Latest news with #GovernorRace
Washington Post
2 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
New York governor's No. 2 is challenging her in next year's election
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado announced Monday that he will challenge his boss, Gov. Kathy Hochul, in the governor's race next year, months after a feud between the two Democrats erupted into public view. In a short campaign video, Delgado sought to introduce himself to voters, highlighting his educational background and offering a broad preview of his platform, saying 'what we need right here in New York is bold, decisive transformational leadership.'
New York Times
3 days ago
- General
- New York Times
New Jersey's Race for Governor: What to Know
Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey is barred by term limits from running for re-election, and the specter of an open seat has unleashed fierce battles among Democrats and Republicans hoping to succeed him. Before the general election in November, each party will choose a nominee in a June 10 primary. Mail-in voting began more than a month ago, and early in-person voting starts on Tuesday. Here's what you need to know: Who is running? Democrats will choose from among six prominent candidates. They are: Mayor Ras J. Baraka of Newark; Mayor Steven Fulop of Jersey City; Representative Josh Gottheimer, of the state's Fifth Congressional District; Representative Mikie Sherrill, of the 11th Congressional District; Sean Spiller, the president of the state's largest teachers' union, the New Jersey Education Association; and Stephen Sweeney, a former State Senate president. Mr. Spiller is the only candidate who failed to reach the $580,000 fund-raising threshold necessary to qualify for matching state funds and to participate in debates. He has benefited from an extensive advertising campaign paid for by a super PAC funded by dues contributed by his union's members. The Republican race features three prominent candidates: State Senator Jon M. Bramnick; Jack Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman; and Bill Spadea, a longtime radio host. Mario M. Kranjac, a former mayor of Englewood Cliffs; and Justin Barbera, a contractor, are also running. Each party held two state-sponsored debates. All were streamed live and can be viewed online. Early machine voting To cast a primary ballot, voters must be registered as a Democrat or Republican, or be prepared to declare a party affiliation. Voters can determine if they are already registered to vote by checking the state's elections website. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Associated Press
7 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Wrangling in New Jersey primaries tests messaging on Trump for November and beyond
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — In the waning days of New Jersey's contested primary for governor, Democratic and Republican candidates are offering a glimpse of where the general election campaign could go. They're grappling over the package of Trump tax breaks and program cuts recently passed by the House but characterizing it in dramatically different ways. Each side is using the measure as a cudgel against the other. Depending on which party's candidates are speaking, Trump is either a tax-cutting hero who is cleaning up the nation's broken immigration system and right-sizing the federal government, or a rogue president recklessly rounding up U.S. citizens, driving up federal debt and slashing benefits for older and sicker Americans without regard for the law or who gets hurt. That stark contrast in the two respective primaries suggests New Jersey voters will have clear decisions to make in the November general election — and that their choices, even in a state long dominated by Democrats, could signal how President Donald Trump's aggressive second term is playing nationwide. The wrangling in New Jersey comes before the June 10 primary in one of just two governors' contests this year. The other is in Virginia. Both are being looked at for signs of how Democrats will answer Trump's 2024 victory and his agenda and, for Republicans, as a fresh test of the president's popularity. The legislation Republicans call a 'big, beautiful bill' is front and center in the argument. In sparring over social media, Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill opposed the bill, while Republican Jack Ciattarelli talked up the benefits of its tax cuts. The two are widely seen as leading contenders for their parties' nominations. Sherrill said the bill would drive up costs and attempted to link Ciattarelli, a former state legislator, to health care and food assistance cuts. 'You are a yes-man for the MAGA agenda,' she wrote. Ciattarelli jabbed Sherrill over opposing what would amount to tax cuts for many residents. The tax cuts in the bill working its way through Congress are needed in New Jersey, he wrote, 'thanks to Democrats making NJ the highest taxed state in America.' Turning a page — but which one? The sniping could persist to the general election, experts say. Democrats are eager to blame the president and his party for unpopular cuts to social safety net programs and the GOP is looking to pin economic difficulties on Democrats, who've been in charge of state government for eight years. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy is term-limited after winning twice. In a climate where voters can be restless for change, some say it's a matter of what they will decide to be against. 