Free Republic

Angus King III is following in his father’s footsteps and running to be governor of Maine. King is the son of Angus King, who served as governor of Maine from 1995 to 2003 and now serves as the independent senator from the Pine Tree State. King III is planning on running as a Democrat, hoping to replace embattled Democrat Gov. Janet Mills. “I’ve spent my life building and making things that really help people,” he said, according to WGME. “Now, I’m running for governor to build a better Maine,” he continued, “where it’s easier to start and grow a small...

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., has been telling potential donors and Florida political players that he is running for governor in 2026, the clearest signal yet that his much-expected bid is moving forward. Donalds, who represents southwest Florida, has long been rumored to be considering a campaign to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, but those rumors have ramped up in recent days. Last weekend, at a state Republican Party meeting in Orlando, Donalds sponsored a hospitality suite and told people he is running. In the past week, he has sent an even clearer sign of his intentions in a series of...

The doctor who ran against Democratic vice president pick Tim Walz in the Minnesota gubernatorial race two years ago warned voters that the white-haired National Guard veteran is a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” – and even had some advice for JD Vance. “He comes across as everyone’s favorite uncle and jovial but the fact is he can be a pitbull when he needs to be,” Dr. Scott Jensen told The Post of Walz, who was tapped this week as Kamala Harris’ running mate for the November presidential election.

As she runs this year in one of the top gubernatorial elections in the country, former Sen. Kelly Ayotte is making clear she supports former President Trump's bid to win back the White House. "Under Joe Biden things cost more, we’re less safe. There’s no question that we are worse off than we were than when President Trump was in office," Ayotte charged in a national interview with Fox News Digital. "I’m supporting President Trump because I believe we need to change courses for the nation."

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) announced a gubernatorial run on the Republican ticket Tuesday. “I come before you with a very clear purpose. I’m seeking the Republican nomination for Governor of West Virginia,” Morrisey said in his prepared speech on Tuesday during an event with supporters in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Morrisey has served as West Virginia’s attorney general since being elected in 2012. “I’m the only proven conservative in this race with a deep record of fighting and winning against the political elites successfully defending our West Virginia values and accomplishing the big things West Virginians care...

Democratic Oregon gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek held off Republican Christine Drazan in a surprisingly close race in a deep blue state. The race gained national attention in recent months with polling consistently showing Drazan and Kotek neck-and-neck as they battled over gender and sexuality topics being taught in schools, campaign financing, crime and Oregon's economy. The Fox News Power Rankings listed the race as a toss-up. The results were heavily influenced by independent candidate and former Democrat Betsy Johnson, who grabbed more than 8% of the vote and appeared to take a sizable chunk of support from Kotek.

Republican Christine Drazan, who is running to be the next governor of Oregon, slightly leads against Democrat opponent Tina Kotek, according to the latest poll. The poll from Oregon-based Nelson Research showed that Drazan slightly led Kotek by a little over two points, 43.5 percent to 41.1 percent. The poll also showed that 5.4 percent would vote for Betsy Johnson, an unaffiliated candidate, while 9.4 percent were still undecided.

Here are is all the information you need to quickly look up the current “Toss Up” races, to get involved or to donate, to help push each over the edge. State: Incumbent Candidate - Rep. Website AZ: Open (R) Kari Lake https://www.karilake.com/ KS: Kelly (D) Derek Schmidt https://schmidtforkansas.com/ ME: Mills (D) Paul LePage https://govlepage.com/ MI: Whitmer (D) Tudor Dixon https://www.tudordixon.com/ MN: Walz (D) Dr. Scott Jensen https://drscottjensen.com/ NM: Lujan Grisham (D) Mark Ronchetti https://markronchetti.com/ NV: Sisolak (D) Joe Lombardo https://www.joelombardofornv.com NY: Hochul (D) Lee Zeldin https://zeldinfornewyork.com/ OR: Open (D) Christine Drazan https://www.christinefororegon.com/about/ PA: Open (D) Doug Mastriano https://doug4gov.com/ WI: Evers...

The gubernatorial race in New York is tightening, as Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Republican nominee for governor, attempts to close the gap in his challenge of Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), a recent InsiderAdvantage/Trafalgar Group survey found. The survey asked respondents, “If the election for Governor were held today, for whom would you vote?”

