Wolmach considering gubernatorial run after stinging senate loss certified

SNOWDEN, March. -- After her legal disputes challenging the results of her 2024 senate re-election bid ended this week, outgoing federal Sen. Heidi Wolmach (N) is now reportedly turning her eyes to the 2026 governor's race, sources close to the senator told the GBC.

The sources, who did not want to be named because they were not permitted to speak to the media, said Wolmach is considering running for governor next year in what her close supporters have said would be "a political comeback" potentially.

Wolmach has not confirmed the rumors, but she hasn't denied them either. Multiple sources spoke with the GBC and all told the same story.

Conservative Gov. Mike Shannon is up for re-election next year in Marchenay, which is a perennial battleground state.

Shannon, an Evangelical Christian, enjoys strong support in the Conservative Party, but Nationalists are deeply opposed to his policies.

If Wolmach decides to challenge Shannon, it will be a difficult task.

She'd first have to make it through the NAT's primary election process.

Lt. Gov. Kevin Levenetti has already been quietly planning a run for governor. Levenetti has already secured support from many local and state NAT leaders and elected officials, and while he has not officially announced a campaign for governor, he has been a prolific fundraiser in the past.

He was widely seen as the favored candidate, with no viable challengers.

If Wolmach runs, she would be a formidable opponent, but she'd start far behind Levenetti, both with money and with building political support for her bid.

Earlier this week, state NAT activist and party elder Tom Hartwell also announced his candidacy for governor.

Hartwell almost won the NAT's nomination back in 2018, narrowly losing to then-Attorney General Dan Rattner, who went on to win the governorship.

Hartwell is more left-wing than Levenetti, and the is considerably older (73) than the current front-runner (Levenetti is 46). The differences between the two men are policy-related as much as generationally.

Another potential NAT candidate who could enter the fray is Mavocke businessman Tom Fortney. He, too, ran for governor back in 2018, finishing in third place behind Rattner and Hartwell.

Fortney is a wealthy tech CEO who has a vast personal fortune. He could self-fund a serious campaign if he wanted to. He has not expressed any interest in running for governor again, however.

Wolmach has been supportive of Levenetti in the past, calling him a friend. She has also campaigned for him and helped him raise money in past races.

But friends close to Wolmach say her stinging loss to Conservative Assemblywoman Marsha Dawes in the 2024 senate election has left Wolmach upset and eager to jump back into the political fight.

"She is not one to just sit by idly. She is a fighter. And if she thinks she can fight Conservatives best by running for governor, I think she'll do that. Or maybe she'll run for the Senate again in. I'm not sure. But I fully expect her to run again," said one source, again speaking anonymously.

Wolmach has refused to concede to Dawes, although she acknowledged her campaign had no legal options.

Dawes was crowned the winner after three recounts, taking just over 50% to Wolmach's almost 49 percent, respectively.

With each recount, Dawes gained ground over Wolmach.

Wolmach said she would end her legal challenges to the election, but she declined to concede to Dawes or to congratulate her.

"I refuse to acknowledge an election-counting process that I believe is corrupt and inaccurate," she said immediately following the Marchenay State Supreme Court's decision to reject her appeal.

Dawes declared victory and said it was time to move on.

"The first count found me to be the winner. And the next three recounts found the same thing. This election is settled. The people of Marchenay have spoken. It's time to move on and get to work governing our nation," said Dawes on Friday.

With Dawes' win certified, Conservatives officially now hold 50 seats to Nationalists' 45. One Democratic-Reformist, New Portsmouth Sen. Ayden Benning, caucuses with the NAT, putting the divide in power at 50-46.

It's a slim majority, but a huge turn-around from before last year's elections, when Conservatives held just 42 seats to the NAT's 54.

Ansleigha Sen. Jon Ralston has taken the title of Senate Majority Leader, while Damoign Nationalist Debbie Madronas was challenged for her party's leadership but ultimately prevailed. She will stay on as the Minority Leader.

********************

Election Results -- Official -- Marchenay Federal Senate

Marsha Dawes (CNS)	50.13%	4,451,945
Heidi Wolmach* (NAT)	48.95%	4,346,953
Other	0.92%	82,014

*=incumbent

Madronas survives leadership challenge

MAVOCKE -- After months of debate and introspection, Nationalist senators have voted to retain their leader, Damoign Sen. Debbie Madronas.

Three of Madronas' colleagues put their names forward to challenge her for the party's top position. Madronas has led the Senate NAT since 2017.

Many NAT members were unhappy with the drubbing the party took in the 2024 elections, and senators from across the political spectrum felt it was time for new leadership after Conservatives retook control of the senate.

