Giorchani On The Rebound, Polls Show

Conservative Gubernatorial Candidate Still Trailing Opponent, But Improving

HARLYNE, HVN--Julia Giorchani, the conservative candidate for Harvannah governor, is closing the gap between her and NAT candidate Mark Andres.

Giorchani has been trailing Andres by 10-15 points for the past several months. That deficit is in part due to the entry of DR candidate Bernie Olsen, who has stolen much of Giorchani's support.

But now, according to recent polls, Giorchani is lessening Andres' lead, primarily by reaching out to female voters. In a recent poll conducted by the Harlyne Sun newspaper, Giorchani led Andres with female voters 53%-47%. She also has been using her experience as Harvannah's District Attorney to bolster her qualifications for governor. In the same poll, Giorchani was viewed as the strongest candidate on crime by 61% of respondents.

Giorchani has struggled to gain support since the beginning of her campaign, even from fellow conservatives, chiefly because of her conservative views on issues such as gay marriage and her opposition to environmental protection. She does hold some more moderate positions, however, particularly her pro-choice stance on abortion and her openness to stem-cell research. But her conservative positions don't line up with the more progressive views of Harvannah's conservative voters, who tend to be fiscal conservatives by more liberal no social issues.

Adding to Giorchani's problems, many conservative politicians have abandoned her campaign and chosen to endorse the more liberal Bernie Olsen, who has years of experience as a former state legislator, and ambassador under Presidents Houston and Edinough.

"The party clearly is not unified," David Wilkins, a conservative state senator from Harvannah told the STAR network.

But Giorchani's campaign disagrees with Wilkins' assessment.

"We believe that at the end of the day, on election day, the vast majority of the Conserviatve Party will rally around Julia and support her in the voting booth," spokesman Jared Camens said.

Throughout the campaign, both Giorchani and Olsen have been pressured to drop out of the race in an effort to unify conservatives for the June 4th election. Both have refused, citing their ability to defeat Andres.

The candidates are now in full campaign-mode, campaigning relentlessly in the final days before the election. Both Julia Giorchani and Bernie Olsen predict victory against Andres, though the polls show that will be a difficult task.

Crouwsky Recovering After Suffering Heart Attack

D-R Icon In Stable Condition At Damoign Hospital

MAVOCKE, DMG--Delegate Sheila Crouwsky (DR-POG) is recovering today after suffering a heart attack last night.

Crouwsky was sleeping at her Mavocke home when she awoke with chest pains, a spokeswoman said. Her husband Gary called 9-1-1, and she was subsequently taken by ambulance to St. Luke's Medical Center, where she was admitted to the emergency room immediately.

According to the delegate's spokeswoman Lacey Keon, Crouwsky was treated by on-call physician Dr. David Attwood, who immediately conducted cardiac and respiratory tests. Attwood then cleared her to leave the emergency room and she was given general admittance.

Doctor Attwood spoke with the media this morning, and said that Ms. Crouwsky suffered a moderately severe heart attack. She was not at a high risk for death upon arrival at the hospital, but she could have sustained much worse injuries had she not been treated right away.

"Delegate Crouwsky is doing fine right now. She did suffer a heart attack last night, but fortunately she was treated right away and we were able to prevent any serious injuries from happening," Attwood said.

Crouwsky's colleagues in the House of Delegates have felt her absence tremendously.

"Sheila is a legend in this House," said Delegate James Owen-Wilson (N-REM). "We miss her and hope that she is okay."

House Majority Leader Delegate Joan Fhonda (C-DES) also expressed similar sentiments, saying the entire body "wishes her a speedy and smooth recovery."

Crouwsky is an icon in Grassadellan politics. She has served in the House of Delegates for twenty four years, and before that served in the National Assembly for sixteen years. She was the first Democratic-Reformist woman to serve in the House of Delegates.

Crouwsky had already decided not to seek re-election to her POG seat this year. It is unclear when she will be able to return to work.

