Judge and former Kentucky gubernatorial candidate dies after saving wife from fire

Luke Gentile

October 21, 10:43 AM October 21, 10:43 AM

A former appeals court judge and gubernatorial candidate in Kentucky died Thursday after rescuing his wife from a house fire.

Tom Emberton, 90, acted fast when his Edmonton home erupted into flames at about 3:30 a.m., according to a report.

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"He heroically rescued his wife and got her to safety," Edmonton Mayor Doug Smith said.

"Then he went back in to save his home and lost his life."

Emberton ran for Kentucky's gubernatorial seat in 1971.

Although unsuccessful in the bid, Emberton was appointed to Kentucky's Court of Appeals in 1987, according to the report.

He was twice reelected to the Court of Appeals and served as chief judge of the appellate court until his retirement in 2004.

"Tom was just the greatest guy in the world to be around. He was infectious to everybody," Smith said.

"He had a way about him that was really special."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) served on Emberton's gubernatorial campaign and spoke on his character.

"Tom gave me one of my earliest experiences in the rough and tumble reality of political campaigning, hiring me to work on his 1971 gubernatorial campaign," he said in a statement.

"He taught me valuable lessons on public service and running as a statewide Republican in Kentucky."

Emberton was married to his wife Julia for 65 years and had two children and five grandchildren.

Top takeaways from final debate in Oregon governor’s race

Cami Mondeaux

October 20, 08:00 AM October 20, 08:12 AM

The three candidates in Oregon’s race for governor met for their final televised debate on Wednesday, clashing on key issues such as education and homelessness as each of them sought to set themselves apart in the consequential election.

Although Oregon typically leans Democratic in its statewide races and leaves little room for surprises, the governor’s race has been deemed a toss-up by election forecasters after third-party candidate former state Sen. Betsy Johnson entered the ring. Johnson, a onetime Democrat, has shaken up the race by threatening to split the electorate between herself and Democratic candidate Tina Kotek, giving Republican contender Christine Drazan a path to victory.

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Drazan has had a surprisingly strong performance in the polls so far, prompting Republican groups to pour money into the race to score an upset victory.

Here are the top takeaways from Wednesday’s debate:

Candidates’ experience in state politics both a weapon and hindrance

All three candidates have some experience working for the state government in Oregon, offering them talking points to tout their policy achievements while also giving their opponents fodder to attack their political records.

Kotek, the former House speaker in the Oregon legislature, was knocked by her opponents for the increase in crime rates that occurred while she was in office, with Johnson accusing the Democrat of prioritizing “almost everything before she prioritized homelessness.” Kotek fired back by blaming Drazan, a former representative in the Oregon House, for delaying a bill that would allocate $100 million toward homelessness by staging a walkout during the 2020 legislative session.

Drazan and Kotek engaged in several heated exchanges, frequently accusing the other of lying about their voting records and policy stances. Both Johnson and Drazan accused Kotek of being the “original defund-the-police candidate” and walking with “rioters” during racial justice protests in the summer of 2020, prompting Kotek to decry her opponents for misrepresenting her record.

Johnson adamant about staying in race despite risking Republican victory

The trio acknowledged the unusual circumstances surrounding their three-way race, conceding it could result in some partisan advantages for the winning party.

Johnson was previously a Democrat before leaving the party last year to run for governor, noting voters shouldn’t have to choose between a “left-wing liberal promising more of the same or a right-wing Trump apologist.” Despite trailing in the polls and threatening to split the vote, Johnson has refused to drop out — remaining adamant she could still win.

Johnson criticized Kotek for introducing policies that “spoiled” the Democratic Party, arguing her leadership was too far to the left. Kotek responded by warning that Johnson’s presence in the race would increase the chance for a Republican win, noting that “we don’t need to take a hard right turn to put our state back on track.”

Candidates point to policing reform to crack down on crime

Crime has emerged as a focal point in the governor’s race, as both Johnson and Drazan have spent much of the midterm cycle knocking Kotek for rising crime and homelessness rates in the state, which have reached record-breaking levels this year.