But after the fourth round of voting, Madronas prevailed, winning the votes of 28 senators compared to 18 votes for her closest opponent, North Ceona's Anthony Campanelli.

Marcheny Sen. Heidi Wolmach, whose senate re-election race is still being recounted, did not participate in the party voting process, although she voiced her vociferous support for Madronas on social media and in TV interviews.

Onakiah Sen. Jon Yannes, who has led the NAT's fundraising efforts in recent years, was the first candidate to be eliminated in the first round. He was followed by South Ceona's pro-labor Mick O'Toole.

Yannes and O'Toole spoke to their fellow senators before the anonymous voting began. Yannes pointed to his fundraising credentials and his refusal to negotiate with Conservatives as a winning formula. 

O'Toole, who is outspoken about his pro-labor policies, pledged to return to a more old-school style, saying he would negotiate with Conservatives while also pushing a pro-worker agenda.

Campanelli said yesterday in a TV interview that it was time for the party to have a newer, younger leader. 

"We just lost seven seats and the Conservatives retook the chamber. We can't keep doing what we're doing. The Grassadellian people have spoken, and they spoke loudly and clearly. They are not happy with our party. It's time for our party to chart a new path forward and pick a new leader. It's time for a fresh start," he told the GBC.

Madronas acknowledged the party took a hit in the last elections, and said she would stand down if her fellow NAT senators voted her out. But she said only she can go toe-to-toe with Conservative Senate Majority Leader Jon Ralston.

"Did we have a difficult election? Yes, we did. And we lost some great senators from our side, which is deeply disappointing. But we can't stop the fight. And the voters did not reject the Nationalist Party, they voted their pocketbook. The economy was struggling, Conservatives had the momentum, and people went along with that. I disagree with the notion that the voters rejected the Nationalist Party and all our policies," said Madronas at a press conference in Mavocke on Thursday.

In the end, the loyalty that Madronas has built over the last eight years helped her overcome concerns about the party's post-election image.

"Debbie Madronas is a fearless, strong, bold leader. She has served the people of Damoign and the people of this country well. She has a passion for government and social welfare, and she is the strong leader we need to push back against a radical Conservative agenda," said Wolmach, one of Madronas' most ardent supporters.

At his own press conference, Ralston both criticized and praised Madronas.

Voters swung against the NAT in favor of Conservatives because Madronas "failed to deliver" on promises she made when she was majority leader.

"The Nationalists promised to pass climate change legislation, they never did. They promised healthcare reform, they never passed it. They promised a labor bill, they never got around to it. The voters were tired of empty promises. The voters realized the Conservative Party has an agenda and will pursue that agenda, while the NAT is just about opposing the other side," said Ralston. "Grassadellians want their government to get things done, and we will get things done."

Despite their "severe" political differences, Ralston complimented Madronas and said he anticipates a collegial relationship with his counterpart.

"We've worked together for several years now. Debbie and I disagree on just about every single issue. And we have some serious disagreements. And she irks me often, and I irk her often. So there is a level of discord between us, but I also know she's a strong legislator and she leads her team well. That's why she won re-election as the NAT leader. Her party views her as a leader and she commands the ship. So, while I may disagree with her strongly, I do respect her position and her authority in her own party. She commands strong party loyalty and that's because she runs her internal operations pretty well."

After the vote, Madronas said she was "honored and humbled" to be re-elected NAT leader by her colleagues.

"I understand that we had a tough election last time around, and I know things need to change. We've had discussions about that among the NAT caucus, and I have listened. We will be changing some things. We will evolve and better ourselves and be responsive to the Grassadellian people. We are a party that is on the move, and even though we are now in the minority, we are not a weak party, we are a strong party. And I am happy to stand strongly and firmly against what I consider to be a harmful Conservative agenda."

Hannah Meade survives close call in Wilkonshire re-election race

NEWBERRY, Wilk. -- Wilkonshire Secretary of State Hannah Meade (N) has resurrected her political life after an extremely close call in her race for re-election.

Meade ran for re-election last year, and was widely presumed to win re-election easily. 

In a shock twist on election night, Conservative Gina Kertousin actually led Meade in the vote counting, something pundits and experts from both political parties did not see coming.

Even the Kertousin campaign was stunned. "We really were blown away," said Carol Carnes, campaign manager for Kertousin, told reporters a week after election night.

But after weeks of recounts, and litigation, Meade was finally declared the winner on Friday.

Additional ballots from overseas and military voters, and ballots that were cast at the last second before the voting deadline, all buoyed Meade back into the lead.

