Kim Camden drops gubernatorial bid

DAINTREE, Dmg. -- Former federal Treasury department official Kim Camden has dropped her bid for governor.

The Conservative candidate, who lives in the northwestern suburbs of Grassadellia City, remained in a stubborn fifth place out of seven candidates, Wednesday night, after the third round of local elections.

"It's clear to me, after three rounds of voting now, that this race is really a three-person race between Lt. Gov. Pat Leemore, Mr. [George] Velmar, and former Lt. Gov. Mercer Diego," Camden said, at a press conference in Daintree, Wednesday evening.

"We always knew this would be an uphill climb, but I was hopeful that once voters got to know me more, our polling numbers and vote totals would increase. That hasn't materialized, and I'm not optimistic that it will materialize," she said.

This is Camden's second attempt at the governorship. She previously ran unsuccessfully in 2020, getting only a handful of the vote percentages.

She blamed a lack of name recognition and the "big three" candidates for "taking up all the oxygen in the room" in the race.

"It's hard to compete when you're a little guy and you're up against three behemoth opponents," Camden said, referring to Leemore, Velmar and Diego, the three frontrunners.

Despite her lack of success, Camden said she is not bitter, and she is focused on seeking an Assembly seat instead. 

"I am happy to announce that, while my campaign for governor is coming to an end, I will be seeking a seat in the National Assembly in the fall election. I am eager to serve and represent my community here in northwest Damoign. We need a strong member of Assembly who will stand up for common sense, middle class values," she said.

In response to her withdrawal from the governor's race, Lt. Gov. Pat Leemore thanked Camden for "being a shining example of class" and "showing young girls that when women stick together and work together in good faith, anything can happen."

"I'm grateful to Kim for her kindness, for her positive disposition on the campaign trail, and for her commitment to her community," said Leemore, who wished Camden well.

The campaigns of George Velmar and Mercer Diego did not comment on Camden's announcement.

Her withdrawal leaves six candidates in the CNS race for governor, and just one woman, Pat Leemore.

Camden did not endorse any of her opponents. She said she will continue to follow the race closely and will make a decision on whom to endorse at a later date.

Presently, Leemore is leading the CNS primary race for governor with 23% of the votes cast so far. George Velmar is close behind with 22.6%, while Mercer Diego is in third place with 20.2%, respectively.

Businessman John Barian has remained in fourth place throughout the race, currently holding 14.6%, while libertarian businessmen Rob McCann and Rick Tesario trail significantly with 7.9% and 2.6%, respectively.

Barian, McCann and Tesario have resisted calls to drop out.

Yesterday, Barian disputed a reporter's insinuation that the race is a three-way contest. "This is a four-way race," he corrected the reporter, during a news conference.

McCann and Tesario both said they will stay in the race until the last county has voted, even if there is no clear path to victory.

"Damoignites deserve a choice. It's not fair to the voters who vote later in the calendar that they should have less choices than the voters who vote at the beginning of the calendar. So I'm in this race until the end," said McCann on his daily radio show, based out of Gregorson.

The eventual winner of Damoign's county-level CNS primary elections will go on to the fall election to face NAT Gov. Jenna Duvan, who is seeking an historic and unprecedented third term.

Duvan permanently appoints Peter Caruso as Rod Penora's successor

GRASSADELLIA CITY -- Damoign Gov. Jenna Duvan (N) has permanently appointed Peter Caruso as Damoign's next attorney general.

Duvan previously appointed Caruso, a former local prosecutor, to the AG post last year, when former Attorney General and Governor Rod Penora stepped down due to corruption charges.

Caruso, 46, had been serving in an interim position until now. His permanent appointment today means he will serve out the remainder of Penora's term, which expires in January 2025.

"There's a reason I appointed Peter Caruso last year to the attorney generalship," Duvan said at a press conference in Middleboro today.

"Peter is principled, he is knowledgeable, he is empathetic, he is driven, and he believes in justice for all Damoignites," said Duvan.

He's planning on seeking a full term in the attorney generalship in the fall election, his office confirmed today.

Penora was indicted on state corruption charges back in 2020, but won election to the AG post anyway, despite the charges. He stayed in office until last year, when he was indicted by federal authorities for  alleged corruption and misuse of office crimes that spanned state lines.