Kotek proposed increasing the number of sworn officers in the state and providing more training for local police departments to train recruits. Drazan agreed, contending cities have experienced higher rates of crime because of a shrinking police force — vowing to ensure the state police department is fully funded.

Johnson touted her record while she served in the state legislature, noting the Oregon State Police had adequate funding while she was in office. However, she said, Democrats limited the effectiveness of police departments by passing legislation that restricted police tactics and enforced consequences for misconduct — policies that Kotek and Drazan both supported.

Midterm governor races grow in prominence

David Mark

October 17, 01:00 AM October 17, 01:00 AM

Governor races are staples of midterm elections, with 36 state chief executive offices up every four years. Still, they often take second billing to contests for the Senate and the House, where the majorities stand a chance of switching practically every election cycle.

But in 2022, gubernatorial races are not wanting for attention.

Gubernatorial contests are among the highest profile of the midterm election roster. Like races for attorney general, secretary of state, and state supreme court seats, governors will play a vital role in the logistics of the 2024 presidential race. Governors’ signatures are required to send Electoral College vote tallies to Congress after a presidential election. It’s usually a formality, but in 2021, it became a flashpoint that led to violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, when supporters of defeated President Donald Trump tried to stop certification by Congress of then-President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College victory.

Abortion also looms prominently in gubernatorial races. The Supreme Court’s June 24 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, effectively making abortion law a state concern, means there could be dramatically different policies in place on the longtime hot-button social issue depending on who gets elected governor. In Pennsylvania, for instance, Democratic nominee Josh Shapiro, his state’s attorney general, has made support for abortion rights a central theme of his race against Republican rival Doug Mastriano, a state senator who has said the procedure should be illegal in virtually all instances.

“After the Dobbs decision, abortion has become a huge issue across the country. Governors are the last line of defense and the first line of progress. We’ve seen in races across the country, including Michigan, Arizona, and Wisconsin, Republicans have taken extreme stances that are out of step with the electorate,” said David Turner, communications director for the Democratic Governors Association, told the Washington Examiner.

Republican governors, meanwhile, tout their work combating the Biden agenda amid the president's lackluster approval rating and political headwinds facing Democrats in the midterm elections, in which the out-of-power party usually picks up seats. That's bad news for Democrats since the party holds the White House and majorities in the Senate and House, though by razor-thin margins in both chambers.

“Whether you’re a parent seeing your grocery bill skyrocket or a young family struggling to keep up with the costs of a baby or a senior who’s seen your savings deplete, inflation and Democrats’ failures on the economy are front of mind for every voter," Joanna Rodriguez, a Republican Governors Association spokeswoman, told the Washington Examiner. "And instead of working to address the problem sincerely, Democrats have decided to just pour gasoline on the fire with more spending and higher taxes.”

Democratic governors aren’t ceding the mantle of fiscal conservatism.

“They’ve been able to talk about their records of cutting costs for families,” said Turner, of the Democratic Governors Association.

That includes Connecticut Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont cutting property taxes in his state and Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer enacting car insurance rebates. Whitmer, elected governor in 2018, in May announced that $400 auto refund checks have been sent to nearly three-quarters of eligible Michiganders from the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association catastrophic fund surplus.

Republicans are also looking south as Nov. 8 nears, with a simmering U.S.-Mexico border crisis making life difficult for Democratic gubernatorial candidates politically.

“Resources at every level of government are being drained because of the Biden administration’s failures at the southern border, but it’s not just border states paying the price," said the RGA's Rodriguez. "The record amounts of fentanyl and drugs flowing over the border into communities across the country is unprecedented, and Republican governors refuse to stand by and watch Americans die because Joe Biden and Democrats in Washington refuse to act. Governors are utilizing state resources in new and innovative ways, they’ve offered to meet with the president, and even after he ignored them, the governors still put forward policy solutions they knew would relieve the situation.”