Less than a month ago, the Trafalgar Group released a poll showing that Republican Kari Lake was leading Democrat Katie Hobbs in the Arizona gubernatorial race. This lead was very slight, of just 0.7 percent, but it was telling nonetheless. The polling group has since released another round out of Arizona, as it has done in other key battleground states, and Lake is now leading by a much more significant margin. Lake now enjoys support from a majority of like voters, at 50 percent. Hobbs' lead has gone down ever so slightly, by 0.2 percent from August, to 45.6 percent.

The gubernatorial race in New York is heating up as the Republican nominee for governor, Rep. Lee Zeldin, is only six points away from Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul in the most recent poll from co/efficient. The poll, taken two months before the election, showed Hochul ahead by only six points. Forty-nine percent of the respondents said they would vote to elect the incumbent governor, and 43 percent said they would vote for Zeldin, who currently represents Eastern Long Island in the House. Eight percent said they were undecided. A similar number of respondents viewed each candidate favorably, but Hochul had...

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) leads Democrat challenger Robert Francis O’Rourke in the state’s gubernatorial matchup, a University of Houston/Texas Southern University survey released this week found. The survey asked respondents — both likely voters and “almost certain” voters — who they plan to vote for in the 2022 gubernatorial race.

Although Oregon has long been a blue stronghold, political analysts say the state’s gubernatorial race is no sure thing, the Baker City Herald reported Tuesday. Most recently, the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics changed the race from “Leans Democratic” to “Toss-up,” pointing to the volatile nature of potentially splitting a governor’s race between three candidates.

Conservative Mark Ronchetti has won the New Mexico gubernatorial Republican primary, sweeping with more than 60 percent of the vote and votes still rolling in. On Tuesday, Ronchetti won the gubernatorial primary, ensuring he will face off against New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) in the November midterm elections.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) is more than 30 points ahead of her closest Republican challengers following the shake-up of the GOP candidate field, according to a new poll. The poll, conducted by Target Insyght and published by Deadline Detroit, showed Whitmer with a 34-point lead over businessman Kevin Rinke and real estate broker Ryan Kelley, a 36-point lead over chiropractor Garrett Soldano, a 37-point lead over conservative media personality Tudor Dixon, and a 39-point lead over pastor Ralph Rebandt.

A lawyer who ran for governor of Maine twice was arrested on child pornography charges Friday. Eliot Cutler, 75, faces four counts of possession of sexually explicit material of a minor under 12 after investigators found 10 files of children being exploited on his computer, according to The Portland Press Herald.

20225 3:16 Florida Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) currently leads in Florida’s Democrat gubernatorial primary race, a GBAO Strategies/Crist internal survey released Wednesday found. The internal survey found Crist with a “commanding lead” in the Democrat primary for governor, leading challenger Nikki Fried (D), Florida’s commissioner of agriculture, by double digits, 54 percent to 28 percent. State Sen. Annette Taddeo (D), who served as Crist’s running mate in his failed 2014 gubernatorial bid, comes in third place with just seven percent support. Overall, 11 percent remain undecided:

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said he would decide soon whether to run for governor after his second term as mayor ends. De Blasio, who is in his final week as mayor and is barred from running for a third four-year stint, said he’s focused on fighting the coronavirus pandemic in his final days in office but could make a decision shortly after.

Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott (R) reacted to Democrat Beto O’Rourke’s kick-off of his gubernatorial campaign Monday morning, telling the failed presidential and U.S. Senate candidate: “Bring it.” “Beto wants to: – defund the police – kill good paying oil & gas jobs – allow chaotic open border policies – support the failing Biden agenda – impose socialism – take your guns. Bring it,” Abbott wrote on social media of O’Rourke’s announcement.

PAUL J. WEBER Mon, November 15, 2021, 4:01 PM·6 min read In this article: Greg Abbott 48th Governor of Texas, since 2015 Explore the topics mentioned in this article AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrat Beto O’Rourke is running for governor of Texas, pursuing a blue breakthrough in America’s biggest red state after his star-making U.S. Senate campaign in 2018 put him closer than anyone in decades. O'Rourke's announcement Monday kicks off a third run for office in as many election cycles. He burst into the 2020 Democratic presidential primary as a party phenomena but dropped out just eight months later...