The former governor did receive some good news this week, however.

On Monday, state prosecutors announced they had reached a plea agreement with Penora's legal team.

Penora (N) will plead guilty to lesser charges, all misdemeanors. He will also have to forfeit his law license for one year, at which time, it will be reinstated.

The federal charges, however, which are more serious and pose a more severe penalty, are still active. Penora has long maintained his innocence on all charges, calling his prosecution "a witch hunt" and "a political hit job."

However, sources close to Penora say he is willing to settle if it means avoiding more serious consequences.

"Gov. Penora is ready to get his life back. He has been fighting these false charges for the last four years, and he is ready to be done with all this nonsense," his attorney, Charles Nuckles, told the National Press Federation (NPF).

Federal Attorney General Susan Pittman has not indicated whether her agency is willing to make a deal. Penora has long had a strained relationship with President Jim McCaren. 

Pittman works for McCaren, although the president has stayed out of the investigation, Pittman told lawmakers last week in a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Penora's alleged corruption has caused a political firestorm for both McCaren and Jenna Duvan, with both Nationalist leaders being pressured to pardon Penora.

Duvan told reporters back in January that she was "open" to the possibility of pardoning Penora on his state charges. However, his recent plea agreement, which will likely result in little-to-no jail time, means a pardon is less desired.

McCaren has not said if he would pardon Penora on the federal charges. The president has remained tight-lipped on the matter since the federal charges were laid.

Conservatives have used the issue to criticize Nationalists for fostering corruption.

CNS candidates for Damoign governor, who are vying to take on Duvan in the fall general election, have used Penora's legal troubles as a cudgel to attack Duvan.

"The fact that Jenna Duvan would even consider pardoning Rod Penora for his corrupt and illegal behavior is unfathomable," Conservative Mercer Diego, who previously ran and is currently running against Duvan for governor, told the NPF last week.

Pat Leemore, the current frontrunner in the CNS primary race for Damoign governor, told The Grassadellia City Times she was "bewildered" when Duvan announced that she would consider pardoning her predecessor.

"I think Rod Penora wants to run for governor again. I think that's the issue. He can't run for governor if he's a convicted felon; the state constitution forbids that. So he either needs the charges to be reduced, to go away completely, or he needs to be pardoned. I think that's what this is all about," Leemore told the Times. "But when she said she was considering it, my jaw dropped. Someone who allegedly violated their oath of office and misused their office for political and personal reasons. That person cannot be trusted to hold public office again," said Leemore.

Penora was accused of a plethora of crimes, including ordering subordinates to investigate political opponents on false pretenses. The former governor, who is known for his abrasive personality and scorched-earth political tactics, is also alleged to have threatened prosecution to political adversaries, to have illegally obtained documents and surveillance, and to have forged documents. He also, allegedly, covered up his crimes by bribing subordinates with money and job promotions in exchange for their silence.

He continues to maintain his innocence. 

"I am not guilty of any of these damn charges. It's all lies. It's all fabrication. It's all political retribution for my policies and for people who are mad at me because I didn't reward them when I was governor," he told reporters last week, as he walked into a federal courthouse in Middleboro.

Penora is not in jail, he is out on $1.5 million bond. The conditions of his bond dictate that he cannot leave the state of Damoign and he cannot have contact with anyone involved in the case.

No matter how his federal case turns out, whether it goes to trial or is settled with another plea agreement, the former governor will not be running for office anytime soon, he said last week.

"I have no plans to run for anything," Penora told reporters. "My plan is to clear my name, clear the charges, and go home and spend time with my family, who I've been robbed of spending time with over the last four years."

Penora's absence from the ballot is likely to benefit Peter Caruso, who will seek his first full term in November.

However, Nationalist Assemblymen John Blair is also seeking the attorney generalship.

On the Conservative side, Assemblyman John DeGallio of Columbus is running for the position.

Conservatives have never won Damoign's attorney generalship, so a win by DeGallio would be historic.

The Conservative party is also seeking to win Damoign's secretary of state seat. The party has never won that position, either. It is currently held by Nationalist Rob Mercheck, who has served since statehood.