Gubernatorial races also draw attention because they differ from federal races in issue set, campaign texture, spending rules, and other areas. It’s not uncommon for states that tilt to one party or the other to elect members of the rival camp as governor because the job is seen as a more technocratic, get-things-done role.

Three of the deepest-blue Democratic states have Republican chief executives: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott. Conversely, a stalwart Republican state in presidential and Senate races, Kansas, has a Democratic governor, Laura Kelly. And Louisiana, where Trump beat Biden 58%-40%, has a two-term Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards. In Kentucky, too, where Trump won over Biden by an even wider 62%-36%, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has defied his state’s GOP partisan lean.

Overall, the gubernatorial map plays in Republicans' favor, said Rodriguez.

“It’s considered incredibly difficult to defeat incumbent governors, but right now, Americans are living with the repercussions of Democrats’ failures in Washington and at state capitols every day, so it’s easy to see why the most vulnerable incumbent governors are in fact all Democrats," Rodriguez said. "Each of these candidates has failed their states on issues that not only resonate nationwide but also play a unique impact in the culture and quality of life in their states: from crime in Wisconsin, Nevada, Oregon, and New Mexico to education in Kansas and Maine. Voters in blue states are seeing the success and growth of red states and realizing the only thing holding back their own state is their Democrat governor.”

Democratic strategists and consultants counter that they're the ones on the offense heading into Nov. 8. And under the right circumstances, they have a chance at overturning Republicans' 28-22 edge in governorships — or at least tie, with 25 Democratic governors and 25 Republicans.

Here are five of the most competitive gubernatorial races in 2022.

ARIZONA. The governor’s office is coming open because Republican Doug Ducey is retiring due to state term limits. Kari Lake, who was a television news anchor on Phoenix station KSAV for 22 years, won a contentious Republican primary to nab the GOP nomination. Lake is a vocal proponent of Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was rigged despite no evidence surfacing to that effect.

The Democratic nominee is Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a former state senator and social worker. Hobbs is running as a nonpartisan problem solver who is willing to cross the aisle. Still, her role as secretary of state, which oversees elections, has become a focal point of the campaign. Multiple reviews have shown a clean and sound 2020 election in Arizona, where Biden beat Trump by less than 11,000 votes. Lake and state Republicans don't accept those findings. That makes the race unusual in that a key area is less about the current gubernatorial contest and more about looking back to the events of late 2020.

KANSAS. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is seeking reelection in what is otherwise a strongly Republican state. Kansas has voted for GOP presidential nominees from 1964 on and hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since the 1932 elections. Kelly casts herself as a nonideological pragmatist. “As governor, Laura Kelly fulfilled her promise to be a moderate leader who would put Kansas back on track after years of fiscal mismanagement, harmful budget deficits, and underfunded schools,” Kelly’s campaign website says.

Kelly’s Republican opponent is Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a former state senator and a congressional aide. Schmidt also is steering toward the middle ahead of the Nov. 8 election. Schmidt has said he respects the Aug. 2 Kansas vote on abortion, which decisively rejected a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow the Republican-controlled legislature to restrict or ban the procedure.

Kelly is the only Democratic governor running for reelection in 2022 from a state carried by Trump in 2020. Many Republicans still anticipate that frustrations with high inflation and red-state opposition to Biden will boost Schmidt’s chances of winning in November.

NEVADA. Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak is betting Silver State voters like his brand of business-friendly progressivism. The governor’s race is one of several competitive Nevada contests this year, along with Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s reelection bid and three of the state’s four House races, where Democratic incumbents are trying to hold on.

Sisolak has earned the endorsement of the Vegas Chamber, a powerful business group in Las Vegas. Sisolak faces Republican nominee Joe Lombardo, who is Clark County sheriff. Lombardo in his gubernatorial campaign is leaning into education policy. Lombardo has thrashed Sisolak on education, criticizing him on school safety, curriculum claims, and pandemic-era school closures while pushing for “parents’ rights.”

