Latest news with #RepublicanPolitics
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Johnson expected to announce for governor, Jackley ‘preparing to run' for Johnson's U.S. House seat
U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, left, and Republican South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley. (South Dakota Searchlight photos) With just under a year to go before the 2026 primary election, Republican political dominoes have begun to fall in South Dakota. U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson said Friday that he'll make a 'political announcement' Monday — widely expected to be a run for governor. Earlier Friday, state Attorney General Marty Jackley said he's 'preparing to run' for the seat Johnson will apparently vacate. Jackley made his announcement to KELOLAND news in a story published Friday morning, saying 'the fight is in Washington.' 'From fentanyl and methamphetamine pouring across the southern border to public corruption and wasteful spending in Washington, I want to work with President Trump to find solutions,' Jackley said in a KELO video. Hours later, Johnson sent a press release saying he'll make his own announcement at noon Monday at the Canopy by Hilton in Sioux Falls. He did not specify what he will announce. For Johnson, a run for governor would be the culmination of a political journey two decades in the making. The 48-year-old is in the midst of his fourth term in the U.S. House after previously serving as an elected member of South Dakota's Public Utilities Commission from 2004 to 2011. He served as chief of staff to then-Gov. Dennis Daugaard from 2011 to 2014 and then worked in the private sector for Vantage Point Solutions, a telecommunications company in Mitchell, prior to his election to Congress. Johnson brings a load of campaign cash to the race, with more than $6 million of total money spread among his federal campaign committee and several federal or state political action committees. Jackley, 54, previously served as U.S. attorney for South Dakota and then as attorney general, but his political career was interrupted by a loss to Kristi Noem in the 2018 Republican gubernatorial primary race. Jackley was again elected attorney general in 2022. It was Noem's departure from the governor's office in January — with two years left in her final term — that triggered the current maneuvering in the South Dakota Republican Party. Noem is now leading the federal Department of Homeland Security. Noem's lieutenant governor, Larry Rhoden, took over as governor and is serving the remainder of Noem's term. He has not announced whether he will seek the party's nomination for governor in the June 2026 primary. Two other candidates have already announced their bids for the Republican gubernatorial nomination: state House Speaker Jon Hansen and Aberdeen businessman Toby Doeden. Robert Arnold, a 19-year-old college student, has announced his intention to run for the Democratic nomination. Jackley is the first candidate to publicly announce his intention to run for the U.S. House. Jackley's announcement will trigger a race for attorney general. Other major offices up for election next year in South Dakota include the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Mike Rounds, who is expected to seek reelection. Democratic businessman and former state trooper Julian Beaudion is seeking his party's nomination to challenge Rounds. Brian Bengs, who ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat against U.S. Sen. John Thune in 2022, has said he will run as an independent next year against Rounds. Doeden joins race for governor with pledge to eliminate property taxes First candidate for governor focuses on property rights, spending and halting 'corporate welfare' Sioux Falls business owner and former state trooper announces Democratic bid for U.S. Senate Musk DOGE cuts motivate former U.S. Senate candidate to run again

Associated Press
27-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
US Sen. Tommy Tuberville announces 2026 bid for Alabama governor
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who entered politics after a successful career as a head football coach at Auburn and three other major college programs, announced Tuesday that he is running for governor of Alabama next year. His announcement on the Will Cain Show on Fox News followed weeks of speculation, and associates saying Tuberville planned to enter the race. 'I'm doing this to help this country and the great state of Alabama,' Tuberville said. The former coach is expected to be a formidable entry in the governor's race. Two-term Republican Gov. Kay Ivey cannot run again because of term limits. Tuberville harnessed fame from his college coaching days to win election to the U.S. Senate in 2020, casting himself as a political outsider closely aligned with President Donald Trump. 'God sent us Donald Trump,' Tuberville said during his campaign. Bill Armistead, the former chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, said Tuberville's presence will make other would-be candidates 'think twice' about jumping in the gubernatorial race. 'I would be very surprised if Senator Tuberville is not elected governor of the state of Alabama,' Armistead said. Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, who had been expected to run for governor, announced last week that he would not seek the office. In the 2020 Republican primary, Tuberville defeated former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who held the Senate seat for two decades before resigning to become Trump's attorney general in 2017. Months later, Tuberville defeated incumbent Doug Jones, who had been the first Alabama Democrat elected to the Senate in decades. During his time in the Senate, Tuberville has continued to align himself closely with Trump. In 2023, he maintained a monthslong blockade on military promotions over his opposition to a Pentagon policy that provided travel funds and support for troops and their dependents who seek abortions but are based in states where they are now illegal. Tuberville, a native of Arkansas, was the head football coach at Auburn from 1999 to 2008, where he led the team to eight consecutive bowl appearances and one Southeastern Conference championship. He also served as head coach at Mississippi, Texas Tech and the University of Cincinnati, retiring in 2016. He is sometimes referred to as 'Coach' instead of 'senator' by those that work with him. Club for Growth PAC last week preemptively week endorsed Tuberville in the governor's race 'should he announce his candidacy.' Tuberville faced questions about his residency in the 2020 Senate race, where his political opponents referred to him as a 'Florida man' or a 'tourist in Alabama' as they questioned if he lived in the state. The Alabama Constitution requires that governors must have been 'resident citizens of this state at least seven years next before the date of their election.' Property tax records show he owns a $270,000 home in Auburn, where he claims a homestead exemption, and a $4 million beach home in Walton County, Florida. Voting records show that Tuberville switched his voter registration from Florida to Alabama in 2019. He and his wife last voted in Florida on Nov. 6, 2018.