Twinkle Cavanaugh leaves Public Service Commission for Trump administration job
Snow falls on the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery amid rare winter weather on Jan. 21, 2025. (Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector)
Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh will step down as president of Alabama's Public Service Commission to take a role in President Donald Trump's administration, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Cavanaugh will serve as the state director of rural development in Alabama.
According to the press release, Cavanaugh will 'affirm the mission of the Trump Administration by focusing on finding ways to empower rural America and unleash economic prosperity.'
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
A message seeking comment was left Tuesday with Gina Maiola, a spokeswoman for Gov. Kay Ivey, who is responsible for appointing the interim president. According to al.com, Maiola said the governor will appoint someone 'in the coming days.'
Cavanaugh, a former chair of the Alabama Republican Party, was first elected to the Public Service Commission in 2010. In 2012, she was elected president of the commission, defeating Lucy Baxley, who at the time was the last Democrat holding statewide office in Alabama.
The Public Service Commission is the state's utility regulator, though critics have long accused it of being passive toward the companies it oversees. The PSC since 1982 has operated under a system that guarantees utilities a profit, a process different from a formal rate hearing, where an entity must justify any rate increases.
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
32 minutes ago
- Fox News
Durbin obstruction threat chills Senate as Trump nominees hang in balance
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., used his opening remarks during the Senate's first judicial nominee hearing of the year on Wednesday to remind his colleagues that he was holding up at least one of President Donald Trump's Department of Justice nominees. "I've got a hold on one nominee from Florida," Durbin said. "I've spoken to both Florida senators about it. It isn't personal. We've got to find a way out of this that is fair and bipartisan that we're going to stick with for both political parties." Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is blocking the nomination of Jason Reding Quinones, Trump's choice to lead the U.S. attorney's office in the Southern District of Florida. Durbin also recently threatened to obstruct more of Trump's picks to lead the DOJ's 93 U.S. attorney's offices. Durbin's threat loomed over the committee hearing, which featured five of Trump's nominees to fill federal judge positions. The Illinois Democrat attributed his blockade to Vice President JD Vance announcing a hold on DOJ nominees in 2023. Vance, then a senator, said he would not lift his hold on nominees until then-Attorney General Merrick Garland stopped "going after his political opponents," a reference to the two federal prosecutions of Trump. Any senator has the power to use holds to object to nominations. The practice significantly slows down the confirmation process because it prevents senators from voting for nominees through the typical, expedited unanimous consent process. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, argued Wednesday that, like Durbin, he too disagreed with Vance's decision, but Grassley said it was notably different than Durbin's. "This isn't what you can legitimately call a precedent for blanket obstruction at the beginning of an administration before even a single one of these 93 U.S. attorneys have been filled," Grassley said. Grassley, who himself has hindered nominees in past administrations, said holds should be used "selectively" and quoted Durbin saying last Congress that "public safety will suffer across the United States" if the obstruction of U.S. attorneys is carried out. Durbin said Vance changed the rules "overnight." "And guess what? The tables turn," Durbin said. "There comes a time when you want to move these by voice vote, and we're going to have to say, as Democrats, we're going to follow the Vance precedent." Durbin, who has an amicable relationship with Grassley, signaled he was willing to come to negotiate with Republicans over the Florida nominee, who has already been favorably reported out of the committee along party lines. Asked by Fox News Digital what a resolution would look like, a Durbin spokeswoman pointed to the senator's remarks during the hearing and declined to comment further. Durbin's hold is not the only roadblock for Trump's nominees. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday from the Senate floor that Republicans wanted to "quietly rubber-stamp" Patrick Davis' nomination and that he would not allow it. Trump nominated Davis, a former Grassley aide, to serve as assistant attorney general for the Office of Legislative Affairs, who is responsible for handling DOJ's correspondence with Congress. Schumer said he opposed Davis' nomination in part because the DOJ has been unresponsive to his inquiries about the controversial luxury plane that Qatar gifted to the Trump administration. "They won't even answer serious questions about this. This plane should be withdrawn," Schumer said. He added that when "this Justice Department is as horrible as it is, as political as it is, as destructive of American values as it has been, no way." Grassley responded to Schumer on X: "Why would Democrats expect responsiveness to Congress from DOJ when they obstruct Pres Trump's nominees who r responsible to ANSWER THEIR LTTRS????" The last two Senate-confirmed heads of the Office of Legislative Affairs, during the Biden administration and first Trump administration, were confirmed through the speedy voice vote process.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former Lexington councilman latest Kentucky Dem to launch campaign for Congress
Former Lexington councilman David Kloiber is the second Democrat to announce a bid to flip Kentucky's 6th Congressional District from red to blue next year. Kloiber's plan is to bring 'common sense back to the Commonwealth' by emphasizing in Washington the importance of increasing access to affordable housing, alleviating high costs of health care, creating jobs and providing quality public education. 'Common sense means I'm focused on the core issues that impact people day-to-day,' Kloiber told the Herald-Leader ahead of his Wednesday morning launch. '... We need someone who is going to take our community's issues to Washington instead of the other way around and bringing Washington's rhetoric here.' Kloiber previously represented District 6 on the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council from 2020 until 2022. That district includes neighborhoods in the city's Winchester Road corridor, Hamburg area and parts of Bryan Station. He's a Lexington native and graduate of Lexington Catholic High School and the University of Kentucky. In 2022, he ran an unsuccessful mayoral campaign against incumbent Linda Gorton who is now in her second term. Gorton received 71% of the vote. Kloiber took second with 29%. During that race, Kloiber gave $630,000 of his own money to his campaign, much of which came from loans from his family's generational wealth and a trust in his name. Just before Election Day that year, Kloiber had raised $644,055 and Gorton had raised $152,860. In conceding, Kloiber said, 'The biggest thing has always been name recognition, just to show people that there's an alternative. Now, it's all about reaching out, making those connections, and letting people know what it would mean to vote for somebody else.' During his run for mayor, Kloiber had a similar lineup of ideas to his current run for Congress. He's said then and now the city and area lacks appropriate workforce development infrastructure like job training facilities, housing close to where people work and good schools in every neighborhood. 