OREGON. The usually blue Pacific coast state, which hasn’t elected a Republican governor since 1982, has a three-way race on its hands. Republican contender Christine Drazan in polling has been running strongly against former state House Speaker Tina Kotek, a Democrat, and former state Sen. Betsy Johnson, an independent.

Despite Oregon’s blue tilt, Democratic Gov. Kate Brown has been unpopular and is leaving office due to state term limits. Oregon's largest city, Portland, endured a 65% uptick in homicides last year relative to 2020, per the Portland Police Bureau. The city experienced heightened unrest during the summer of 2020 as protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd swept the nation.

Biden beat Trump 56.5% to 40.4% during the 2020 presidential election in Oregon.

But eyeing Drazan's surprisingly strong performance in Oregon, national Republican groups have begun pouring money into the race, hoping to score an upset victory. Kotek and other Democrats have hammered back at Drazan for her calling herself “pro-life” on abortion. Drazan has reassured voters that she wouldn't try to pass restrictive measures to curb abortion if she were to win.

Partisan bickering, meanwhile, has left an opening for Johnson, who was a Democratic state senator and state representative before going the independent route.

WISCONSIN. The Badger State features a barnburner of a governor’s race that could have profound implications on the 2024 presidential contest and beyond. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is running for a second term against Republican Tim Michels, a construction company executive.

Evers, the former state superintendent of public instruction, is outwardly a low-key politician with a bespeckled, academic bearing. But that can hide a fierce competitive instinct that will come in handy in one of the country’s most competitive states.

Wisconsin in the 2016 presidential race, along with Michigan and Pennsylvania, was part of the “blue wall” that crumbled, going Republican for the first time since 1988 and handing Trump the presidency. Democrats have since clawed back some political ground in a state evenly divided between the parties. Evers in 2018 beat GOP Gov. Scott Walker, and in 2020, Biden won back Wisconsin for Democrats, along with Michigan and Pennsylvania. But Wisconsin remains highly competitive.

Election administration, like elsewhere, is a key gubernatorial race issue. Evers said he’s democracy’s last line of defense against Republicans openly plotting to steal Wisconsin’s electoral votes if they lose in November 2024. Republicans, for their part, call Evers’s economic record lackluster at best, saying unnecessary COVID-19 closures of businesses and schools hurt state residents' wallets.

Defeated Rhode Island GOP prospect for governor endorses Democratic incumbent

Ryan King

September 23, 02:51 PM September 23, 02:52 PM

Defeated Republican gubernatorial hopeful Jonathan Riccitelli made waves in the Ocean Point out on Friday when he announced he was backing Democratic incumbent Gov. Dan McKee over his most important rival.

Riccitelli, who very long trailed his rival Ashley Kalus in the key showdown, chastised her marketing campaign as "baseless," ripped her for dishonesty, and accused her of hypocrisy for hounding McKee for debates despite refusing to debate him through the primary race.

GOV. DAN MCKEE FENDS OFF Rigid Competitiveness IN RHODE ISLAND GUBERNATORIAL Key

"While I admire her drive and aspirations, I have found the entirety of her campaign to be baseless. And to pay attention to Ms. Kalus call out the Governor (Mckee) in regards to his refusing to debate ... she blatantly refused my connect with to her as I had questioned the similar from her and her marketing campaign," he wrote in a press release.

"I guess criminals stick collectively," Kalus's Communications Director Matt Hanrahan rapidly shot back again on Twitter. He tweeted a connection to a Boston Globe write-up outlining a litany of expenses Riccitelli confronted for obstructing law enforcement over the many years. Kalus handily defeated Riccitelli 87.3% to 16.3%.

Just after some haggling about the program, both of those sides agreed to 3 debates before voters head to the polls in the midterm elections.

McKee ascended to the governorship final calendar year right after his predecessor, Gov. Gina Raimondo, vacated the post to head the Commerce Office for the Biden administration. He experienced served as lieutenant governor at the time. He narrowly evaded a most important defeat from previous CVS government Helena Foulkes, who relished a past-moment resurgence that may have been partially attributable to the backing of Dwelling Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who was roommates with her mother in college or university.