Ansleigha's NAT race for governor is 'a contest between two hippies'

KOEURN, Asl. -- One of the country's closest races for governor is once again in Ansleigha, where two baby-boomer Nationalist candidates are vying for their party's nomination.

Paul Biddington (pronounced "Bide-ding-ton"), a state senator from Churchtown, was the first Nationalist to announce his candidacy for governor.

Biddington, who has previously ran for statewide office unsuccessfully, is eager to take on Conservative Gov. Sam Baskingwood, who is seeking reelection.

"I'm anxious to take a crack at Sam," Biddington told a reporter from the Grassadellia City Times, who shadowed the candidate for a day. "Sam Baskingwood is a typical Conservative: rich, arrogant, doesn't care about the poor, doesn't care about seniors, doesn't really care about veterans. That's why I'm running against him. I care about all those things. And I know Ansleigha inside and out and am willing to fight for our state," he added.

Baskingwood, a former high-profile actor who has won a multitude of awards in Hollywood, is seeking reelection in a state that has recently leaned in favor of Conservatives.

Indeed, polling on a hypothetical head-to-head match up between Baskingwood and Biddington show the governor leading his NAT challenger by 17 percentage points.

However, Independent businesswoman and firebrand Rosamond Burkes has joined the governor's race, throwing the race into a three-way contest between Baskingwood, his eventual NAT opponent, and Burkes herself.

Burkes' entry into the scenario makes the race unpredictable.

A race that previously would have been an easy win for Baskingwood is now in doubt.

The question is, even in a three-way race, can Nationalists beat the popular Baskingwood?

They're hoping the answer is 'yes.'

Also vying for the NAT's nod is art teacher and psychology professor Agatha Houndsler of Danaecke.

A first time candidate, Houndsler was little-known when she announced her candidacy back in February.

Since that time, she has gained a strong following, particularly among women.

A self-described "hippie," Houndsler has championed women's rights, increased taxes on the rich, increased government spending, and a strong focus on fighting climate change.

She and Biddington agree on most issues, with their policies virtually alike on many top issues for NAT voters.

Both are anti-gun. Both want to fight climate change with tax increases. Both believe the wealthy are paying too little taxes. Both strongly support women's and LGBTQ+ rights.

"The difference comes down to tone and temperament," says Houndsler, in an interview with the Grassadellia City Times.

"Paul is very negative. He's very critical, he's very catastrophizing. He's kind of a 'Negative Nelly,'" says Houndsler. "I'm more hopeful and optimistic," she says.

Biddington says he is a hippie, too.

"I fought in Vietnam. I saw how useless and pointless that war was. So, when I came back home, I became fiercely anti-war. And I saw how the rich were exploiting poor people. How men were trying to limit women's rights. How straight people were bigoted toward gay people. I saw all that. And that has shaped my political views and my persona."

Asked if he's negative, as Houndsler claims, Biddington admits, "I kind of am."

"I am negative about Sam Baskingwood. He's benefitting the rich at the expense of the middle class and low-income people. I'm negative about Baskingwood because he's favoring coal companies and big business over the environment. I'm negative about Conservatives because they want to take away a woman's right to choose what she does with her own body. So, yes, I kind of am negative about that stuff."

He adds that "politics are not all sunshine and rainbows and peace signs, like Agatha Houndsler portrays it to be."

A recent poll conducted by the Grantham Institute, a nonpartisan think tank located in neighboring New Portsmouth, found both Biddington and Houndlser garnering 50% support among Ansleigha's NAT voters.

"This race is split 50-50," Biddington told the Times reporter. "It's going to come down to the wire. It's going to be incredibly close."

"I think I'm the candidate that is best suited to take on Sam Baskingwood. I have the toughness and the courage to confront him on all of his policies. Agatha thinks she is better suited. She thinks sending 'positive vibes' will somehow help our state's political problems and solve our issues. I disagree with that," said Biddington.

Houndsler disputed that characterization, telling the Times reporter that "Paul chooses to dwell in a negative space," and that she has "to be in a positive space."

She also pointed out that polls that measure her support versus Baskingwood's show her either trailing slightly or ahead of the governor.

