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Donald Trump Jr. for Pennsylvania Senator?

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Chris Galdieri: “The junior Trump would face one thorny issue in running for the Senate in Pennsylvania: He is not actually a resident of the state, and the Constitution mandates that senators must reside in the state they represent by the time of their election. Moving to Pennsylvania would make Trump a carpetbagger – a candidate who moves to a state for the express purpose of seeking office there. In my book, Stranger in a Strange State: The Politics of Carpetbagging from Robert Kennedy to Scott Brown, I examine the campaigns of nine carpetbaggers who sought election to the United States Senate. Their experiences offer a useful framework for thinking about a Trump for Pennsylvania campaign.”

“A carpetbagger campaign has two necessary elements. The first is an ambitious would-be candidate, and the other is a state party in need of a candidate. What makes each of these elements a bit different from candidates and parties in races with home-grown candidates is that both the would-be candidates and the state party do not have better options.”

Stranger in a Strange State: The Politics of Carpetbagging from Robert Kennedy to Scott Brown
Stranger in a Strange State: The Politics of Carpetbagging from Robert Kennedy to Scott Brown
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Galdieri, Christopher J. (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 254 Pages - 05/01/2019 (Publication Date) - SUNY Press (Publisher)
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Paul LePage Says He’ll Run for Governor Again

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Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) told a conservative radio host that he will challenge incumbent Gov. Janet Mills (D) in 2022, the Portland Press Herald reports.

Said LePage: “Believe me, I will challenge her. Yes, I am going to challenge Janet Mills in 2022 because the state will be worse off than it was when I took over in 2010 and I do believe I have the skill set to fix it.”

Toomey Signals He Might Run for Governor

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“One of the worst-kept secrets in Pennsylvania politics is that Sen. Pat Toomey (R) is considering a run for governor in 2022,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

“So when the Republican rolled out a plan Thursday to reopen Pennsylvania’s economy, and do it more quickly, in many cases, than Gov. Tom Wolf (D) has planned, it renewed speculation about Toomey’s intentions. Four Pennsylvania GOP insiders who spoke to The Inquirer all saw it as an attempt from the senator to show how he would lead as an executive as he weighed in on a critical issue that has raised the profiles of governors across the country.”

Scott Walker Rules Out Run for Office In 2022

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Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has accepted a full-time position running a national conservative youth organization based in northern Virginia, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Said Walker: “This would preclude me from running for governor in this next cycle or running for the U.S. Senate if Ron Johnson’s seat is open.”

Allies of Sarah Sanders Polled Possible Bid for Governor

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“Allies of outgoing White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders commissioned a poll in her native state of Arkansas to test her support against likely primary opponents for a potential gubernatorial race,” sources close to Sanders tell CBS News.

“The results of the poll, conducted several weeks ago, showed Sanders ‘crushing’ any potential Republican rivals, including current Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin who has been eyeing a run.”

Sarah Sanders Serious About Running for Governor

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Politico: “While Sanders and her associates have been quietly talking about the possibility for months, sometimes in jest, she has shown renewed interest in the prospect as she’s started contemplating her post-White House plans… Sanders and her allies have started making calls to donors and Republican operatives in the state.”

Sanders Has Discussed Running for Arkansas Governor

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White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, who is leaving her role at the end of the month, has floated the possibility of running for Arkansas governor in recent private conversations, CNN reports.

“Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was re-elected just last year, so unless he steps down early — or is appointed to something — the governor’s office in Little Rock isn’t open until January 2023.”

Baker May Seek Third Term as Massachusetts Governor

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“Acknowledging he may seek a groundbreaking third term, Gov. Charlie Baker (R) is quietly putting together a robust staff of political aides, proven fund-raisers, and seasoned consultants who worked on his previous two victorious campaigns, including last year’s landslide reelection,” the Boston Globe reports.

“Baker and his advisers said they are keeping his political organization intact to allow him to consider a third consecutive four-year term in 2022 — something no Massachusetts incumbent governor has ever done — but that no decision has been made.”

Cuomo Will Seek Fourth Term

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) told WAMC he will run for a fourth term in 2022.

Said Cuomo: “I believe this state is doing great things at a time when a nation is floundering. I believe that. I believe we have the opportunity to set a standard for progressivity and normalcy. I know this job, I work seven days a week at it, and I think we have accomplishments.”

Mike Pompeo Opens Door to Future Run

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Wichita Eagle: “He’s ruled out a U.S. Senate run in 2020. But on the eve of Pompeo’s first official visit to Kansas since his meteoric rise from congressman to secretary of state, the Wichita Republican propped open the door to a political future in his home state.”

Said Pompeo: “I try to just avoid ruling things out when there’s others who are in control. The Lord will get me to the right place.”

“Republicans in the state think that means one of two things — a bid for Senate or the governor’s mansion in 2022. That is, if Pompeo doesn’t decide to run for president in 2024 instead.”

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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