She ended up winning re-election by a sliver: her eventual lead was just around 26,000 votes out of more than 6.4 million cast.

In response to the latest tally, the Kertousin campaign said it is still weighing its legal options, and may continue litigation.

But state Conservative Party leaders are inclined to let the latest count stand.

"It's highly unlikely we'd win, and it would not be good PR for the party or for Gina," said Wilkonshire state party Vice Chairwoman Galena Kidman.

Kertousin herself has not publicly since the latest election results were released Friday, but sources close to her say she is slated to make a statement tomorrow.

"Even if she does end up losing this race, by a thimble-full, it's still quite impressive, because the polls had her way down," said Kidman. "[Kertousin] has a reason to be proud of herself and her campaign."

Still, a loss is a loss. Coming close doesn't matter in elections. If Meade's win stands, it means Meade will continue in the position she has held since 2015, when she was appointed by then-Governor Caroline Jepsey to replace Secretary of State Jan Van Ness, who won election to the Federal Senate.

Meade has remained popular since her appointment. She previously beat Kertousin 65%-35% in 2016, and  56%-42% in 2020.

It's unclear what a third loss will mean for Kertousin, who raised far more money this time around than her two other previous tries for the office.

She seems to have inherited Wilkonshire's "Conservative woman curse," a phenomenon that was identified and labeled after former Christon Mayor Tara Hadley lost two close races for governor, and then lost a third attempt in 2024 in the CNS primary.

"For whatever reason, Conservative women have not fared well in Wilkonshire," said outgoing federal Sen. Bob Mellon. "I don't know why. I think all the female candidates we've put forth have been strong candidates with impressive resumes and great ideas. I think it's more that they have run against strong candidates."

Nationalist women have had success in Wilkonshire. Former Gov. Caroline Jepsey was elected to two terms. Sen. Jan Van Ness continues to serve the state. Former Sens. Sylvea Stone and Terry Branlin were elected but then lost re-election. However, both are still involved in state politics and considering future runs for office.

After three consecutive losses, it will be difficult for Kertousin to move forward politically. Investors and donors are harder to come by after multiple losses. And state party leaders will be looking for a fresh face in 2028 when the secretary of state position is up for grabs next.

Kertousin could do what many unsuccessful statewide candidates have done. She could run for a lesser office, such as a mayoralty, a National Assembly seat, or a county commissioner position.

The Conservative former county clerk from Merrill County is only 56 years old, so she still has time to cement her political legacy and move on from her three disappointing losses.

Regardless, Kertousin's unexpectedly strong performance is something for Conservatives in the state to celebrate. 

The party has never held the secretary of state position in Wilkonshire, and will be itching to claim it in 2028.

All this is assuming there is no further litigation, which is still a possibility. However, most Conservative political operatives and politicians GNN spoke with believe that is unlikely.

For her part, Meade wrote on her "X" account (formerly Twitter) that she is "beyond honored" to be re-elected to her post.

She acknowledged "the unusually close nature of this election," but said she will "continue to work for all Wilkonshireans, regardless of political party or affiliation."

Meade's fortunes are better than her fellow Nationalists, who lost the governorship, lieutenant governorship and attorney generalship.

If her win holds, she will be the sole Nationalist in Wilkonshire's state executive positions.

***Wilkonshire Secretary of State Election*** -- Updated Results:

Hannah Meade (N)	49.98%	3,221,994
Gina Kertousin (C)	49.57%	3,195,238
Other	0.45%	29,008
	TOTAL:	6,446,240

Halver wins Trinton AG race easily, defeating liberal incumbent

PORT ALICE, Tri. -- Former Trinton Attorney General Troy Halver will be heading back to his old office.

Trinton Secretary of State Adrianne Rodgers confirmed Halver won back his old position, and he did so easily.

Halver defeated liberal incumbent Damon Garcia-Pererra (N) by a margin of 54.66% to Garcia-Pererra's 44.85 percent, respectively.

Halver, a Nationalist who switched his party affiliation to Independent, ran with the support of Trinton's Conservative Party, which agreed not to run a Conservative candidate against Halver and Garcia-Perrera.

The tough-on-crime Nationalist, who has appealed to Conservative and moderate, blue collar voters who value public safety, ran the table in Trinton's most populous counties.

Halver pulled off an impressive 61%-38% win in conservative Port Alice County, his adopted home county, where he now resides.

He also won big in right-leaning Southshore County, where he won 58%-41%, respectively.

He achieved smaller victories in Oceanview, Grandley and Merceda Counties, but all three counties typically trend liberal, so a win for a right-leaning candidate such as Halver is significant.

