Ty Jaimeson says Jon Ralston 'has no balls'

PARKINS, N. Ceona -- It's been a tense past month in North Ceona.

After weeks of deliberating, federal Sen. Pete Deetch, an ardent and controversial Conservative, ultimately decided against running for governor in the 2024 election.

Deetch had been considering entering the race, which would have pitted him squarely against fellow Conservative Ty Jaimeson, the incumbent who is seeking re-election.

Jaimeson is known for his more centrist and moderate views. And that rankles hardline Conservatives like Deetch, who want a less compromising Conservative in the governor's mansion.

But after publicly toying with the idea of challenging his CNS colleague, Deetch chose not to run for governor.

His decision caused a sigh of relief within the Jaimeson campaign. 

Recent polls showed Jaimeson leading Deetch in a head-to-head primary match-up, but not by much. 

Jaimeson campaign staff and surrogates were concerned that a tense primary campaign on the CNS side could damage the governor just as he gears up for the general election. 

Or worse, they feared, the outspoken, populist Deetch could even fan the flames of Conservative voters' angst and potentially beat Jaimeson in a primary, which would give the NAT a huge advantage in the fall election.

So, Deetch's decision to bypass a run for governor this year came as welcomed news for the Jaimeson team.

Perhaps the deciding factor Deetch could have been the polling or his personal history with the governor.

Jaimeson reportedly called the senator weeks ago and urged Deetch not to run against him.

"[Jaimeson] basically told him [Deetch] that the polls show Deetch losing to Jaimeson in a primary race, and even more damaging, the polls show several of the NAT candidates beating Deetch in the fall election, should he win the primary," a Jaimeson campaign operative, who asked for anonymity, told the North Ceonan newspaper.

According to that same confidential source, Jaimeson also reminded Deetch that he supported Deetch in his re-election comeback campaign in 2022 when many other Conservatives abandoned the controversial senator.

Deetch served one term in the Senate from 2013 - 2019, but lost re-election in the fall 2018 election to Nationalist Alexis Stotter.

His loss was largely attributed to his controversial comments on women and minorities.

When Deetch sought to return to the Senate in 2022, when Stotter was up for re-election, many Conservatives declined to endorse him or campaign with him, because of his proneness to controversy.

Jaimeson stood by Deetch, however. Though Deetch is considerably further to the right than the governor, Jaimeson said, at the time, that Deetch deserved a second chance.

The governor reportedly brought his past loyalty to Deetch's attention, in an effort to dissuade Deetch from challenging him in the 2024 gubernatorial primary.

A senior source from Deetch's office confirmed the details provided to The North Ceonan by the Jaimeson campaign.

Whether it was polling or loyalty, Deetch opted not to run for governor in 2024, though he left the door open to possibly running in 2028.

His decision allows Conservatives to avoid a nasty primary battle, and is good news for the CNS, as they seek to hold onto one of their most reliably Conservative-leaning governorships.

Now, both sides say the two men have buried the hatchet. Deetch has committed to supporting Jaimeson in the fall, though the senator has publicly said he hopes Jaimeson embraces a more strongly Conservative agenda in his second term.

Behind the scenes, though, Ty Jaimeson is still fuming, sources close to the governor say -- not at Deetch, but at Federal Senate Minority Leader Jon Ralston (C-Ansleigha).

The reason?

Before confronting Deetch directly over his consideration of a gubernatorial run, Jaimeson first made a phone call to Ralston, Deetch's colleague and boss in the Federal Senate.

According to accounts from multiple sources within the Jaimeson campaign, who all asked for anonymity due to not having permission to speak to the media about sensitive matters, Jaimeson phoned Ralston back in January and asked the minority leader to lean on Deetch to stay in the Senate.

"Ty Jaimeson called Jon Ralston and told him, 'We cannot afford to lose this seat. If Pete Deetch runs against me, Conservatives will lose the governorship to the Nationalists.' And Jaimeson asked Ralston to persuade Deetch to stay in the Senate and abandon his plans to run for governor," the source told the North Ceonan.

But Ralston declined to intervene, multiple sources confirmed. The minority leader apparently told Jaimeson he understood his concerns, but that he would not get involved in the situation.

"Basically, Jon Ralston told Ty Jaimeson that he wasn't going to do anything to help. He left Jaimeson out to dry," the source said.

That didn't sit well with Jaimeson, who privately told aides Ralston "has no balls" and the senate minority leader is "afraid to confront."

But Jaimeson not only seethed privately, he also spoke out against Ralston publicly.

"Sen. Ralston and I have always had a productive, cordial relationship. As one of the top leaders of our national party, I have had frequent interactions with him, and they've always been very positive. So I was a little disappointed when he declined to help me out," Jaimeson told the North Ceonan. 

He continued: "Jon Ralston has incredible influence over his fellow Conservative senators. They respect him and respect his opinion. If he would have intervened earlier and more decisively, we could have avoided a lot of the drama and political brinksmanship that we saw over the last month. So, it is disappointing. But [Ralston] is busy with his presidential campaign, and he's busy running the Senate. So I suppose our situation here in North Ceona probably wasn't pressing enough for him," said Jaimeson.

In response, Ralston told reporters Friday that his decision not to interfere in the North Ceona governor's race was not because he's too busy or distracted.

"My decision to not intervene had nothing to do with my time or my schedule or how busy I am. Or my lack of a spine. I have no problem telling my senators what I think they should do, when appropriate. But this situation was not appropriate for me to intervene in. I'm not from North Ceona. The people of North Ceona should decide who their next governor is, not a politician in Mavocke. If Pete Deetch wanted to run for governor, or if any other senator in our caucus wanted to run, I would not dissuade them from running. I could offer my opinion, but I will never coerce someone to run or not run for a position," Ralston said Friday.

"I'm sorry that Ty Jaimeson feels that way. I have always had a positive relationship with him, and I hope that we can continue to work positively together in the future. I know he's disappointed I didn't do more to help his campaign out. But it wasn't my place. And I am not going to apologize for minding my own business and keeping my nose out of another state's affairs," Ralston added.

Ralston is currently running for president, one of over a dozen CNS candidates seeking their party's nomination for the nation's top job. He was asked by reporters if he would step down from his leadership position in the Senate to focus on his presidential campaign, but the senator said he is "more than capable" of handling both roles at the same time.

"Sen. Ralston has been an effective minority leader, and he will continue his strong stewardship of the Senate while running for president," a spokesperson for his office wrote in an email to GNN.