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.