At a press conference on election night in Chesterhead, southern Port Alice County, Halver told reporters the election results prove voters want a new direction forward on crime.

"Tonight, voters resoundingly showed they want law and order in Trinton again," said Halver. "The woke policies of leftist politicians, free bail, catch and release, multiple strikes instead of just three strikes...the voters have rejected these policies that liberal Nationalist politicians put into place. And starting tomorrow, we are going to reverse all of those disastrous policies."

Halver's words were received with thundering applause by attendees to his election night party. In fact, the applause was so loud and strong, he had to pause for more than 30 seconds at one point while the audience let out their excitement.

Over at his election night gathering in northeast Williamstown, Damon Garcia-Perrera conceded the race, but he rejected the idea that Halver won in a landslide.

"He only won because the Conservatives backed him. And he pulled some traditional NAT voters. Had the Conservatives not backed him and agreed not to run a candidate of their own, Troy Halver would not have won. I just think that's worth mentioning. This idea that he won a massive mandate, it's just not true. He won, but he did so with unusual circumstances," said Garcia-Perrera.

Conservatives accused the outgoing attorney general of being a bad sport.

"Damon's just pissed he lost. It's classic sour grapes attitude. He lost and he can't admit he lost fair and square," said Kevin DeWight, a conservative political operative who has worked on multiple statewide Conservative campaigns, but did not work for Troy Halver this election.

The celebration at the Brasswood Golf and Country Club in Chesterhead, where Halver held his campaign party, went late into the early morning hours. Halver himself left the party around midnight and went "straight to bed," he told reporters the next morning.

"I need my rest because we have so much work to do, and I want to hit the ground running."

Halver's election makes him the first person to serve as attorney general, vacate the office, and then return to it.

Conservative Secretary of State Trip Kellet achieved the same status when he defeated, by a more modest margin, Nationalist Secretary of State Adrianne Rogers (N).

Trinton's state government will now be led by conservative men, although Halver continues to identify as a Nationalist, but "an independent Nationalist," he told reporters last week.

He has declined to say if he will switch parties and officially join the CNS Party.

Tom Jamber concedes Trinton governor's race: 'I may have lost this match, but I am still in the game'

CRISTO COLONADO, Tri. -- After weeks of recounting, Nationalist Assemblyman Tom Jamber has finally conceded the Trinton governor's race to Conservative businessman Jim Valoix.

The race has been close from the start, and the first count of ballots found Valoix ahead by about 40,000 votes out of more than 4.9 million votes cast.

Jamber and the Trinton Nationalist Party immediately called for a recount and a hand-canvassing of the votes.

Trinton Secretary of State Adrianne Rodgers (N) released the latest tally of votes, after weeks of counting and legal disputes. The latest numbers include all overseas and military votes, whereas the original count had not yet included all of those ballots.

The recounts did little to change the outcome. In fact, Valoix narrowly expanded his lead, receiving 50.05% to Jamber's 49.17 percent, respectively.

At a press conference Saturday morning in his home district in northeast Williamstown, Jamber said he was "disappointed to say the least," but that he recognized the hand recount of ballots, which is considered the most time-consuming but also most accurate way to tabulate election results, were not in his favor.

"I want to thank the people of Trinton for hanging in there for the past few weeks, as we have had a very close election that has required a hand recount. I know it's time-consuming. I know it's been frustrating to not know for weeks who our state's next governor was going to be. But I thank you all for hanging in there and being patient. And I thank Secretary Rodgers for ensuring an accurate count of the ballots," said Jamber.

Earlier Saturday morning, Jamber called Valoix and conceded the race, he told reporters. 

"As you know, this campaign has been very ugly and very bitter with a lot of personal attacks against me. So, it has been a tough campaign. But we had a pleasant and cordial conversation. I wished him well. I asked him to make good on his pledge to work bipartisanly. I asked him to include Nationalist legislators in his decisions and his policy-making. And I asked him to make sure the radical far-right of the Conservative Party is constrained and leashed during his tenure," said Jamber.

The concession was a painful one for Jamber, and not his first. He previously ran for governor back in 2020, narrowly losing to then-incumbent Marcus Edinough (DR).

"It does hurt to lose. I think it hurts to lose no matter who you are or what party you belong to," said Jamber, when asked about his feelings surrounding his loss. "But the people of Trinton have spoken, and they have chosen to go a different direction, and I have to respect that. The Nationalist Party has to respect that. And frankly, we failed. We should have done a better job of connecting with the voters. And that's really on me, as the leader and the torch-bearer of our party, I own that loss. So, we have work to do over the next few months as we dissect what happened and what went wrong in this race and how we can fix things for next time around," said Jamber.

