valuations in the trillions from taxes via a loophole, it was approved by the council 99-1, with Peralez the lone holdout. After the unexpected death of Mayor Lucius Rhyne, Councilman Peralez reaffirmed he would be running in the upcoming election for the mayor's office. Deputy Mayor Weldon Holt replaced Rhyne as Peralez' opponent. Peralez was embraced by the city's worker unions, some of which had close associations with the 6th Street gang, and there were cases of 6th Street using bribes and intimidation tactics to force citizens to vote for him.

In the weeks after Rhyne's passing, Peralez became convinced that the incident was suspicious. Against the advice of his SSI security detail, he had Elizabeth seek out an independent investigator. Elizabeth first asked Judy Alvarez, who the Peralez were acquainted with from a prior occasion, but she declined and recommended V in her place. With the help of Detective River Ward, V learns that Rhyne was killed by a virus-spiked braindance at the Red Queen's Race club, and that Weldon Holt apparently arranged to cover up the incident. V can choose to reinforce Jefferson's hunch that Holt had Rhyne assassinated, or be non-committal.

V is later contacted by Elizabeth, who explains that she and Jefferson have been experiencing inexplicable changes in behavior and memory. Upon searching the Peralez apartment, V finds a secret room containing advanced equipment that was being used by SSI to brainwash the Peralez, and traces it to a shadowy organization associated with a mysterious man. Apparently, this group had been manipulating Jefferson's beliefs and mannerisms, and were grooming him to become their ideal candidate for mayor. It was even possible that Holt's cover-up of Rhyne's murder may have been staged by the group to frame Holt as a murderer and damage his election bid, giving Jefferson an easy path to victory. Johnny Silverhand can comment that he believes this was all the work of rogue AIs with an inscrutable goal. V can choose to tell Jefferson the truth about his situation, causing him to decide to play along with his manipulators' plans until he sees an opportunity to expose them but potentially risking his life and the lives of his family, or tell him that the investigation only found that SSI had been receiving money from Holt among many other clients, which will leave him in the dark but gratify Elizabeth, who feared the shadowy organization would harm them if they resisted. Either way, the Peralez fire SSI and move to a new residence.

Epilogue
Peralez eventually wins the Night City mayoral election. His margin of victory and mental state differ depending on whether V told him the truth about SSI. If V lied and implicated Holt, Jefferson remains stable but continues to have his personality changed, and his friends mention the difference to reporters. He goes on to win the election with 70.7% of the total vote, and will later contact V to hire them as the head of his personal security as he prepares to unveil an anti-homelessness program and a tax hike.

If V told the truth about the conspiracy, Jefferson falls into a state of extreme paranoia. He wins with only a 49.3% plurality of the vote, and will later contact V to air his suspicions that his wife is part of the conspiracy.

NCITY.PERALEZ.PUB
Within the Heywood district network, accessed terminals will show, among the available NETDIR://NCITY.PUB a website dedicated to Jefferson's campaign called "Vote for Peralez!" The website is written in first person in a simplified language more akin to street talk, often using sentences that convey a relatable manner of speech, approaching the reader as if they were an old friend. A good portion of the website is biographical, using parts of Jefferson's early life to achieve a connection with the voters of Night City that still live that way.

Campaign
''I've always been an activist for social change. That's why I'm running for mayor of Night City, because I know what the people of this city need. I know because I'm one of them. Under the neat haircut and clean suit, I'm just a kid who grew up on the streets of Heywood. If anyone knows how hard it is to break out of the cicious cycle of poverty, it's me.''

''Thanks to the Night Foundation Scholarship, I had the privilege of studying at the Asukaga university in Berkeley. Out of thirty candidates, only five received full funding. I'm not saying this to brag, but because to this very day I think about all those who weren't so fortunate, about the millions who didn't get the same chance I did. Deep inside, I know I owe something to them - them and their children, who face the same barriers their parents did a generation ago.''

''In terms of the injustices facing us today, the runner-up to social immobility is corruption. We've put up with this city council and NCPD palm-greasing for far too long. Something has to be done. Something CAN be done. That's why I'm refusing support - financial or otherwise - from any large corporations. Only a mayor that's fully independent can bring about real change in this city, and together we can make that happen.''

Events
''Don't miss my appearance on Ziggy Q's late-night talk show! Ziggy needs no introduction - he's a journalist with his own quirks and opinions. I'm looking forward to an exciting talk!''

''Coming soon: press conference at City Hall. Come along, shake my hand, ask questions! Night City is YOUR city and I want to be your mayor. Peralez - the people's mayor!''

''Did you enjoy the Peralez campaign's newest commercial? If you haven't seen it yet, go look for it on the TV now! We hope you're as proud of it as we are!''

Get to know me
This tab contains the same text as the Campaign tab.

How can you help?
''How can you show your support? Firstly, you can donate money directly to our campaign finance account. Every month we publish reliable reports for every €$1 that we spend. Don't worry if you can only make a small contribution. If every Night Citizen donated €$1 a month, we would have €$12 million in 3 months!''

''Get involved! From putting up flyers to simply coming to rallies and campaign meetings, there are plenty of ways to show your support! Your positive energy and engagement is what will make this movement a SUCCESS!''

Database Entry

 * Lawyer, former district attorney and now a councilor on the Night City Council. He is currently running for mayor of Night City.
 * Jefferson was born into a poor family and was mostly raised by the streets. Despite that, he managed to get a scholarship and eventually a degree in law thanks to his discipline, his intelligence... OK, and maybe a bit of luck. Jefferson is a dyed-in-the-wool politician who can bring himself down (or up) to anyone's level, though he can be forceful when things get serious. In his heart of hearts he's an idealist who just wants every poor kid to get an education and have a better life.

Associated Quests

 * I Fought the Law
 * Dream On