'The real question will be do they hate Phil Murphy more or Donald Trump more?' said Julie Roginsky, a longtime Democratic campaign strategist, 'Are they looking to turn the page on Phil Murphy or Donald Trump?' Along with Sherrill, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Mayors Ras Baraka of Newark and Steven Fulop of Jersey City, former Senate President Steve Sweeney and teacher's union executive Sean Spiller are locked in what appears to be a competitive contest for the Democratic nomination. Sherill has the backing of several influential county parties. But the contest is unfolding in a new era, after the downfall of the county party line, a unique-to-New Jersey practice in which local parties were able to give their preferred candidates favorable ballot placement. And with each of the Democratic candidates marshaling support from different parts of the party base, it can be hard to tell who's in the lead. 'I'm looking at the polls with a little more skepticism simply because how the landscape has changed,' said Montclair State University political science professor Brigid Callahan Harrison. The primary field A common thread among Democrats has been scalding criticism of the president and Republicans in Washington. Baraka made national headlines when he was arrested on a federal trespassing charge that was later dropped when he went to inspect an immigration detention center in Newark. Sherrill, Gottheimer and Spiller went to the site of the arrest later in a show of support and to demonstrate their opposition to the president's immigration crackdown. On the GOP side, the race changed significantly after Trump endorsed Ciattarelli, giving his seal of approval to the small business owner and former state lawmaker who once called the president a 'charlatan.' Ciattarelli has more recently embraced the president, whose endorsement is widely seen as a knockout blow in the GOP primary. Other Republicans in the contest have not, for the most part, disavowed the president, whose influence is hard to miss in the candidates' rhetoric. Former 101.5 talk radio host Bill Spadea has talked about replicating the Department of Government Efficiency in New Jersey. Former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac casts himself as a long-time, true Trump loyalist. State Sen. Jon Bramnick is alone in criticizing the president, particularly his pardons of those convicted in the Jan. 6 , 2021, Capitol insurrection, but even he has supported Trump's push to end so-called sanctuary policies. Justin Barbera, a contractor from Burlington County, will also be on the ballot for Republicans. 'Something about the office of governor' New Jersey has been reliably Democratic in presidential and Senate contests for decades, but Republicans do better in governors' contests, with each of the last three GOP governors winning two terms. Democrats have struggled to find a message since Trump's victory last year, with the winner of the New Jersey primary poised to attract a national spotlight as the party seeks to build on special election victories, even among GOP voters. Republicans hope Democrats' eight years of state government control will result in voters taking any frustrations they feel out against the party in power in Trenton rather than on Trump. New Jersey has seen its Democratic voter registration dip from about 1 million more than Republicans to roughly 800,000 more. Unaffiliated voters — those without a party, sometimes called independents— rival the Democrats' advantage. Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, suggested Democrats can't be complacent. 'One of the things we have to remember is there's something about the office of governor,' he said. 'Voters are looking for something beyond ideology when it comes to our governors. They want executive administration skills — and sometimes they are willing to vote for Republicans.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spanberger leads Earle-Sears in latest pair of Virginia polls
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — The election that will determine Virginia's next Governor is less than six months away and two polls released Thursday provided an update on where things are trending. The latest polls from Roanoke College and Pantheon/HarrisX both show Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger ahead of Republican nominee and current Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears. The Roanoke College poll puts Spanberger's lead at 17 points, with 28 percent of voters still undecided. But Spanberger has just four points of separation in the Pantheon/HarrisX poll. Virginia Tech political science professor Dr. Karen Hult said the discrepancy is not that shocking. 'Some of it has to do with the fact that they're very different polls in terms of how they identify people to ask questions of,' she said. But Hult and Liberty University professor of Government Aaron S. Van Allen feel differently about which margin reflects a more accurate picture. 'I was a little taken back by a 17-point spread,' said Van Allen. 