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Police Called to New Mexico Governor’s Hotel Room

December 18, 2015 at 3:17 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 58 Comments

Police were dispatched to New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez’s (R) hotel room at the Eldorado Hotel & Spa about 1:30 a.m. Sunday after a caller complained of loud noises emanating from the room and someone throwing bottles off the balcony, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports.

“Santa Fe County dispatchers on Friday released recordings of Martinez talking to dispatchers after the complaint was made. She insisted on knowing who made the complaint and telling dispatchers that police officers were not needed. The governor said she and her disabled sister were in the room, along with six other people eating pizza.”

NM Political Report obtained audio of three calls to police.

Edwards Moves Towards Bipartisan Cabinet

December 8, 2015 at 12:15 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

Louisiana Gov.-elect John Bel Edwards (D) is expected to name Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne (R) as his top state government administrator and chief budget officer, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

“The move could be interpreted as Edwards’ first substantial commitment to a bipartisan cabinet. Edwards, a Democrat, has picked Dardenne, a Republican who ran against him in the gubernatorial primary, for arguably the most important and high-profile job in the state government next to his own. As Louisiana’s commissioner of administration, Dardenne will be in charge of running day-to-day operations of government and putting together solutions to the state budget problems for Edwards.”

Branstad Set to Break Longevity Record

December 6, 2015 at 8:12 am EST By Taegan Goddard 13 Comments

After nearly 21 years in office, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) this month will become the longest-serving governor in U.S. history, “surpassing a mark set by a onetime Revolutionary War general,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Few governors even reach a decade in office, in part because most states have term limits. Among sitting governors, Mr. Branstad’s closest peer is California’s Jerry Brown, who is nearing 13 years in office broken up over two time periods. Mr. Branstad will set the record on Dec. 14, surpassing George Clinton, the first governor of New York.”

Supreme Court Blocks Hawaiian Vote

December 3, 2015 at 12:10 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 29 Comments

“A closely divided Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily blocked Hawaii from counting votes in an election open only to descendants of its indigenous people, who were selecting delegates to an assembly that would propose greater self-government for Native Hawaiians, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Alabama Must Pay Planned Parenthood Legal Fees

November 30, 2015 at 8:29 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 26 Comments

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley’s (R) attempt to defund Planned Parenthood of about $4,453 over two years will instead cost the state $51,000 to pay the group’s legal fees, the Montgomery Advertiser reports.

Said Bentley: “Headlines may not show it was a win, but it was a win.”

Remaking Illinois

November 29, 2015 at 8:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 9 Comments

The New York Times looks at how Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) and his wealthy friends are transforming the state and its politics.

“The families remaking Illinois are among a small group around the country who have channeled their extraordinary wealth into political power, taking advantage of regulatory, legal and cultural shifts that have carved new paths for infusing money into campaigns. Economic winners in an age of rising inequality, operating largely out of public view, they are reshaping government with fortunes so large as to defy the ordinary financial scale of politics.”

Brownback Beats Jindal as Most Unpopular Governor

November 20, 2015 at 1:42 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 68 Comments

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) “is the second-least popular governor is the nation, based on a new project that set out to find all governors’ approval ratings,” the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.

“The findings, compiled by Morning Consult, showed only Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) was viewed less favorably than Jindal, who this week ended his presidential run.”

Bevin Calls Out Cartoon as Racist

November 20, 2015 at 1:11 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 60 Comments

The Lexington Herald-Leader published an editorial cartoon that Kentucky Gov.-elect Matt Bevin (R) called “deplorably racist,” according to the Louisville Courier Journal.

The cartoon shows Bevin hiding under his desk and an aide telling him, ‘Sir, they’re not terrorists… they’re your own adopted kids!”

Four of Bevin’s children were adopted from Africa.

Candidate Says ISIS ‘Isn’t Necessarily Evil’

November 16, 2015 at 12:18 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 36 Comments

Minnesota state House candidate Dan Kimmel (D) ended his campaign after tweeting on over the weekend, “ISIS isn’t necessarily evil. It is made up of people doing what they think is best for their community. Violence is not the answer, though,” Smart Politics reports.

