TORNBORO, Tri. -- Former Attorney General Troy Halver has ended his gubernatorial bid and has instead set his sights on running for his old position.
Halver made the announcement Monday at a press conference in Tornboro, his hometown and the home base for his campaign.
He will challenge a member of his own party, current Attorney General Damon Garcia-Perrera, for the NAT's nomination.
The surprise announcement came after new polling numbers showed Halver trailing in the NAT primary for governor.
The polling numbers were not the only reason Halver switched races, he told reporters Monday.
"The polling numbers were part of it. There were eight candidates on the NAT side for governor. And many others who already dropped out. So with that many leading candidates in the race, it has made it difficult for one person to jump out way ahead in front of the others," he said. "But there were other reasons too. For one, I'm good at the job. I used to be attorney general, and I did a kick-ass job. We put a lot of criminals in jail and off the streets. And now, we have some of the highest crime we've ever had in modern memory. We have an attorney general...[who]...even though he's from the same party as me...he's failing our state."
The new poll, conducted by the University of Trinton in conjunction with The Golden Shore Tribune, found Halver in fifth place out of eight candidates on the NAT side. Halver garnered about 13% in the poll.
While fifth place and only 13% are not good numbers, in a race with viable candidates, no candidate has opened a wide lead in the race.
Front-runner Tom Jamber, an assemblyman from Cristo Colonado who was the NAT's nominee for governor back in 2020, had 17.6% in the poll, while former Gov. Mark De Auonne earned 16.4%. State Sen. Colin Costello had 15.8%, and businessman Frank Broussard had 13.9%, respectively.
The three female candidates in the race all polled under 10% -- federal prosecutor Kathy Kemmell polled nine percent, state Sen. Diane Fassetto took eight percent, and state Rep. Christy Lindner with 6.4%, respectively.
"It's clear from these poll numbers that Tom Jamber, Mark De Auonne and Colin Costello are certainly in the lead in this race," said Dr. Phil Lumbar, a political science professor at the University of Trinton. "However, with eight candidates in the race who are all well-known and have money and widespread support, this race is not sewn up by any means. It's still anyone's race at this point. The lead that the leading candidates have is tenuous and can easily be overcome."
Halver agreed, and told reporters he was confident he could still win the NAT's nomination for governor.
"It's tough to win when you're running against so many well-qualified and well-known people. So the governor's race was tough. But I'm confident I could have won the nomination and could have won the whole contest. I've won the nomination in the past and come extremely close to winning the governorship, so I know I can do it. But at this time, we need to take back the attorney general's office from the woke leftists and bring it back under common sense leadership," said Halver.
Although a Nationalist, Halver has frequently butted heads with his fellow Nationalists.
Halver supports climate change legislation, increasing the minimum wage, and better labor conditions. He opposes charter schools and supports a woman's right to abortion, all positions that are widely in the NAT's mainstream.
However, on law and order, Halver is more conservative, and he often sides with the CNS over his own party.
He's supported longer, more severe sentences for violent criminals and repeat offenders, including for low-level crimes and property crimes.
He's called for more police officers on the streets, not less, like many of his NAT colleagues have demanded.
And he wants to build additional prisons to accommodate more prisoners, something that puts him directly at odds with his party, which has advocated for less incarceration and a focus on rehabilitation.
Garcia-Perrera, the current attorney general, has embraced a more left-wing view on crime. He's dropped prosecution for many low-level crimes, and he's largely avoided addressing property crime, except for property crime rings, such as chop shops and other theft rings.
Garcia-Perrera has focused instead on social justice, fighting for LGBTQ Trintonians and suing e-cig and vape manufacturers. He's also taken on corporations that have violated consumers' rights.
The incumbent has made police accountability and exposing police brutality key areas of focus during his tenure.
"We don't need more police on the streets," Garcia-Perrera told reporters last week, in response to criticism from Halver. "We need better accountability and training for the existing officers we already have on the streets. If we just add more untrained and unaccounted for officers to the mix, we're not going to stop crime or fix our communities. We have to have accountability action."
Garcia-Perrera briefly toyed with running for governor this year, but amid the large field of candidates, he opted to run for re-election to the attorney general's seat instead. If he wins this November, he will serve his third consecutive term.
Halver served one term as attorney general, from 2013 - 2017. He ran for governor in 2016, securing the NAT's nomination and placing first in a three-way race with then-Lt. Gov. Marcus Edinough (DR) and Conservative businessman Jim Valoix.
However, none of the three gubernatorial candidates reached the required 40% threshold to win outright, so Halver and Edinough, the top two candidates, advanced to a run-off, where Edinough squeaked out a win.
Halver ran for governor again in 2020, but lost in the NAT primary to Assemblyman Tom Jamber.
Garcia-Perrera has criticized Halver, saying, "the guy is desperate for a title."
Halver disputes that, and says he just wants to make his home state a better place.
"It's not about a title. It's not about an office or my name on a door. It's about fixing our state, getting the criminals and the drug addicts and the homeless people off our streets, and making our state livable again."
As for the Conservatives, no party-backed candidate has not yet filed to run for attorney general. State Conservative leaders are in talks with Halver, and are considering supporting him against Garcia-Perrera.
"Troy Halver is not a Conservative. We'd prefer to have a Conservative candidate, but until and unless one emerges, Troy Halver is a better option than the far-left Damon Garcia-Perrera," said Trinon Conservative Party Vice President Phil Ingram.
Meanwhile, Halver's exit from the NAT's governor's race was not the only departure.
State Sen. Diane Fassetto announced she would end her bid as well, amid negative polling numbers. Fassetto said she will instead run for lieutenant governor, challenging incumbent Lt. Gov. Kathy Lewitt (NAT), who is seeking re-election.
State Rep. Christy Lindner also dropped out of the race, saying she will instead seek an assembly seat.
As for who they'll support moving forward, Halver and Fassetto both threw their support to Frank Broussard, a businessman and labor activist from northwest Williamstown.
Lindner endorsed Colin Costello, who represents southeast Williamstown in the state senate.
The Conservative race for governor is also somewhat fractured, although there are only four candidates running on the CNS side.
Millionaire businessman Jim Valoix currently leads the four-way race, with 28.6%, while activist Mara Edinough, a sister-in-law of current Gov. Marcus Edinough (DR), is in second with 26.1%, respectively.
Former Federal Sen. Kelsey Frascanio is currently standing in third place with 23.8%, and businessman Bob Gillies from Kelleyville trails with 21.5%, respectively.
Valoix has ran for governor three times previously. He won the CNS nomination in both 2012 and 2016, but lost both times, first to Gov. Mark De Auonne (N) and then to Gov. Marcus Edinough (DR).
In 2020, Valoix ran for governor but lost in the CNS primary to Greg Baxter, who went on to lose to Edinough and NAT nominee Tom Jamber.
Many Conservatives have reservations about Valoix's fourth attempt at the governorship. There are serious doubts he can win after failing three times.
However, the millionaire businessman remains popular within the party, and his significant personal fortune has provided him with a wealth of money to tap, making him a competitive candidate.
The Trinton primary election is scheduled for September 3.
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