The plot is loosely inspired by the 2002 mayoral race in Newark, NJ, between Cory Booker and Sharpe James, and the award winning 2005 documentary about it, Street Fight. Unlike Dex, Booker survived the campaign and went on to become Mayor of Newark in 2006 and Senator in 2013.
Chadwick Boseman went on to have a huge career. He starred in Marvel's Black Panther (2018), playing the lead role of T'Challa. The film grossed $1,347,597,973 worldwide {yep, BILLION} He died August 28, 2020, from colon cancer.