'I think based on some of the data that I've seen, that may be a little bit high.' Van Allen projected a margin within the range of four-to-seven points, but Hult disagrees. New campaign finance reports show Spanberger with $7 million advantage over Sears in Va. Governor race 'I would be inclined to think at this point that the Roanoke College poll is closer to what I think may well be going on,' said Hult. The Roanoke College poll says one-in-five people do not feel like they know enough about the two candidates to make a decision yet. Meanwhile, the Pantheon/HarrisX poll identified strong partisan bases for each candidate, with 91 percent of Democrats supporting Spanberger, and 92 percent of Republicans backing Earle-Sears. Van Allen said those numbers point to the role of independent and undecided voters in determining this race. 'Those are big numbers,' he said. 'Any time that you get 90-plus percent of folks that are saying, 'I'm definitely voting for this person,' that means those voters on the fringes, or those independent voters, they're going to be the final nail in the coffin so to speak in making that decision.' Hult and Van Allen are watching voter perception of Republican leadership as well. Both of the latest polls offered different numbers, but similar conclusions, on approval ratings for President Donald Trump and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. Roanoke College had the Governor's approval rating at the lowest mark any of their polls had showed so far, at 46 percent. Meanwhile, the President was down to 31 percent approval. The Pantheon/HarrisX poll had higher approval for both with Youngkin at 54 percent and Trump at 44 percent. But both Hult and Van Allen agree that confidence in Republican leadership has dipped, and that could impact the race for Governor. 'President Trump's approval levels have been declining nationally relatively recently,' said Hult. 'And to some extent because of the nationalization of politics, one would expect then that Governor Youngkin's would go down as well.' 'I think that voters are ultimately going to have to decide with whom are they aligning with more,' said Van Allen. 'Are they going to align Winsome Earle-Sears more so with Governor Youngkin or are they going to align her more with President Trump.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who will be Alabama's next governor? The latest look at who's in and out of the race
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – 2026 is shaping up to be a big election year for the state. Many local offices will be on the ballot, as well as our next governor. Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth announced Wednesday morning he will not be entering the race for governor. With Ainsworth's announcement, many eyes are now on Senator Tommy Tuberville. He's previously said he'll announce his decision by the end of May. With less than two weeks left in the month, some political experts believe Tuberville will be officially entering the race for governor early next week. 'Qualifying is not until next February. It's Alabama politics, anything can happen between now and next February, but I don't see a strong challenger in the Republican Primary,' said former state representative Paul DeMarco. DeMarco says Senator Tuberville's name recognition and party popularity makes him a strong candidate for governor. He says these factors will also help him get any funding needed to run a statewide campaign. 'I think at this point, he clears the field for the Republican Primary for governor, and so then all eyes are on what happens in the U.S. Senate race to replace him, what happens in some of the other down ballot races, lieutenant governor, attorney general, some of the congressional seats,' he said. 'So, I think the dominoes will fall when he officially announces, which could be any day now.' While some are wondering which Republicans could stand up against Tuberville, others look right to the Democratic side of the ticket and who could put up a solid fight on the other side of the aisle. 'We have two folks on the Democratic side who have announced for governor, but this is very, very early. We believe there will be a whole lot more activity on our side,' Wayne Rodgers, chair of the Jefferson County Democratic Party, said. 'Dr. Will Boyd has announced he's running. A guy named Chad Martin from south Alabama has announced that he's running. There's a possibility that our good friend Doug Jones may be running for governor. It would be a rematch with Tommy Tuberville from 2020.' 'Alabama's a red state, Senator Tuberville's very popular, I don't think any Democrat can beat him,' DeMarco said. 'I know Senator Doug Jones is out there talking about potentially running for him, but I mean, in the past, Republicans have won 60-40 in statewide races. Governor Ivey did that several years ago, I don't see that changing.' Some voters around Birmingham weighed in on who they want to see in the position next. 'Just that, you know, care for the community, they care about the state and just pushing forward. Just a genuine, good person,' Birmingham resident Jimmy Carter Jr. said. 'You want somebody that thinks like you, in a positive way though.' 'Doug Jones, please run against Tuberville. He needs to go,' Center Point resident Roderick Johnson said. 'Mayor Woodfin, if he would run, he's been a great mayor of Birmingham. I see the improvement. Crime is improving with the new police chief, so definitely Mayor Woodfin. That's a long shot, him being a Democrat and a black man in Alabama, but it can happen.' Candidates are able to begin fundraising and campaigning now. The primary election will be on May 19 next year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
