Latest news with #gubernatorial
The Independent
15 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Kamala Harris plots her next political move after US election loss
Kamala Harris is exploring a gubernatorial bid in California, with a self-imposed decision deadline set for late summer. Many Democratic donors are hesitant about her potential candidacy, still affected by her 2024 presidential election defeat by Donald Trump. Concerns among some donors include reopening traumatizing memories of the 2024 election and questions regarding President Joe Biden 's health. Despite donor ambivalence, Harris's allies believe her strong fundraising network and name recognition would secure support for a gubernatorial run. Republicans are eager for Harris to enter the race, viewing it as an opportunity to highlight perceived issues with the Biden administration and President Joe Biden's health.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Alan Wilson, South Carolina's four-term Republican attorney general, enters 2026 governor's race
LEXINGTON, S.C. — Alan Wilson, the four-term Republican attorney general of South Carolina, kicked off his bid for the state's first open gubernatorial race in 16 years, setting up a 2026 GOP primary contest that's likely to be a heated competition for President Donald Trump's endorsement. Wilson held his debut campaign event at Hudson's Smokehouse in his hometown of Lexington, a barbecue restaurant that has long been a mainstay for both presidential and state-level candidates stumping in South Carolina.
Al Arabiya
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
In Virginia and New Jersey governor's races, Democrats reprise a 2018 roadmap for opposing Trump 2.0
Abigail Spanberger launched her Virginia gubernatorial campaign at her high school alma mater near Richmond. 'I grew up walking the halls of Tucker High School,' the former congresswoman says in her first ad since securing the Democratic nomination, as she walks past a bank of lockers. Later, she highlights her background as a CIA case officer and then as a 'tough-minded, get-things-done lawmaker' in Congress. A similar message is resonating in New Jersey, where Rep. Mikie Sherrill is also running for governor. Both women present themselves as Democrats capable of transcending the discord of Donald Trump's Washington. For national Democrats, who have deliberated for months on how to counter the former president's aggressive second administration, it's a reminder of what proved successful during Trump's first term. Spanberger and Sherrill were prominent figures in the 2018 wave of center-left Democrats who helped flip House control from Republicans, appealing to moderates, progressives, and even anti-Trump conservatives. Now, they lead statewide tickets in races that could offer Democrats a familiar path forward as they look toward next year's midterms. 'There are a lot of similarities in Democrats' current position and the 2018 campaigns,' said Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., who chaired his party's congressional campaign arm during Trump's first midterm election cycle. The 2018 Democratic freshman class gained a net 40 seats, with record numbers of women and numerous candidates with national security and business backgrounds. A similar effort yielded a net gain of six governorships. The party's 2018 winners also included outspoken progressives like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, elected in more liberal urban districts. But the balance of power shifted thanks to centrist candidates who carried the nation's suburbs and improved Democrats' performance in exurbs and even small-town, GOP-dominated areas. Among Spanberger's and Sherrill's freshman colleagues were Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA analyst who won a suburban Detroit seat before her election to the Senate last November; Rep. Jason Crow, a former Army officer who represents suburban Denver; and Rep. Angie Craig, who flipped a GOP-held seat in greater Minneapolis and is now running for Senate. Crow is now co-chairman of candidate recruitment for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Similar résumés are appearing among new Democratic recruits. In Michigan, Bridget Brink, former US ambassador to Ukraine, launched her bid for Slotkin's old 7th Congressional District, emphasizing her international experience as a counterpoint to Trump. Luján noted that the common thread has been recruiting 'real people – regular folks with incredible credentials and an ability to hold a real conversation with people around economic issues … around the kitchen table and campaign in any area.' So even as New Jersey's Sherrill labels her Republican opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, a 'Trump lackey' and Spanberger vows in a fundraising email to defeat 'Trump's agenda at the ballot box,' their broader appeal hinges on different arguments. Sherrill has emphasized her biography: Naval Academy graduate, Navy Sea King helicopter pilot, federal prosecutor, and mother of four. Her blue and gold yard signs feature a helicopter hovering above her name. She also promises an 'Affordability Agenda' to address voters' economic anxieties. Spanberger, part of the Problem Solvers Caucus during her time on Capitol Hill, stresses her deal-making centrism, pledges to address economic disparities, and has promised to campaign in every Virginia congressional district, including those where Trump has dominated. 'It's not the job of the governor of Virginia to cater to President Trump,' Spanberger said in a primary campaign speech. 'It's not the job of the governor of Virginia to cater to a political party.' In an Associated Press interview, Spanberger even criticized President Joe Biden for posturing by promising to eliminate student debt – something he couldn't achieve solely through presidential action. 'Don't make promises you can't keep,' she said. She also bristled when asked to define her political position, instead saying she sets goals by asking, 'How do I impact the most people in the fastest way possible?' Jared Leopold, a Democratic strategist who worked for the Democratic Governors Association during the 2018 cycle, noted that Spanberger and Sherrill avoid the internal party struggle among progressives, liberals, and moderates. 'Most voters aren't really thinking about things along a simple left-right political spectrum, especially in statewide races,' Leopold said. 'People are looking for politicians who they think understand them and can get things done to help them.' He cited another 2018 Democratic standout: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Now a potential 2028 presidential contender, Whitmer gained national attention as a state legislator who spoke out about abortion rights and her experience of being raped as a college student. But she became a force in the governor's race with what Leopold called a 'brilliant and simple slogan: 'Fix the damn roads!'' Democrats acknowledge that candidates' military and national security experience helps neutralize Republican attacks painting all Democrats as too liberal or out of touch. 'These credentials for how they've served the country – they're just sharing who they are,' Luján said. Leopold added, 'It certainly gives a different definition of what the Democratic Party is to some voters.' In Virginia, Republican nominee and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who, like Spanberger, would be the first woman to serve as the state's top elected official, is trying to link the Democratic nominee to her national party. Earle-Sears's social media frequently shares pictures of Spanberger and Biden together. She accuses Spanberger of effectively rubber-stamping Biden's legislative agenda while in Congress. 'Part of the challenge,' Spanberger counters, 'is that either my opponent or people who might be running anywhere who don't necessarily have things to run on are going to try and distract.' Spanberger, Sherrill, and similar Democrats hope that most voters will see through the GOP attacks and appreciate their own branding efforts, like Fred Martucci, a retired glazier who voted early in Trenton, New Jersey. The seventy-five-year-old expressed a strong dislike for Trump. Regarding Sherrill, he said, 'She was a Navy helicopter pilot. You can't be a dummy – she's sharp.'