"I poll better. That's the fact. It's just a fact. My numbers are better than Paul's. And I think voters need to consider that when they cast their ballot on May 28," Houndsler said.

For his part, Baskingwood has criticized both NAT candidates, calling Biddington "a left-wing zealot" and Houndsler a "feel-good, DEI-obsessed, liberal academic."

DEI stands for "diversity, equity and inclusion," something Houndsler has strongly advocated in her run for governor.

Rosamond Burkes has been similarly critical of the two NAT candidates, calling Paul Biddington "Paul Cry-ington," because of his repeated complaints and gripes about Baskingwood.

Burkes also calls Houndsler "Hagatha Houndsler," criticizing Houndsler for being a "hag."

The Independent candidate also has a degrading nickname for Baskingwood, calling him "Sell-out Sam," for selling-out to political correctness and the party establishment.

"All three of my opponents are pansies. If you want a strong governor who has some backbone and who doesn't stand down from a fight, vote for me," Burkes posted on X, formerly Twitter, last week.

Biddington took issue with her tweet, pointing out that he is the only veteran in the race.

"I was the only candidate who served our country in the armed forces," Biddington said in an interview on local morning television in Koeurn. "All my opponents are big on political attacks, but I'm the only candidate who is truly battle-tested."

So far, Baskingwood has raised $6.8 million in his bid for reelection. Biddington has raised $4.2 million and Houndsler $5.4 million.

Burkes has raised $2.6 million, although, as a multi-millionaire, she has a vast personal fortune that she can use to boost her campaign coffers.

No matter who wins the May 28 NAT nomination, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: the nation will, once again, look to Ansleigha on election night for one of the country's closest governor's races.

Ansleigha gubernatorial candidates hit the campaign trail

KOEURN, Asl. -- The latest round of polls has spurred Ansleigha's four remaining candidates for governor to hit the campaign trail with extra vigor, this week.

Facing negative polls that show him trailing Nationalist opponent Agatha Houndsler, Conservative Ansleigha Gov. Sam Baskingwood is not taking his reelection lightly.

The governor spent Friday morning visiting local public schools in northwest Koeurn. In the afternoon, he traveled just outside the city in the scenic countryside, visiting local farms and speaking with farmers about how to improve the state's agriculture policies.

Today, Baskingwood started his day out in southeast Koeurn, a notably liberal-leaning and NAT-favoring part of the city. The governor visited farmer's markets and shop owners in the city's Cantilever district, a notable tourist hub.

This evening, Baskingwood is slated to attend an awards ceremony in downtown Koeurn.

Normally, Conservative candidates largely eschew the state's largest city, which leans heavily to the NAT.

But in his reelection bid, Baskingwood is spending more time in Koeurn, not less.

It's part of his statewide strategy, which aides close to the governor describe as "corner-to-corner" across Ansleigha.

"The governor is visiting every nook and cranny of the state," said Press Secretary Ben Sellinger. "His goal is to visit every city, every town, every village, every fruit stand he can."

Baskingwood's NAT rivals didn't take the day off, either.

Houndsler spent Friday touring an abortion clinic in north Koeurn.

Today, she is holding townhall meetings three hours north in Hawkinson County.

State Sen. Paul Biddington, who is also vying for the NAT's gubernatorial nomination, spent Friday up in Martindale County in the state's northwest. Biddington toured a community college campus and met with concerned citizens at a local coffee shop.

Today, his campaign says he is traversing the rest of southwest Ansleigha's territory, which traditionally leans Conservative.

Biddington and Houndsler are locked in a close fight for the NAT's nomination for governor. 

Both candidates are polling evenly, with about 50% support among the state's NAT voters. The two candidates are racing down-to-the-wire to garner as much support as they can before the May 28 primary election.

Also hitting the campaign trail this week is Independent candidate Rosamond Burkes, who initially ruled out running for governor again this year, but later changed her mind.

Burkes campaigned Friday in Cordeyon, telling a group of mostly liberal voters that she supports a woman's right to choose on abortion and she believes the wealthy should pay more taxes.

Burkes' populist platform has resonated with voters across the political spectrum. 

