Archive for the ‘Lieutenant Governor News’ Category

And we’re not just talking $5 or $10 – we’re talking big bucks.  Apparently, likely North Carolina Democrat candidate for Governor – Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue – had taken to accepting contributions from children younger than 18 years old – as young as 13 years old. 

It seems that a “…Fayetteville physician gave the $4,000 maximum donation to Perdue's campaign, her three sons gave identical amounts. The three range in age from 13 to 18…”

Nothing out of the ordinary there – maybe it was just a lesson for the kids in how to manage their money – you know?

Ah, the great life lessons we can teach our children.

Think this is a joke – read the full article here. 

And one of the biggest is in the Magnolia state. 

Mississippi’s Republican Lieutenant Governor Amy Tuck is prohibited from seeking re-election and Republican State Auditor Phil Bryant is the first Republican to formally declare his candidacy to succeed Tuck as L.G. 

Expect at least one more Republican to jump into the primary in the form of State Senator Charlie Ross.  Over on the blue team state representative Jamie Franks will be hoping to have a clean shot at the nomination and the General Election.  

Four years after stripping powers off of the Democrat Lieutenant Governor, the Republican controlled Georgia state senate is the full L.G. powers to the newly elected Republican Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle.

From the AJC:

The Senate voted 44-10 for rules that will restore the power of the lieutenant governor, who also acts as Senate president.

Four years ago, the new Republican majority in the Senate stripped away most of the power held by Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, a Democrat. Those powers included assigning senators to committees and appointing committee chairmen. That change essentially made Johnson the de facto Senate president and the most powerful player in the chamber.

But when Taylor's successor, Casey Cagle, bangs the gavel today as Georgia's first Republican lieutenant governor, he will have that power back.

Update:  You can watch the vote and genuine gallery response here.

In historic move, Wilder defeated by Ramsey for lieutenant governor's post

By JESSICA FENDERStaff WriterJohn Wilder’s three decades as lieutenant governor came to an end today – as did Democrats’ 140-year leadership over the Tennessee state Senate.
A last-minute switch by a Democratic senator from Clarksville allowed Wilder to be bested by his Republican rival, state Sen. Majority Leader Ron Ramsey.
An auctioneer from Blountville, Ramsey was elected Senate speaker and lieutenant governor around 12:45 p.m. today in an 18-15 vote.
Wilder had held the post since the early 1970s – but Ramsey defeated him after state Sen. Rosalind Kurita of Clarksville defected from her fellow Democrats and voted with the Republicans for Ramsey.
The Senate exploded with applause at the last-minute switch.
Also voting for Ramsey were state Senate speaker pro tem Mike Williams, a Republican who two years ago had voted for Wilder. Also, state Sen. Jerry Cooper, a Democrat from Morrison who had threatened not to back Wilder, backed the senior statesman after all.
Contact Jessica Fender at jfender@tennessean.com or 259-8094.

Bill Shipp writes this week down in Georgia:

Keep an eye on 40-year-old Casey Cagle. The lieutenant governor-elect may be on his way to becoming the new Zell Miller of Georgia politics — a smart guy able to parlay a second-tier office into a launching pad for loftier posts.

When Cagle trampled the renowned Ralph Reed in the July GOP primary, several experienced political watchers were stunned. They figured on a tight race.

After all, Reed was a national figure with deep pockets, powerful friends and an unmatched public persona. Sure, he was a little dirty, but — what the heck — so are most of the high-roller insiders. When it came to plotting political strategy in the Deep South, Reed was in a league with Karl Rove.

By contrast, Cagle had a reputation as a nice guy who had been rejected by his colleagues for a couple of minor intramural Senate offices.

Some observers even suggested that Cagle was not among the best and brightest of the Georgia General Assembly. He was simply another smiling lawmaker, known for his close ties to banking. He seemed too parochial for the big time and too eager to please to lead his own parade.

As it turned out, Cagle's affable manner was camouflage. Hiring a staff schooled in Reed's own mean-street strategies, Cagle ripped to pieces the one-time boy genius of the Christian right. With hard-hitting TV spots and a direct-mail assault, the Gainesville businessman succeeded in turning Reed into a poster-boy for Washington corruption. Cagle clobbered Reed by a 12-point margin and then waltzed to an easy general election victory over Democrat Jim Martin, an under-funded Atlantan with a bleeding-heart reputation. “I really like Jim. He is a nice guy,” Cagle said after the election.

So what's next for Lowell S. “Casey” Cagle? Is he already thinking of solidifying his power base and running for governor in four years?

Get the rest of Shipp’s column here. 

Credit to South Carolina Democrat L.G. candidate Robert Barber for graciously conceding defeat to Republican L.G. Andre Bauer yesterday. 

Democrat Robert Barber conceded the race for lieutenant governor to Republican incumbent Andre Bauer on Friday, endorsing the results of a statewide recount that showed Barber fell short by 3,108 votes.

“I am ending our campaign today,” said Barber, surrounded by his family. “The votes have been counted and recounted. It’s time to move on.”

Barber said he had resisted “hard-core partisans” who wanted him to “fight to the bitter end” by dragging the election results into court…

To recap – Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 were all about Democrat AG Mike Hatch’s losing his race for Governor in Minnesota.  Chapter 3 was about Wisconsin Democrat Kathleen Falk’s being unable to find the concede button in her race for attorney general.  Chapter 4 was about Beau Biden’s Dad Joe being upset that another U.S. Senator had the cajones to campaign for Beau’s Republican opponent for A.G. in Delaware.  Chapter 5 – finally a Democrat who goes out with class.

Local Albuquerque TV Reports:

 “The warnings went out about white vans being placed around town, vans that take pictures of speeders. But even with the warnings, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish's car was photographed near Sandia High School, going 10 miles over the posted speed limit. That means her car was traveling 35 mph in a 25 mph zone. The snapshot of Denish's SUV speeding was taken at 11:30 p.m., not during school zone hours, but still a dangerous move, according to the Albuquerque Police Department.

That is why the department put the speed trap van in that area. Denish's office released this statement: ‘Lt. Gov. Denish has not yet received the violation in the mail. Once she receives it, she will evaluate it and do what any other law-abiding driver would do: pay the fine, or challenge it if it appears in error.’

APD said that, with this van, an error is unlikely. …

This isn't the first time a car linked to Denish has been tied to traffic violations. In August, she was accused of parking too close to a fire hydrant. She blamed the parking job on a staff member. In December of last year, her car was photographed while running a red light. In that case, Denish said her husband was driving that day.” 

First, the right Reverend Run’s brother, hip hop mogul Russell
Simmons endorsed Michael Steele’s candidacy for United States Senate.

Next, it was universally famous boxing promoter Don
King.

Now, it’s the champ himself – Iron Mike.