And on the NAT side, it appears two former governors are poised to clash head-on in a divisive NAT primary race.
Former Govs. Karen DeSalle and Nick Hall are reportedly both planning to seek the governorship next year.
The two have been plotting their respective political comebacks for months, and while neither has officially launched their campaigns yet, sources close to both former leaders say they are both very close to formally entering the race to succeed Ritonio.
Over the past eight months, DeSalle and Hall have met twice and have communicated regularly, according to sources who know both parties. The sources asked The Mavocke Capitol newspaper to remain anonymous, because they were asked by both DeSalle and Hall not to speak to the media.
The Capitol's sources say both DeSalle and Hall have tried to avoid a political confrontation, but neither one has backed down and decided to step aside.
DeSalle, who was governor from 2011-2015, believes she should be the NAT's nominee next year because she has political seniority over Hall, who served more recently from 2019-2023.
Hall, who lost to Ritonio back in 2022, believes he should be the party's standard-bearer in 2026 because he was most recently in office.
Both former governors are planning to formally enter the 2026 race over the Christmas holiday, and negotiations between the two have failed, sources say.
DeSalle attempted to talk Hall into running as her lieutenant governor running mate, but Hall rejected that offer.
"He was governor himself. It would be very hard for him to serve as a Number Two after he served as a Number One," said one source.
Hall proposed that DeSalle serve as his running mate, but the more senior former governor, 57, declined, saying she couldn't accept a subordinate position to the much younger Hall, age 43.
Then there's another factor: moderate NAT businessman Chris Kinlock, who is a first-time candidate and running as a private sector "outsider."
Kinlock is the CEO of InLine Running Shoes, a Lamberth-based company. Despite pressure from top Nationalists in the state and even national NAT leaders, the relatively unknown Kinlock has declined to drop out of the race.
"He really has little chance of winning because he has zero support from the establishment," said one source.
However, Kinlock told Lamberth Public Radio he is hoping to be the alternative third choice.
"My two opponents in the NAT race are both former governors. They're both feuding over which one of them should be our party's nominee in 2026. They both think they somehow deserve to be the nominee. I say, let's let the NAT voters decide. I'm hoping to be that third choice that is above all the drama and infighting. And maybe I can squeeze past them with 35% of the vote," said Kinlock.
He hasn't released any financial disclosures yet, but those who know Kinlock say he is a low-level millionaire capable of dropping at least a few million dollars of his own personal fortune into his campaign.
DeSalle and Hall are less affluent, but both enjoy high name recognition and popularity in the Kalnier NAT party. And they share something in common: both lost to Ritonio in separate races.
But in 2026, Ritonio won't be on the ballot. Kalnier limits its governors to just two terms for life. Ritonio, who first served as governor from 2015-2019 and more recently has served since 2023, will be forced to leave office in 2027 and will be barred from running again.
That means there's uncertainty in the governor's race on the Conservative side, too.
Current Lt. Gov. Marie Dehignen has hinted she is considering running, while former Drogen County Sheriff and repeat candidate for office Mark Radowski has also expressed interest.
Businessman Steve Mikelson, who nearly defeated Federal Sen. Paul LeBouse back in 2018, is also said to be considering a run. MoneyLock CEO Bill Broadbent, an Ivy League-educated business mogul from north Lamberth, is also mulling a bid.
Both parties are slated to have contentious primaries next year, but a head-to-head battle between two former governors and darlings of the state NAT party will be a marquee race.
Allies of both DeSalle and Hall are proposing that whichever candidate is unsuccessful could serve as a running mate to the successful nominee, meaning either a DeSalle-Hall or Hall-DeSalle ticket. This option has been offered as a compromise between the two.
However, that proposal assumes that Chris Kinlock does not win the primary. If Kinlock, the political newcomer, wins the race as a "dark horse" candidate, both DeSalle and Hall would likely be left out in the cold.
Kinlock has implied he would choose someone else as his running mate, should he win the NAT's backing in the primary election.
No matter how the chips fall, it will be a tough race for the NAT. While Kalnier remains a liberal-leaning state, Kalnier elects its governors in off-presidential election years, making it easier for insurgent Conservatives to win the governorship.
Adding to that factor, Conservatives enjoyed unexpected success in the 2022 elections in Kalnier, with construction company owner Scott Revard winning narrowly in a surprise upset against NAT incumbent Paul LeBouse.
"Kalnier is still a liberal state, so the NAT has a natural advantage," said Dr. Chris Timmons, a political science professor at Northern Kalnier University in Lockport. "But, you can't discount Conservatives. They had a great year last year in Kalnier. They ousted a well-known and popular NAT incumbent senator with a virtually unknown Conservative challenger. And the national mood is still somewhat favorable to the Conservative party. I would not be assuming this race favors the NAT at this point, I think it's still really up in the air."
Ritonio was asked by reporters during a press conference last week who he would like to see succeed him. The governor said it's too early to tell, but he did express strong confidence in Dehignen.
"I don't even know who's running yet and who will throw their hat into the ring," said Ritonio. "But I can tell you, we have an excellent lieutenant governor, Marie Dehignen. And should she decide to run, I think she would be difficult to beat."
Dehignen has said she will decide on a potential run for governor over the Christmas holiday.
If she runs, she will be the first Conservative woman to run for governor in Kalnier history. She currently is the second female lieutenant governor in state history. The first was Jennifer Knowles, who served under Conservative Gov. Joe Gramma.
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