Almone, King Tour Tornado-Ravaged POG And MON

Lawmakers Request Federal Funding Following Deadly Tornadoes

STANSVILLE, POG--At least 16 people were killed and dozens more injured after a series of deadly tornadoes ripped through southern POG and Monomi on Tuesday.

As many as eleven tornadoes were reported in the region on Tuesday following a severe weather alert issued by the National Weather Bureau. Three communities, Stansville, POG; Janiceburg, POG; and Marionsville, Monomi were hit especially hard. Scattered debris litters the landscape surrounding all three communities, and hundreds of homes were severely damaged or destroyed.

On Thursday, POG Governor Donna Almone and Monomi Governor Scott King toured the devestation in their states. They were joined by delegates and representatives from the affected areas.

After viewing the destruction, Almone and King held a joint news conference. Almone called the situation "horrifying" and said she was shocked at the severity of the storms' wrath.

"It's just so shocking...it's hard to take it all in, the level of destruction," Almone said. "I want the people of POG and Governor King also for the people of Monomi, that we are going to do everything we can to help these communities rebuild. And of course our hearts and prayers are with the victims."

King echoed Almone's feelings.

"I want the people of Monomi to know that we stand with you, we stand in solidarity. We are going to do everything possible to bring relief as soon as we can," King said.

Later in the press conference, Almone and King called on President Byelle to authorize federal funding for the devestated region. Just forty-five minutes later in Mavocke, Byelle declared the region a federal disaster area; freeing up money for the affected counties.

"Our hearts go out to the people of Monomi and Province of Grassadella," Byelle said at a press conference. "I have been in touch with Governor Almone and Governor King, and we are going to help the folks down there as best we can."

Byelle also offered comfort for those affected by the storms.

"We want you to know that your fellow Grassadellans stand with you. Your country and government will not let you down," Byelle said.

Monomi delegate Hanna Gorbachy (NAT) also appealed to citizens of other provinces to help by donating time and money.

"Obviously, we are going to need a lot of not only money to rebuild these broken communities, but also a lot of time and volunteers to come down here and give their time."

President Byelle will tour the region on Friday with members of his staff and other local officials.

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*Information on disaster relief aid and how to donate can be found on http://www.gnnnews.com/

Vassater Breaking With Party; Backing Olsen For Governor

Former NAT Candidate Endorsing D-R Challenger

HARLYNE, HVN--Former nationalist gubernatorial candidate Jim Vassater will not back his former NAT rival Mark Andres in the June 4th special election. Instead, Vassater will support Democratic-Reformist candidate Bernie Olsen.

Vassater broke with his own party to endorse Olsen over Andres. Many nationalists are following suit with Vassater, due to what they view as Andres' lack of experience.

At a campaign rally in Harlyne today, Vassater appeared with Olsen and spoke highly of his credentials.

"Only Bernie Olsen has the record of experience to lead this state. Only Bernie Olsen has the ability to work with members of all parties to get things done in Clevey Springs," Vassater said.

He also unleashed his harshest criticism of Andres to date.

"Why am I breaking with the [NAT] party on this? Because their nominee is unfit and unqualified for the office. Mark Andres lacks the experience and lacks the ambition to run this state," he said. "The guy can't even get his own party to back him fully. We [the NAT] clearly have a huge problem on our hands."

Reacting to Vassater's endorsement of Olsen today, the Andres campaign told the GBC that it was "disappointed but not surprised," and that "Mayor Andres regrets that his fellow nationalists are betraying him" by supporting other candidates.

Glenn Rosen, who also ran for the NAT nomination, endorsed Andres last week, despite saying during the primary campaign that the mayor of Harlyne was not experienced enough for the job.

"Do I believe he's the most experienced candidate? No, but he's the candidate that best represents my values and the values of our party. He's not a radical like Julia Giorchani and he's not an old fogie like Bernie Olsen. So I think he clearly is the best choice," Rosen said.

Andres and Olsen will face Conservative Julia Giorchani in a June 4th special election. Olsen is a retired veteran, former ambassador who served under Presidents Tracie Edinough and Dave Houston, and a former lawmaker in the Damoign legislature. Giorchani is the Federal Attorney for the state of Harvannah.