Biereland is the pivotal state to watch in this year's elections
BROOKINGS, BIERELAND--Incumbent Governor Jenny Duschowitz (CNS) is facing an increasingly uphill battle against an insurgent NAT opponent in the state's gubernatorial race.
Duschowitz, who succeeded former Gov. Peter Kosevich (CNS) in 2008 in a special election, is still lagging in the polls against Nationalist San Bartholomew, a former Otterbein County Commissioner. The latest poll from Insiders showed Duschowitz trailing Bartholomew 49% to 51 per cent, a statistical dead-heat.
The governor, who onced enjoyed high approval ratings, has lost support in part because of the struggling economy in Biereland. She also took a hit in approval when she engaged in a bureaucratic battle with the Federal Bureau of Transportation Safety (FBTS) and the Biereland Transportation Department (BTD) over an investigation into the safety of the Brookings-Sebotnee Rail system, also known as "Bro-Seb".
But Duschowitz is beloved by conservatives for her hard-line position against tax increases and her staunch commitment to fixing the state budget. She was widely praised by her fellow Conservatives for refusing to attend the climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark back in December 2009, because she said the state could not afford to send her on an expensive trip in the midst of a budget crisis.
"My husband Todd and I, every month, we sit down at the kitchen table and look at our family budget and see if we can go on a trip or a vacation. If we can afford it, we do. If we can't, then we stay home. I take that same approach as governor to the state budget. Our budget is in shambles. The state can't afford to send me to Copenhagen, so I'm not going. I'm staying right here," Duschowitz was quoted as saying at a press conference.
Bartholomew and other Nationalists criticized Duschowitz's decision to skip the climate change conference, saying she used the budget problem as an excuse to skip the event.
"I would think our planet's imperiled future would be worth investing in, but not when you're Jenny Duschowitz and you're trying to appeal to the conservative, climate change skeptic crowd," Bartholomew told the Liberal-Union newspaper of Welhausen.
Bartholomew's rise has been attributed to Duschowitz's dismal approval ratings as well as the "anti-incumbent" sentiment that is sweeping the nation, including Biereland. The 2010 elections may bring a first for Biereland: a Nationalist governor, lieutenant governor, and an NAT majority in the state's Senate delegation simultaneously, says Dr. Hans Anders, a political science professor at the University of Biereland--Brookings.
"Bierelanders are very much so in a mood for change, and that may mean the state could turn blue this election for the first time," Anders said.
Anders also points to Bartholomew's strong support from the environmental community, which may help boost his chances.
"Biereland is a beautiful, pristine state. The people here love their state and love the woodlands and mountains and the valleys and all the natural, untamed land. They want to protect their resources, and San Bartholomew really has the edge on environmental issues," Anders said.
Bartholomew supporters also believe Duschowitz's failure to fix the budget--the state legislature is at a standstill over the proposed cuts--will hurt the incumbent.
"Jenny Duschowitz has been in for two years. And what has happened? The budget has gone from bad to worse," Bartholomew campaign manager Tom Murann told the NPF.
But Duschowitz's campaign is pushing back, telling the GBC the budget stand-off is close to an end, and legislators are working on a compromise. However, the governor will not raise taxes to fix the budget, her office said.
"Governor Duschowitz is committed to fixing the budget...but she will not raise taxes to do so," spokeswoman Mary Todd told the NPF.
Duschowitz's admirers acknowledge that cuts to the state budget may be necessary, but the governor will at least have brought the budget back into the black.
"Governor Duschowitz inherited a mess, and that was the Brenton Menuhaeo-Shay Robertson economy. She was put in a difficult position, but she will keep us out of the red," Don Dollimer, a spokesperson for the Biereland Conservative Party told STAR News.
The Duschowitz campaign is also trying to paint Bartholomew as an extreme liberal unfit to be governor.
"San Bartholomew is a liberal masquerading as a moderate," campaign spokesman Jared Moiner told GNN. "If he's elected, we'll see taxes, taxes, taxes, and radical environmental legislation that will take away property owners' rights, and even radical social experiments, such as legalizing marijuana. That's not the kind of person Biereland needs."
While polls show a neck-and-neck race, poll results also indicate voters are not sold on either candidate.
"What I'm seeing in most of my polling is that voters don't really approve of Jenny Duschowitz and the way things are going right now. But they also aren't enchanted with the idea of San Bartholomew being governor either," said Scott Tipeo, the pollster who conducted the Insiders poll.
The polls also show that most voters like Duschowitz personally, while Bartholomew is not viewed as favorably. Respondents also incidated a distaste for the negative campaign ads that have been airing non-stop in the state since the race began.
For both parties, the ugly nature of the campaigns is a reality: Biereland is an important state. Why? Because whichever party wins the governorship in Biereland will likely win a majority of seats on the Governors' Board, which both parties are striving for.
"Biereland is a prime pick-up opportunity for our party and we are going to go after it with everything we've got," Gov. Lynn DeMont (N-East Deschire), head of the Nationalist Governors' Association (NATGA), told the NPF.
DeMont's CNS counterpart, POG Gov. Donna Almone, who is taking an indefinite amount of time off following her husband's death, told the GBC last week that the Conservative Party will "fight with every ounce of strength we've got" to hold on to the governor's seat in Biereland.
Almone is the current Chair of the Governors' Board, and concurrently serves as head of the Conservative Governor's Association (CGA).
Campaign records show Duschowitz has raised $6.4 million for her campaign, while Bartholomew has brought in $6.8 million.
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