Now that McKee has survived his principal, he is favored to win the governor's race in the deep-blue Ocean Point out, supplied its political dynamics.

"Governor Mckee, a lifelong resident of this state. Former Mayor, group advocate, tiny company owner," Riccitelli extra. "In no way left when former administrations produced it hard to perform organization in this article in our Point out, he rose to the occasion. Ashley Weinzeig-Kalus has nonetheless to be genuine with herself. We just will not know what to be expecting."

Riccitelli, who underscored that his endorsement of McKee will come devoid of "hesitation," is not the only Rhode Island Republican to buck the bash. Democratic congressional contender Seth Magaziner just lately rolled out endorsements from four former election Republican officers, which include former Rep. Claudine Schneider (R-RI), who was the previous Republican to maintain Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District, which Magaziner is vying for from former Cranston Mayor Alan Fung.

“The Republican Party of these days is not the one that influenced me to operate and signify the 2nd Congressional District in 1980,” Schneider wrote in a letter, the Public's Radio claimed. "It is now the celebration of insurrectionist Donald Trump."

Fung, who has been coy about his views on former President Donald Trump, is extensively regarded as one of the most aggressive Republicans to vie for the state's 2nd Congressional District in many years. He beforehand ran competitive races for governor from Raimondo in 2014 and 2018. The Cook dinner Political Report ranks the race as a toss-up.

'Heartbreaking': Cuomo blasts Biden and Pelosi for abandoning him amid scandal

Carly Roman

September 21, 06:12 PM September 21, 06:27 PM

Previous New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo blasted his onetime political allies, which include President Joe Biden, for turning on him as he battled political scandal in 2021.

Cuomo, who resigned previous August amid stress from Biden, Senate Vast majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and other folks inside his party, accused the superior-profile Democrats of currently being reasonable-weather pals whose betrayal was "traumatizing" and "heartbreaking."

"Nobody. It was tricky. Traumatizing," Cuomo claimed when questioned which mates stood by him as he fended off accusations of sexual impropriety, which he vehemently denied. "Biden, a good friend 20 yrs, not being aware of facts, promptly said about me, 'He's bought to go.' Biden had troubles a long time just before and I stood by him. Gave him the gain of the question. It was heartbreaking to see him trash me without the need of looking through one web site, generating just one telephone get in touch with."

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The former governor also counted Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and previous President Barack Obama as political figures who abandoned him past summer season, incorporating, "The phrase 'political friends' is an oxymoron."

"Pelosi? Be sure to. I know her 30 decades. Her daughter labored for me. Obama? He is been rough. When difficulties occur, you like to imagine you are distinct. You are not. Enemies and haters accumulate. Schumer, [New York Sen. Kirsten] Gillibrand, buddies operating in the point out, close friends I respected fell like dominos," he ongoing. "Get rid of your electric power and heartless politicians study the tea leaves. You happen to be lifeless. Over."

The self-explained "hard" and "strong" New York Democrat, who mentioned refurbishing New York's John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports and opening New York City's Second Avenue subway among his achievements in business, demurred when questioned about his political plans, contacting his successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), the "greatest alternative."

"I am a lawyer who can rep consumers in businesses, finance, federal government relations, serious estate persons. I can earn cash. And I will specific my view in the subsequent couple months. But ideal now, nice, well-that means, hardworking Hochul's your finest choice," he mentioned, noting he can "make a go in an additional 4 many years."

Cuomo, who resigned on Aug. 24, 2021, right after Lawyer Typical Letitia James released her report indicating he sexually harassed 11 women of all ages, has teased his intent to make a political comeback, insisting he never engaged in inappropriate touching.

Gov. Dan McKee fends off rigid level of competition in Rhode Island gubernatorial principal

Ryan King

September 13, 10:40 PM September 13, 10:54 PM

Incumbent Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee gained his Democratic primary Tuesday evening, defeating his rivals in the intraparty battle for governor.