For now, he will go back to representing his heavily liberal, central Trinton district in the National Assembly. He told reporters he is uncertain about his political future.

"I really don't know what I'll do in the future or if I'll run for statewide office again. I really can't tell you because I truly don't know. I haven't even thought about that yet," said Jamber. "But I'm going to keep serving in the Assembly, serving my neighbors in my district. And I can promise you one thing, I will not stop fighting for Trinton and for progressive values. Just because I lost this race doesn't mean I'm going to stick my tail between my legs and run away and cower. I will continue to fight. I will continue to work with and cultivate new liberal leaders who will be the future of our state. And I will continue to stand up to Conservatives here in Trinton and down in Mavocke when they trample on the rights and freedoms of the Grassadellian people."

The defiant Jamber continued: "I may have lost this match, but I am still in the game."

Further north in Port Alice, Governor-elect Jim Valoix held a press conference, too, at one of his luxury office buildings in the city's central business district.

Valoix thanked Jamber for conceding. "We had a nice chat, he was gracious, and I wish him the best of luck as he continues to serve the people of his district," said Valoix.

The governor-elect also laid out his agenda as he takes the reins of state government.

"We're going to focus on the economy, bringing jobs to our state, reducing and cutting regulations so businesses can thrive and expand. We're going to focus on cutting regulations for housing, so that developers can build new houses and we have more housing options for Trintonians. We're going to get rid of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies that have harmed our state government and have replaced top talent with affirmative action hires. We're going to fix our roads and expand our roads so Trintonians aren't stuck in traffic for hours at a time each day. And we're going to reduce taxes, so businesses can expand and families have more money in their bank accounts," said Valoix, though he gave few details on exactly how he intends to implement all those policies.

Valoix said he "will work with anyone who is on the right side of policy, including Nationalists."

"I've seen what one-party rule does to a state. For the last few decades, that's what we've had here in Trinton. Nationalists running the show and shutting out the minority. I don't plan to govern that way. I plan to listen to everybody who will talk to me, and then go from there."

When he takes office next Monday, Valoix will become the state's first Conservative governor in modern history since statewide elections began back in the early 2000's.

Valoix will also become the first governor from northern Trinton, and at age 76, he will become the oldest governor in Trinton's history.

Trinton is a historically heavily NAT state, although moderate Conservatives have had some success.

But the governor-elect's win was even more astonishing given his track record in elections. He previously, unsuccessfully ran for governor three times: first in 2012, when he lost 41% - 58% to Nationalist Mark De Auonne, then again in 2016, when he just barely finished third in a three-way race against Nationalist Troy Halver and Democratic-Reformist Marcus Edinough, and again in 2020, when Valoix ran for the CNS nomination for governor but lost out in the primary to former CNS Sen. Greg Baxter.

Despite his negative record running for office, Valoix clawed his way back to win the CNS party's nomination in 2024, beating out a score of other well-known Conservative candidates.

And even though Trinton leans heavily to the left, lower turnout among NAT voters helped Valoix clinch victory in the general election. He won most of the rural counties of central and southern Trinton that normally favor Conservatives, but he also won urban counties such as Twixlow, Hampton-Doven, Kelleyville, Port Alice and Southshore.

Two months before the election, a poll found Valoix leading in the liberal stronghold of Oceanview County, the state's most populous. In the end, Valoix lost Oceanview County, but only by a 51%-48% margin, respectively.

Jamber won the traditionally left-leaning counties of Grandley (Tornboro) and Merceda, home to the South Bay communities of Sloane, Kinslerville and Plymouth.

Valoix's win means Nationalists will likely be shut out of the governor's office for another four years, after eight years of Marcus Edinough (DR) leading the state.

It's unclear if Valoix's win is a sign of more permanently competitive elections in Trinton, or just anomalous downturn in NAT support among Trinton's voters.

Regardless, Valoix is poised to make Trinton a more business-friendly state, likely to follow in the footsteps of Trinton's neighboring Conservative-led states, Lial and Kalnier.

While turnout was lower in some NAT strongholds around the state, turnout statewide was still at 81 percent, which is high for Trinton. The state has consistently had one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the country.

--------------------------------------------------------------

**Trinton Governor's Race -- Final Election Results**

Jim Valoix (C)	50.05%	2,777,134
Tom Jamber (N)	49.17%	2,728,336
Other	0.79%	43,685
	TOTAL:	5,549,155