Washington Post
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Former Michigan House speaker joins increasingly crowded GOP primary for Michigan governor
LANSING, Mich. — A former GOP state lawmaker who served as speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives is joining a crowded bench seeking the Republican nomination for the 2026 gubernatorial race in the battleground state. Tom Leonard , who served in the state Legislature from 2013 to 2018, announced his bid for governor Tuesday. He joins three other Republicans in the state who are seeking the office and likely also the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
Fox News
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Dem mayor arrested for trespassing ICE facility floated as pick for state's No 2 office
Despite losing his bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination last week, progressive Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was recently arrested outside an ICE facility during a protest, is likely not finished in New Jersey politics, according to political strategists from both sides of the aisle. According to a New Jersey political insider, Baraka is likely to even be tapped by the now-Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mikie Sherrill for the lieutenant governor role, the No. 2 spot in the state. Mayor of Newark since 2014, Baraka has garnered a reputation as a progressive. It was his arrest outside an ICE detention facility in Newark on May 9, however, that propelled him to the national stage. Baraka filed a lawsuit against U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba this month, accusing her of "false arrest and malicious prosecution" in connection with the incident. He was one of several public officials, including Democratic Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver and Bonnie Watson Coleman, who allegedly rushed past security through the gates of the facility with a group of protesters, according to officials from the Department of Homeland Security. The U.S. attorney's office has since dismissed the case against Baraka "for the sake of moving forward." Kenny Gonzalez, executive director of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, told Fox News Digital that "the day that his arrest happened, [Baraka] really did become a hero of New Jersey's Democrat Party." Baraka's campaign took full advantage of the moment, even beginning to send fundraising messages to supporters while he was still incarcerated, according to Politico. Politico reporter Matt Friedman posted a screenshot of a text message from Baraka's campaign that reads in all caps "RAS BARAKA HAS BEEN ARRESTED" and "Ras was at Delaney Hall today demanding entry into the ICE detention center where Trump and MAGA extremists are illegally detaining people." The message went on to say, "Ras is ready to do whatever it takes to stop Trump and protect New Jerseyans from his extreme agenda. We need you with us now more than ever. Donate now." Gonzalez explained that "almost every Democrat elected official, including all of his primary opponents for governor, came out against what had happened, calling it some sort of injustice and saying that it was wrong." "I do believe that we were correct in predicting that this stunt would actually boost him, and it really did," said Gonzalez. He said that though early polling had Baraka in a distant third place, the Newark mayor's performance, coming in second with 20.6% of the vote, "was really the big news of the night." "Mikie Sherrill spent millions and millions more dollars than he did. So it's no surprise that she emerged as the primary winner. But Ras Baraka was a distant third place, and he came in second," said Gonzalez. "So the stunt definitely boosted him, and I think to this day he remains very, very popular among the Democrat Party." "I wouldn't be surprised if Mikie Sherrill picks Ras Baraka to be her lieutenant governor candidate," he said. "He put up a formidable performance, and he's an African-American politician who has very deep ties to many urban communities," he went on. "Mikie Sherrill couldn't even win her own home county. So I think she should probably pick somebody who did." Gonzalez is optimistic that Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, can flip the New Jersey governorship back red. "What Ras Baraka did was he failed to fulfill his responsibility as mayor of Newark … he put illegal immigrants over Newark citizens," he said. "There are so many other issues that New Jerseyans face, such as high property taxes, unsafe neighborhoods, a school funding formula that hasn't worked in many years. So I believe that commonsense voters think that Ras Baraka should have focused his campaign a little bit more on that." Meanwhile, Kevin Hagan, a New Jersey Democratic political strategist and advisor, told Fox News Digital that "Baraka certainly created a campaign that not only gained attention but earned an impressive result of votes on Election Day." Hagan credited Baraka's success not to the Delaney Hall protest and arrest but to "his willingness to take on President Trump and his policies but also bring to the forefront issues important to the Democratic Party on education, affordability and quality of life in the state." Hagan said that based on how well Baraka ran his campaign, he should "certainly" at least "be considered as a potential candidate." "But what's important now is the Sherrill campaign and the congresswoman deciding on who is best to be her partner, to see the campaign's way to victory in November, but more importantly, a partner to govern in January," he said. On whether Democrats will be able to pull off a win in November, Hagan pointed out that over the last 32 years, New Jersey has been governed for 16 years by a Democrat and 16 years by a Republican. "So, from a partisan perspective," he said, "Democrats can take nothing for granted in their effort to maintain control of the governor's office."
