Latest news with #governor
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Second Johnson County lawmaker enters Democratic primary for Kansas governor
A second Johnson County Democratic lawmaker has taken the plunge and announced a bid to become the next governor of Kansas. State Sen. Ethan Corson of Fairway joined Overland Park Sen. Cindy Holscher in the primary field, launching his campaign in an official statement Tuesday. 'I'm a lifelong Kansan, a dad with young kids, and a proud product of our public schools,' said Corson, 43. 'I'm running for governor to create opportunity for the next generation of Kansans, so they can build a life here.' In short, he said, that means making sure Kansas has both the best schools in America and the most affordable housing options. In a separate news release Tuesday morning, Lt. Gov. David Toland — long rumored to harbor gubernatorial aspirations — announced that he would not seek the job, choosing instead to focus on economic development work in his other role as commerce secretary. Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat who can't run again due to term limits, appeared to throw her weight behind Corson's candidacy in a post to X that stopped just short of an explicit endorsement. 'When I think about the type of leader Kansas will need to keep us on the path to prosperity — it's someone laser focused on the issues Kansans really care about,' Kelly said. 'Someone who understands how to bring people together to get good things done for Kansas. That's exactly who Ethan Corson is.' Holscher also welcomed him to the race. 'The more the merrier! Kansans deserve to hear from all the candidates,' Holscher said in a campaign statement. 'I'm confident that voters will learn I'm the best choice in this race, because I've proven I know how to fight, win, and move Kansas forward.' Besides Corson and Holscher, the only other Democrat who has filed to run is Marty Tuley, a Lawrence personal fitness trainer. Deep Johnson County field With Corson's entrance into the race, half of the 12 candidates vying to succeed Kelly live in Johnson County. On the Republican side, former Gov. Jeff Colyer, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, former County Commissioner Charlotte O'Hara and conservative podcaster Doug Billings all hail from the state's wealthiest and most populous county. Excluding Colyer, who became governor in 2018 after Sam Brownback's resignation, Kansas last elected a Johnson County governor in 1975. A Johnson County Democrat hasn't served as chief executive in over a century. The county has long fought to shake the reputation that its candidates are out of touch with rural Kansas voters. Officials with both parties and some independent commentators say the paradigms that have held Johnson County candidates back in the past may be shifting. Who is Ethan Corson? Corson was first elected to the Senate in 2020, cruising to re-election by nearly 30 percentage points last November. He's pitching himself to voters as a bipartisan problem solver. Corson, who serves as a ranking member on the Senate's tax, transportation and judiciary committees, said he's always been focused 'on the kitchen table issues that matter to Kansans: strong public schools and lower taxes for working and middle-class families.' Among his legislative achievements, Corson cites his votes to help eliminate the state tax on groceries, remove taxes on Social Security and deliver targeted tax relief for seniors, veterans and middle-class Kansans. In impassioned speeches on the Senate floor this spring, Corson squared off against Republican lawmakers over their decision to create an automatic mechanism for lowering state income tax rates without first passing the property tax reform they promised to combat soaring valuations. Corson has also been an outspoken opponent of the Republican-backed constitutional amendment proposal aiming to reshape the Kansas Supreme Court by switching to direct election of justices. Corson attended Washington University in St. Louis, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science and journalism before returning for a law degree. After graduating, Corson worked as an attorney in Washington D.C., going on to serve as a senior advisor to Obama-era Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and as chief of staff at the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration. According to his release, in that role, Corson helped manage a team of over 2,200 employees across 75 countries — 'experiences that gave Ethan a perspective on how to recruit businesses to Kansas and how to help Kansans, especially our farmers, ship their products around the world.' Corson returned to Kansas in 2019 to serve a stint as executive director of the state Democratic Party. 'But for Ethan, it all comes back to public education,' the release says. 'It's the education Ethan received in the Shawnee Mission School District — and the teachers and coaches who touched his life — that made his path possible.' Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
7th District's Tom Tiffany teases potential run for Wisconsin governor
WASHINGTON – 7th District Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany has not yet said whether he plans to join the GOP primary for governor. But he's been happy to tease a run after pushing back his timeline for a potential announcement. Tiffany recently tweeted out a picture of himself holding a crappie after a conservative website demanded that "all future Wisconsin gubernatorial candidates prove they know how to hold a fish." And he's hinted at a potential statewide campaign in more concrete ways: The website domain name " leads directly to his current congressional campaign site. That site's homepage labels Tiffany a "proven conservative for Wisconsin." The hints are not unusual or new for the third-term congressman from Wisconsin's northwestern 7th Congressional District, whose office is located in Wausau. But they represent the latest moves for one of the only Republicans still publicly considering a 2026 gubernatorial run. Tiffany recently told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he'd make his decision "after July." Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann was the first Republican to enter the race in May, and Bill Berrien, a Navy SEAL veteran and manufacturing CEO from Whitefish Bay, launched his own campaign earlier this month. State Senate President Mary Felzkowski, former U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde and former U.S. Senate and governor candidate Tim Michels are also considering bids, though Tiffany is the only person in that group to publicly express interest in a gubernatorial campaign. More: Statewide 'Good Trouble' protests include several central Wisconsin events "I'm gonna make a decision after July here, and we'll see," Tiffany told the Journal Sentinel last week when asked about his thinking. He previously said he would make a decision after the April 1 state Supreme Court race before extending that timeline to the summer. "I'm steadily, methodically going through the process." Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is expected to decide whether to seek reelection in the coming weeks. Tiffany has claimed that Evers's decision won't factor into his consideration of a gubernatorial run and said his choice "is not predicated on" who is running on the Republican side, either. "It is, where can I do the most good for the people of the state of Wisconsin? Do I believe I'm the best candidate on our side to be able to win this race? That's the decision points for me," Tiffany said last week. He's repeatedly and publicly attacked Evers on both on social media and in his weekly constituent newsletter over immigration and Democrats' pushback on President Donald Trump's priorities. Still, Tiffany's moves are not new. He previously purchased website domain names as he considered a 2024 U.S. Senate bid against Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, though he never launched a campaign. Multiple local GOP leaders in the 7th District have said they are uncertain Tiffany will make a move for governor. Tiffany raised a little more than $147,000 in the first half of 2025 and had about $124,859 in cash on hand in his House campaign account, according to Federal Election Commission records. Schoemann raised a little over $424,000 since launching his campaign in May, and Berrien's political action committee raked in more than $1 million before Berrien formally entered the race this month. A spokeswoman for Tiffany this week called securing the gubernatorial website domain name "standard practice for campaigns and public officials" and said it would prevent the site "from being used for nefarious purposes." The domain name, she said, was purchased in April 2023 — the same day Tiffany bought the domain names for a potential Senate run. And the campaign threw cold water on any idea that the post featuring Tiffany holding the crappie was a subtle campaign announcement. "Congressman Tiffany has not made a decision regarding a future run," the spokeswoman said on July 21, "and any announcement will come at a later time." This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 7th District Rep. Tom Tiffany teases a run for Wisconsin governor
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kansas Sen. Ethan Corson joins Democratic primary for Kansas governor
Kansas State Sen. Ethan Corson, D-Fairway, announced July 22 he's running for governor, becoming the third Democrat to seek the office. In a press release, Corson said his campaign will focus on "kitchen table issues" like decreasing taxes, recruiting new businesses to the state and improving public schools. 'I've always been laser-focused on the kitchen table issues that matter to Kansans: strong public schools and lower taxes for working and middle-class families,' Corson said. 'I'm not interested in the partisan battles you see on cable news — Kansans want leaders who work together — regardless of political party — to get things done. "That's exactly what I've done in the State Senate, and that's the kind of common-sense, bipartisan leadership I'll bring to the Governor's Office.' Corson won his Senate seat in 2020 and was reelected in 2024. He was the first Democrat to win the district. He is the Democrats' ranking minority member in the transportation, judiciary and assessment and taxation committees. In his announcement, his campaign highlighted bipartisan bills he worked on that eliminated the sales tax on groceries, cut property taxes and removed taxes on Social Security payments. Corson is a lawyer and previously worked at the U.S. Department of Commerce and was the chief of staff at the International Trade Administration. Kansas governor releases statement on Corson Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly posted on social media supporting Corson. The statement was short of a full endorsement but did call him "the type of leader Kansas will need to keep us on the path to prosperity." "When I think about the type of leader Kansas will need to keep us on the path to prosperity — it's someone laser focused on the issues Kansans really care about. Someone who understands how to bring people together to get good things done for Kansas. That's exactly who Ethan Corson is," Kelly posted on X. She went on to call him an advocate for attracting jobs to the state, funding public schools and affordable housing, child care and health care. "Ethan also played a critical role in axing the food sales tax and lowering property taxes. He'll be a very strong candidate," Kelly said. Kelly didn't make a similar statement about Kansas Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, who announced her campaign last month. More than 10 candidates are running for Kansas governor Corson faces Holscher and fitness trainer Marty Tuley in the August 2026 Democratic Primary. On the Republican ticket, at least eight candidates have announced campaigns, including Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt and former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer. This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas Democratic State Senator joins governor race
Wall Street Journal
a day ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Thai Cabinet Names New Central Bank Chief
Thailand's cabinet has named the next central bank governor, picking dovish Vitai Ratanakorn over Deputy Gov. Roong Poshyananda Mallikamas. Vitai is set to take the reins of the Bank of Thailand on Oct. 1, according to a statement from the prime minister's office on Tuesday. Pending a final approval, Vitai will succeed BOT Gov. Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput, whose five-year term ends Sept. 30.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Washoe County Democrat challenging Ford in 2026 governor's race
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Washoe County Democrat has confirmed she is running for governor, according to a Northern Nevada newspaper. Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill told the Reno Gazette-Journal she would challenge Aaron Ford for the Democratic nomination. Her official announcement is expected before the end of August. Ford, currently serving as Nevada attorney general, was previously the only Democrat in the race, although former Gov. Steve Sisolak and others are considering a run. The Democratic primary winner is likely to face Gov. Joe Lombardo, who faces Republican challenger Irina Hansen of Las Vegas. Hill was elected to her commission seat in 2020, and won re-election in 2024. Both victories were by wide margins. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