She supports gun rights for law-abiding citizens, is fiercely anti-crime, and is staunchly opposed to political correctness, which has won her favor with Ansleigha's far-right voters.

At the same time, she supports abortion rights for women, increased conservation, and higher taxes on the wealthy, which has won her admirers on the left, as well.

Her position on abortion, however, is muddled. She says she supports abortion rights for women, but also previously told a group of right-leaning voters that she wanted to protect "precious little babies."

Burkes, who does not shy away from controversy, is slated to attend a local fair and farmers market in east Boykin County, Saturday afternoon.

Baskingwood and Burkes will automatically advance to the fall election, since Baskingwood does not have a primary opponent and Burkes is running as an Independent.

However, polls show both candidates struggling against their NAT opponents.

No matter who wins the NAT primary on May 28, the three-way race for governor in the fall will be a close one.

Nationalists are hoping to win their first governorship in Ansleigha since statehood. The party has never won the state's highest office.

They're hoping to change that this year, and national party leaders have pledged to infuse the race with millions of dollars in advertising and campaign logistics to help deliver a win for the NAT.

Conservatives have dominated Ansleigha's elections in recent years, and they're hoping to maintain their lock on the state's top job. The national party has similarly pledged millions of dollars to defend Baskingwood from what the party describes as "a liberal onslaught."

Damoign Conservatives cast first votes in governor's primary race

LARCH LANE, Dmg. -- Lieutenant Governor Pat Leemore (C) had a big opening night in Damoign's Conservative party governor's race.

As Damoign Conservatives look to choose a nominee for governor to go up against incumbent NAT Gov. Jenna Duvan this fall, Leemore is hoping the momentum she enjoyed on the first night of voting carries her through to the end of the primary calendar.

Damoign is the only state in the country in which candidates for governor don't compete in one, single, statewide primary election, but instead compete in a series of county-level, local elections over a period of several months.

Damoign's traditional system has been in effect for decades. Its unique, prolonged, local-level system is designed to force candidates for governor to focus on local communities and rural areas instead of only the Grassadellia City metropolitan area, where a majority of Damoignites live.

In the first round of voting, held Wednesday, four counties held their elections: suburban and affluent Wortherton County and Kinslow County on the western outskirts of Grassadellia City, as well as New Tyne County in the state's southwest, and Isle County in south-central Damoign.

Leemore won three of the four, only losing New Tyne County to rival Mercer Diego, who now lives there.

With seven Conservative candidates for governor, it's difficult for one candidate to have a resounding, landslide victory in any county. 

In most cases, the candidates will split the votes fairly evenly.

That was the case Wednesday evening, as Leemore won Isle County with 28.1%, Wortherton County with 23.6%, and Kinslow County with just 21.2%, respectively.

Diego won his newly-adopted home county of New Tyne with 26.6%, respectively. The county, in the highly-Conservative southwest corner of the state, is more middle class and more right-leaning than the other three counties at stake on Wednesday.

Despite her modest plurality wins Wednesday night, Leemore celebrated the first election returns at an election night party in Larch Lane, a wealthy Conservative-leaning suburb south of Grassadellia City in neighboring Larch County.

"I think we're off to a good start," Leemore said to a crowd of supporters, gathered in a small hotel ballroom. "Tonight's results are encouraging, and they prove that Damoign Conservatives want an established leader who has solid conservative credentials, who is unafraid to stand up to Nationalists, and who is ready and prepared to lead," she said, to enthusiastic applause and cheers.

Just a few miles away at another luxury hotel, billionaire businessman George Velmar, who entered the governor's race at the last second, held a press conference. After all the votes were counted Wednesday night, Velmar was standing in second place out of the seven candidates.

"Not bad for joining the race at the last minute," Velmar said, to cheers from his supporters. "This race is a tortoise and hare situation," he continued. "Some candidates will get a quick start and an early lead, but it's about who finished at the end with the most votes. I'm very pleased with how we did tonight," he said.

Up north, in the heart of Grassadellia's largest city, in the borough of Middleboro, businessman and attorney John Barian, who placed third in Wednesday night's contests, held his election night celebration at a posh bar.

