REMMINGTON CITY -- Just days after he confirmed an extramarital affair, Remmington Governor Jared Lanman is now facing a new crisis: an intensifying conflict with his lieutenant governor.
In an interview with local media today, Lt. Gov. Raquel Marquez stopped short of calling on Lanman to resign, but she did suggest that Lanman may not be the best candidate in the upcoming 2022 gubernatorial election.
"That's not for me to decide, that's his decision," Marquez said, when asked if Lanman should resign in the wake of his admitted infidelity.
"But I have to say, it's pretty hard to lead the state when you can't even keep your own personal life together," Marquez said.
During a hastily-called press conference Monday morning, Lanman, a former federal senator and governor since 2016, confirmed rumors that he had been unfaithful in his marriage.
The allegations first emerged last month from Rachel Wise, an author and feminist who threatened to expose cheating male politicians in the coming months.
Wise told radio host Demetri Evans she had "documented proof" that Lanman was having an affair.
Forced to respond to the allegations, Lanman came clean during a press conference.
"While not everything Rachel Wise said about me is true, it is true that I have engaged in an extramarital affair. I have not been faithful to my wife Hannah, and for that, I am so very, deeply sorry. I have hurt her and caused her and my children immense pain. That pain has spread to my parents, my siblings, my staff, my friends, my colleagues. I have let them all down, and most importantly, I have let myself down. These are not my values. I broke the values I was raised with, and now I am attempting to put the pieces back together with my family."
"I respectfully ask for privacy during this time," he added.
Responding to a barrage of questions from reporters, Lanman, who is the eldest son of former Foreign Affairs Secretary Dick Lanman, said the affair was over and he is attempting to salvage his marriage.
"I haven't spoken to this person or had any contact with them in a few months. My focus is on my wife and my kids and how we can best move forward as a family."
The woman with whom Lanman had the affair has not been identified.
Rachel Wise said the woman asked for anonymity, but will come forward when she feels safe to do so.
"I can tell you she's struggling with the media attention, with the guilt, with the public shaming, it's not easy to come out and admit this very personal aspect of her life," said Wise.
Wise did confirm, however, that the woman was not on Lanman's campaign staff, and did not work for the governor in any capacity.
Lanman confirmed that detail, saying he met the unidentified woman outside of his work responsibilities.
"It was a mistake, it was poor judgment, and it's over. I'm moving on and I know she is too," he said.
As the governor grapples with the fall-out over his personal life, his relationship with Lt. Gov. Raquel Marquez continues to deteriorate.
The two Conservative politicians had already clashed in the past over immigration. Lanman has taken a hard-line approach, signing bills that restrict services on immigrants and enforce strict policies on undocumented immigrants.
Meanwhile, Marquez, who is of Mexican descent, has sought a more mainstream tone on immigration.
She's also taken issue with Lanman's COVID-19 policies. While Marquez did oppose mask mandates like Lanman, she wanted more limits on large gatherings, more testing, and she opposed pro-gun rallies at the state capitol by far-right conservative protesters, while Lanman was generally sympathetic to them.
Marquez herself has run into controversy.
Nine high-ranking staff members from her office have either resigned or been fired in the last six months. She's had a revolving door of staff, with many of her former aides calling her "abusive" and saying she led a "toxic environment," in written complaints.
At least seven of those former staff members are now suing Marquez alleging a hostile work environment, harassment, and retaliation.
Marquez denies the accusations, saying the complainants are disgruntled and weren't performing up to par.
"There have been some staffing and personnel issues in my office, which I can't comment on directly, but I can say that there are many employees in my office who have worked there for years and years and are still here. Unfortunately, some people can't handle the chain of command or the demands and rigors of working in our office. It's not for everyone," she said.
Marquez has been known to have outbursts in the state legislature, when serving as a state representative and senator.
Her violent temper is well-known throughout the state capitol campus, her former colleague state Sen. Kevin Fischer (C-Galliston) told local reporters.
"I'm, unfortunately, not surprised by these allegations against Raquel. I've worked with her on committees and in the state Senate, I've worked with her as lieutenant governor, and I have seen her anger, when it rises up, it tends to explode. So it's unfortunate," Fischer said.
In response to Fischer's comments, Marquez said she is "guilty of being a strong-willed Latina woman," but that's it.
"Do I lose my temper sometimes? Yes. Do I get angry? Yes. Like everyone else, yes, I do get that way sometimes. But it's only because I expect a lot out of people, especially when it comes to doing the work of the taxpayers and the good people of Remmington. I have a high bar for that and when people don't reach that bar, sometimes, yes, I do get angry."
With Lanman's scandal, and Marquez's legal problems, some Conservatives are now openly wondering if their party should nominate another candidate for the 2022 gubernatorial election in December.
Lanman is running for re-election, and up until Monday's acknowledgement of infidelity, he was favored to win re-election easily.
But now his future is in doubt, and Marquez, who would be Lanman's natural successor, is also on shaky ground, electorally.
Some Conservatives are hoping another high-profile candidate will jump into the race for governor.
Possible names being thrown out include Sen. Curt Blaisek, former Gov. Jen Stevens, Attorney General Andy Kirkpatrick, or Secretary of State Kimberly Welch.
None of the four proposed alternative candidates have expressed any interest in running, but this week's developments in the governor's mansion could change calculations.
While the Lawman-Marquez turmoil is certainly a benefit to the state Nationalist party, the NAT has its own primary election to navigate.
Multiple candidates have expressed interest in running for governor, including former Remmington City Mayor Graham Alton, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2012 and Federal Senate in 2018.
Former Sen. Matt Hoffbourn is also mulling a run, as are Shanogowee businessman Dale Lucie, and state Sen. Jim Weatherby also of Shanogowee.
Even famous late-night comedian Mark Moreno, who lives in Trieton, is rumored to be considering a run for governor in his home state of Remmington, though it's unclear if Moreno would meet residency requirements.
In the meantime, the bipartisan Remmington State Ethics Commission has begun investigations into both Jared Lanman and Raquel Marquez.
The results of those investigations will be released at the time of their completion.
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