Most Kansans Think Brownback Is a Failure

October 25, 2015 at 10:30 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 115 Comments

A new Docking Institute of Public Affairs poll in Kansas shows only 18% of Kansans are satisfied with Gov. Sam Brownback’s (R) performance in office, and 61% think his signature tax policies have either been a “failure” or a “tremendous failure.”

New Mexico Official Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement

October 23, 2015 at 6:42 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 15 Comments

New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran (R) “pleaded guilty to embezzlement and other charges Friday after abruptly resigning amid a fraud investigation that alleged she siphoned thousands of dollars from her election account to help fuel her gambling addiction,” the AP reports.

Hogan Approval Hits New High in Maryland

October 15, 2015 at 8:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 33 Comments

A new Washington Post-University of Maryland poll finds Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) is deeply popular nine months after taking office, earning high marks from residents who describe him as a “different kind of Republican” and who have watched him battle cancer.

“Hogan’s 61% approval rating — up from 42% in February — extends across partisan and demographic lines in a state where registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans more than 2 to 1. He is viewed more favorably than either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party, and is presiding over a state that is riding a wave of increased optimism. For the first time since 2007, a majority of residents say things in Maryland are headed in the right direction.”

Kasich Approval Soars to New High in Ohio

October 8, 2015 at 8:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 32 Comments

A new Quinnipiac poll in Ohio finds Gov. John Kasich (R) has surged to an all-time high job approval rating among voters, 62% to 29%.

Haley Approval Up Among Independents

September 30, 2015 at 9:55 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 12 Comments

A new Winthrop poll in South Carolina finds Gov. Nikki Haley (R) approval rating unchanged at 55% after removing the Confederate flag from the state capitol grounds.

“But the potential vice presidential pick lost some backing from fellow S.C. Republicans. Haley received a thumbs up from 68% of Republicans in the latest poll, but that was down from 78% from February.”

First Read: “That means she’s getting more support from Democrats and independents – but less support from Republicans. Interesting — especially for whomever the eventual GOP nominee is as they begin their search for a running mate.”

Indiana Lawmaker Resigns Over Sex Video

September 29, 2015 at 7:35 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 52 Comments

Indiana state Rep. Jud McMillin (R) “has resigned unexpectedly from the Indiana House — where he is in the second-highest elected leadership position — after sources say at least one sexually explicit video was discovered on his phone,” the Indiana Business Journal reports.

“Sources close to the Republican caucus said someone obtained McMillin’s phone and discovered at least one video that showed the lawmaker involved in sexual contact. The sources did not detail who else was involved.”

Alabama Governor Agrees to Divorce Terms

September 29, 2015 at 8:30 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 31 Comments

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley’s (R) office said the governor and First Lady Dianne Bentley had reached an agreement ending their 50-year marriage, the Montgomery Advertiser reports.

“Details of the settlement were not immediately available. Bentley said he had asked for the records of the divorce case to be unsealed, though it remained off-limits as of Monday afternoon.”

Expelled Michigan Lawmaker Will Run Again

September 18, 2015 at 7:27 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 27 Comments

Former Michigan state Rep. Cindy Gamrat (R), who was expelled from office six days ago after she and a fellow lawmaker were found to have covered up their extramarital affair, said she has filed to run in the November primary election to fill her own vacant seat, Reuters reports.

Police have began “a criminal investigation into the use of tax funds to cover up the affair she had with fellow lawmaker Todd Courser. Both are Republicans and members of the Tea Party movement.”

Michigan Lawmakers Ousted in Sex Scandal Cover Up

September 11, 2015 at 8:19 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 18 Comments

“It took 14 hours, two failed votes and a day full of drama, but at 3:12 a.m. Friday, state Rep. Todd Courser (R) resigned from his state House seat, and an hour later, Rep. Cindy Gamrat (R) was expelled on a 91-12 vote, ending a controversial sex and cover-up scandal that has rocked Lansing for the last month,” the Detroit Free Press reports.

“The scandal swirling around Courser and Gamrat had been rumored for months, but burst onto the public scene last month when audio recordings surfaced and revealed that Courser had asked his staff to send an anonymous, “false flag” e-mail that he had written, saying he was addicted to drugs and pornography, and paid for sex with men outside a Lansing bar. His staff refused to participate in the attempt to make it appear that Courser was the victim of a smear campaign and to downplay the affair he was having with Gamrat.”