"I'm very satisfied with how we did tonight," Barian said. "We are currently standing in third place in the rankings, and this is my first run for office. Most people didn't even know who John Barian was before I started my campaign. And now we're currently in third place, and not far behind those who lead us. So I'm very happy. And I couldn't have done it and can't keep doing it without you and your help. So, thank you very much," he said to his supporters.

It was a more muted tone downstate at Mercer Diego's election night gathering.

The former lieutenant governor, who grew up in Tolston and who twice ran unsuccessfully for governor against Jenna Duvan (N), is staging his third run for the state's highest office.

After his two previous losses, Diego moved out of Damoign, lamenting the liberal policies Duvan was implementing. 

He and his family relocated far away to Clothen, Lial. Diego, who was an Evangelical minister before entering politics, returned to the ministry in Lial, working as a senior pastor at a mega church in suburban Clothen for almost five years.

In 2019, Diego purchased a home and 210-acre ranch in southwest Damoign, but continued working in Lial.

He moved permanently to his Damoign ranch last year, shortly before announcing his candidacy for governor.

It was at his picturesque ranch, Wednesday night, that Diego tried to console his anxious supporters after his fourth-place finishing.

"It's not our best showing tonight, but you know what? Three of the four counties we were competing in tonight are liberal counties. And we are the most conservative, anti-establishment candidate in this race. So it's only predictable and expected that the pro-establishment candidates should have won tonight," Diego said.

He also told supporters that more conservative-leaning counties in the state's more rural areas in southern Damoign will go strongly for him, when their contests are held.

"This is one round of voting. When you have more conservative parts of the state voting, like Patterham County, Columbus County, Templeton County...you're going to see a strong showing for Mercer Diego. These numbers we have tonight are just one round and they're temporary. They're not a trend."

Diego is partially correct. Isle County is a liberal-leaning county. Kinslow County is a battleground suburban county.

Wortherton County, directly west of Grassadellia City, is a known Conservative-favoring county, however.

Although, the county, which is highly-educated and affluent, is known to typically favor more centrist Conservative candidates.

Kim Camden, a former Byelle Administration Treasury Department official, campaigned heavily in Wortherton County and her native Kinslow County. Camden, a moderate, ended the night in fifth place, but only a few hundred votes behind Diego.

"I am extremely proud of how we did tonight," she said. "I met so many wonderful people on the campaign trail, and we are definitely lesser-known and less wealthy than many of our fellow candidates. So, the fact that we were able to land in a very close fifth-place, right behind two other candidates, right in the thick of it, despite having a very small budget and less name recognition, I think is really good news for us," she said.

Camden previously ran for governor in 2020 but was not a serious contender.

Businessmen Rob McCann of Gregorson and Rick Tesario of West Lake also trailed significantly on Wednesday night, with McCann only garnering 11.8% and Tesario a meager 5.6%, respectively.

Both men pledged to continue their campaigns, however.

"This was the first round of voting. Only four counties out of 43 have had a chance to have their say. I think we owe it to those other millions of Damoignites to have their say," McCann said.

Tesario had similar sentiments.

"It's way too early to talk about people dropping out. One round of voting and the establishment is already ready to thin the herd. That's not going to happen with our campaign," he told the Grassadellia City Times.

Tesario previously ran for governor in 2016, first as a Conservative, and then as a Constitution party candidate. Despite entreaties from Mercer Diego, who was the Conservative nominee, and other party leaders, Tesario refused to drop out of the race.

His presence on the ballot as a third-party candidate was widely blamed for Diego's narrow loss to Jenna Duvan.

To this day, Tesario is loved by small-government advocates and gun rights enthusiasts. His focus on the budget and starkly reducing government spending has won him accolades from fiscal conservatives.

However, Tesario is still unpopular with party leadership, who feel he sabotaged the party's best chance at winning the governorship in a very close contest.

This year, the party establishment is split. Many support Leemore, the moderate lieutenant governor from Bragdon County.

A pragmatic Conservative who styles herself in a similar mold to Sid Hoffa and Ronald Reagan, Leemore, a folksy grandmother, is well-liked by voters. She campaigns with ease, speaking to large crowds and small groups with equal leisure. She avoids controversial social issues, but champions law and order policies.