'All politics is local,' Kloiber said. 'And too often we get caught up in national things that might not even impact us.' The former councilman runs the Kloiber Foundation, a nonprofit providing students and teachers in Fayette County Public Schools and surrounding counties with necessary technology. Outside of that, Kloiber said he has a leadership role in an investment management firm that has bankrolled new factories, upgrades to cattle ranches, hotel renovations and helped tech companies get their start. 'I know everyone has their own reasons for being here today, but my reasons are very simple,' Kloiber said during his campaign launch speech Wednesday at Elite Printing. 'They're the same ones that have driven me to do everything I've done in my life and that's make sure the place I live is the best it can be for my kids, my family and my community. 'I'm driven to ensure that every tomorrow shows more opportunities than every today.' He said if he wins the seat, he would pull from previous job creation experience to get more Kentuckians well paying work that is compatible to the area. Everything else part of his 'core pillar,' like housing access and curbing the costs of prescriptions, would hopefully fall in line once the jobs come, he said. During his campaign launch Wednesday, Kloiber said in Congress, the 'small caucuses being able to make a large impact by figuring out where and when their votes matter' makes all the difference and is what will 'allow us to get those results-driven policies that we need here in Kentucky.' Kloiber's announcement rings similar to early campaigning from the other Democrat in the race, former Lexington state representative Cherlynn Stevenson. 'I want to follow that blueprint,' said Kloiber of the way Gov. Andy Beshear has redefined what it means to be a Democrat leading what's an otherwise Republican state. Andy Barr, the longtime congressman, has held onto the 6th District seat since 2013. Since a close three-point victory in 2018 over Democrat Amy McGrath, he has won his last three elections by an average of 24 percentage points. President Donald Trump won the district by about 15 percentage points in the last election. But as Kloiber pointed out — and is hoping will help his own campaign — Beshear previously won the district by about 20 percentage points. Kloiber said he would spend the next few summer months 'traveling the district, hearing from residents and incorporating their experiences, their problems and their solutions into a comprehensive, common sense plan that's going to put people ahead of politics.' 'I think that up until very recently, he [Barr] really did reach out and try to appeal to those common issues,' Kloiber said during his launch. 'Now, I can't speak for what he's doing in his run for Senate, but I think that by reaching out to voters where they are on the issues they care about, that's the key to success.' Kloiber's name has been floated to fill the seat after a leading campaign committee for U.S. House Democrats said Kentucky's 6th Congressional District was back in play for the party. On Tuesday, nonpartisan election predictor Sabato's Crystal Ball shifted its rating for the seat from 'safe Republican' to 'likely Republican' as more Democrats show interest in the seat and due in part to the passage of cuts to Medicaid and food assistance programs likely to impact how voters decide who represents them. The Herald-Leader previously reported Kentucky Democratic Party Executive Director Morgan Eaves has not denied interest in the job. Party chair Colmon Elridge has also been mentioned as a potential candidate. Federal prosecutor Zach Dembo and former secretary of state Allison Lundergan Grimes have also been mentioned. State Rep. Ryan Dotson, R-Winchester, has announced he's running for the seat. Republicans who could also be contenders include other state legislators like: Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington; Rep. Deanna Gordon, R-Richmond; Rep. Matt Lockett, R-Nicholasville; and Sen. Donald Douglas, R-Nicholasville.
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Democrat Beshear renews push for universal preschool in Kentucky
Gov. Andy Beshear appeared before a joint session of the House and Senate on Jan. 8, 2025 to deliver his State of the Commonwealth address. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Arden Barnes) Gov. Andy Beshear has signed an executive order to establish an advisory committee to explore support for universal pre-kindergarten programs in Kentucky. Beshear, a Democrat, has long supported implementing universal pre-K statewide. He again called on Republicans in the state legislature supermajority to fund such initiatives in his State of the Commonwealth Address earlier this year. However, top Republicans said their caucuses don't have a consensus on the matter. The executive order creates the Team Kentucky Pre-K for All Advisory Committee with 28 members representing experience in business, workforce development and education. Jamie Link, the secretary of the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet is the chair of the committee. Other members include Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher, Council on Postsecondary Education President Aaron Thompson and former state lawmakers, both Democratic and Republican. Beshear announced the 'Pre-K for All' initiative with local leaders in Louisville Wednesday. The city launched a five-year plan for universal pre-K last year. The governor emphasized a need to offer all Kentucky 4-year-olds pre-K programs to increase kindergarten readiness. ''We are here, not as Democrats or Republicans, not as part of the right or the left,' Beshear said in a statement. 'Instead, we are here as parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, educators and business leaders. We are here because we want the best for our Kentucky kids, the best for our Kentucky parents and caregivers, and we want to build and maintain the best workforce in America.' The Kentucky Center for Statistics says that 53.8% of Kentucky children are not prepared for kindergarten on the first day of school. Beshear also said that 18 states, including Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia and West Virginia, offer pre-K access to 4-year-olds — further underscoring that he views the issue as nonpartisan. The advisory committee will hold public meetings throughout Kentucky and create a report on feedback heard by Oct. 15. That's a few weeks ahead of the beginning of the 2026 legislative session, which is when lawmakers will begin debating the next two-year state budget. Beshear, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and senior adviser Rocky Adkins will travel across the state in the coming days to highlight the 'Pre-K for All' initiative.