Though technically the incumbent, McKee was never ever elected to the post and had alternatively been elevated from his lieutenant governor perch soon after his predecessor stepped down. Even with trailing his rival, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, in critical polling, McKee managed to eke out a gain and will confront Republican nominee Ashley Kalus in the tumble.

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As the principal contest entered the dwelling stretch, former CVS executive Helena Foulkes garnered momentum, experiencing the backing of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the Boston World, and the state's former COVID-19 expert Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott. Even with trailing in the polls, ordinarily hovering all over 3rd place, Foulkes managed to clinch a second-location end on election evening, near guiding McKee.

Normal issues this sort of as abortion, healthcare, and the natural environment dominated the Democratic major race to helm the nation's smallest point out. The post had been vacated by previous Gov. Gina Raimondo, who left to serve as the secretary of commerce in the Biden administration.

Pursuing her departure, McKee, then-lieutenant governor, took about the job in 2021. He was broadly speculated to have experienced a rocky romantic relationship with his predecessor, hardly obtaining a presence for the duration of her COVID-19 press spectacles. Raimondo, who stepped down all through her second time period as governor, remained agnostic all over the most important.

Beneath Rhode Island law, the governor is minimal to two consecutive terms in office environment, so McKee's ascension seemingly upended ideas from other people eyeing the governorship. Gorbea, for instance, introduced her designs to vie for governor in May possibly 2021.

Through the marketing campaign, she traded barbs with McKee on issues ranging from abortion to the environment, questioning his progressive bona fides. McKee was endorsed by the point out Democratic Bash.

She experienced grow to be the initial Hispanic human being propelled to statewide office in New England in 2015 following profitable the secretary of point out post.

The pair confronted their truthful share of controversy in the waning days of the marketing campaign. For example, Gorbea recently garnered detrimental headlines amid studies that voting devices had many glitches in the course of voting, together with incorrect names on Spanish ballots.

Meanwhile, McKee lately experienced a war of text with CVS, which is headquartered in the point out, more than an ad insinuating the corporation played a purpose in the opioid disaster.

While Rhode Island is a closely Democratic-leaning state, the social gathering has not always held the governorship. Raimondo's predecessor, Lincoln Chafee, gained workplace as an impartial, and the previous Republican challenger, Allan Fung, ran limited races with Raimondo in the battle for governor. He is now running for Congress.

Trump-backed prospect breaks with DeVos on Trump's Jan. 6 job

Misty Severi

August 01, 08:25 AM August 01, 08:25 AM

Michigan gubernatorial prospect Tudor Dixon stuck by previous President Donald Trump on Sunday, professing she disagreed with previous Instruction Secretary Betsy DeVos on his involvement in the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol.

Dixon, who has been endorsed by equally Trump and DeVos, explained DeVos is aware of she disagrees with her. DeVos resigned as Trump's education and learning secretary on Jan. 7, 2021, citing the outcome of Trump's "rhetoric" on the rioters.

TRUMP ENDORSES TUDOR DIXON FOR MICHIGAN GOVERNOR

“The secretary knows that she and I vary on that issue," Dixon mentioned on Fox News Sunday. "I want to make confident that political speech is often secured because that could open up a can of worms for anybody on the two sides of the get together. But the secretary is familiar with that I disagree with her on that position."

Dixon, who acquired the backing of each Trump and DeVos, also dodged a question from Bret Baier on irrespective of whether she considered the 2020 election was stolen, a modify from her stance in May possibly, when she indicated she believed Trump was the "rightful" winner of the election. Dixon on Sunday hinted that the election protection was compromised due to the pandemic, a source of "issue" for the gubernatorial hopeful.

“We have to make certain our elections are protected and what happened in 2020 doesn’t happen yet again,” Dixon mentioned.

Dixon is the entrance-runner for Tuesday's Republican major, top a handful of other candidates for the nomination. The winner will facial area Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in November.