She is considerably more moderate than Diego, however. And more right-wing, particularly religious and Evangelical voters, tend to favor the former lieutenant governor over the current.

Diego is supported by some party establishment, but his star has faded significantly since his previous two unsuccessful runs.

He also angered many top Conservatives in 2020 when he endorsed state Sen. Brian Tyker for governor over former Gov. and Diego's former boss and mentor Sid Hoffa.

Still, many in the party's upper echelons are backing billionaire businessman George Velmar, who, at age 76, is thought to be too old, by many. However, Velmar has a massive bank account that he can use to inject his campaign with cash. And as a moderate who is outspoken on some issues, much like former US President Donald Trump, Velmar is lauded for his candor and his lack of fear of remaining politically correct.

Some party establishment members also support John Barian, although the little-known lawyer from Middleboro will need to drastically increase his name recognition if he has any hope of winning the state's top job.

Whoever wins for the Conservatives, it will be a difficult battle in the fall's general election.

Nationalist incumbent Gov. Jenna Duvan is running for a historic third, consecutive term. And while she and her NAT allies changed state law to eliminate term limits and allow her to seek a third term, she remains popular with many Damoignites for her emphasis on fighting white collar crime, protecting women's and LGBTQ+ rights, and fighting climate change.

Polls show a close race heading into November.

Conservatives are hoping Duvan fatigue, and violent crimes and property crimes, which have risen during Duvan's tenure, will prompt voters who previously backed Duvan to switch sides and support the CNS nominee.

The next counties to hold their elections in the Conservative governor's primary race will be: Joyner County, Shawheath County, Francesca County, Gregorson County and Dirkson.

Those elections will be held next Wednesday, May 15.

Coble drops out of Ansleigha governor's race

HAWKINSON, Asl. -- Another aspirant for Ansleigha's governorship has dropped out of the race.

Oil executive Pete Coble (N) announced he was suspending his campaign for governor, after new polling numbers showed Coble badly trailing his fellow NAT candidates, Agatha Houndsler and Paul Biddington.

"The new poll numbers just are not in our favor. It's clear from the latest polling data that there is not a viable path to winning for our campaign," Coble said at a hastily-called press conference Friday afternoon.

Coble said fundraising had been challenging, especially since he was competing with two better-known and more popular opponents. Coble told reporters his campaign staff were optimistic that the moderate Nationalist could chart a narrow path to victory as a centrist amid two more left-wing opponents. But the polling numbers, and a lack of fundraising, indicated the road the governorship was over for him.

"I want to thank the thousands of Ansleighans who have come out to fairs and forums and meetings to hear me speak. Or who opened their doors to me when I knocked on their front doors. Thank you for listening, thank you for sharing your concerns and needs, and thank you for your faith in my candidacy," he said.

Coble did not say if he will endorse one of his rivals. Though sources close to Coble say he has been courted by both the Houndsler and Biddington campaigns in recent weeks, with both campaigns hoping he will endorse their respective candidates.

A noted moderate, Coble struggled from the beginning to win over Ansleigha's NAT faithful. As an oil executive, he's been slow to embrace electric vehicles, he's called for less taxes while Ansleigha's NAT leaders have demanded more, and he has opposed raising Ansleigha's minimum wage.

Though he's personally pro-choice, Coble largely avoided contentious social issues on the campaign trail. His reluctance to discuss women's and transgender rights angered NAT activists who view those two issues as cornerstones of the party's platform.

At least one source close to Coble, who asked to remain anonymous because they were not permitted to speak to the media, told the The Ansleighan newspaper that Coble has also been contacted by the campaign of Gov. Sam Baskingwood (C).

Baskingwood's campaign staff are hoping to land an endorsement from Coble as well, The Ansleighan reports.

But spokespeople for both Coble and Baskingwood declined to comment.

Coble's exit from the race leaves just state Sen. Paul Biddington (N-Churchtown) and art teacher and psychologist Agatha Houndsler (N-Danaecke) in the race.

The winner of the May 28 primary election will go on to face Sam Baskingwood (C-Boykin) and businesswoman Rosamond Burkes (I-Carlinegan) in the fall election.