By KIM CHANDLER, Associated Press

In a pair of marketing campaign adverts this GOP main season, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey falsely declares the election was stolen from Donald Trump and accuses the federal authorities of “delivery unlawful immigrants” to the state.

“My message to Biden: No manner, Jose,” she says.

But a competing advert by former Trump ambassador Lindy Blanchard calls Ivey a “tax-hiking Fauci-loving” liberal, swiping at her for actions in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and a fuel tax improve.

Alabama’s Republican main has turn into a race to the best, with candidates staking out excessive positions on abortion, immigration and LGBTQ points. The race was supposed to be a cake stroll for Ivey — who nonetheless stays favored to win a second full time period — however proper flank opponents try to make it a referendum on conservative credentials as they search to push the Alabama governor right into a runoff.

Blanchard, who left the U.S. Senate race to run for governor, stated there are GOP voters who should not proud of Ivey’s management on a variety of points. She significantly cited Ivey’s assist for the fuel tax improve and masks mandates and business closures in the course of the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I don’t need the federal government wherever close to my well being care telling me what to do,” Blanchard stated. “I need the individuals of Alabama to know that for those who like Gov. DeSantis and Kristi Noem, then you definitely’ll like Gov. Blanchard,” she stated referencing the Florida and South Dakota governors.

It is traditionally tough for a main challenger to defeat an incumbent governor. None of the first challengers have the footprint to defeat Ivey alone. They as a substitute are inserting hopes that they’ll collectively garner sufficient main votes and preserve Ivey beneath 50% of the vote to spark a runoff and a brand new political ballgame.

Ivey faces a complete of eight main challengers. Blanchard and businessman Tim James — the son of former Gov. Fob James — are seen because the strongest contenders. Another challenger is Lew Burdette, who runs King’s Home, a Christian-based nonprofit with group houses all through the state. The different 5 contenders are: former Morgan County Commissioner Stacy Lee George; Opelika pastor Dean Odle; businessman Dean Young; Donald Trent Jones and Springville Mayor Dave Thomas.

“I feel GOP voters want to suppose about their kids and their grandchildren and who do they need to lead this state over the following 4 years in a season that’s clearly going to be, most likely, rocky in many areas,” James stated in an interview. James stated he believes voters are indignant about the masks mandate, training points and the fuel tax improve that features a provision for automated will increase primarily based on the National Highway Construction Cost Index.

“Governor Ivey and the political crowd discovered a manner to elevate taxes perpetually without having to vote on them,” James stated in the advert. James in different adverts referred to as transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, “a person in a girl’s bathing go well with” and criticized a primary of its type constitution faculty in Homewood that was created to welcome LGBTQ college students.

An Ivey marketing campaign spokesman stated the governor is assured she is going to win without runoff. Spokesman William Heartsill stated the governor’s report speaks for itself. “Governor Ivey has executed what different individuals are solely speaking about doing.”

Among different actions, the marketing campaign cited her report on job creation and her signing of laws to strive to ban abortion at any stage of being pregnant, forbid transgender ladies from enjoying on ladies’ sports activities groups at colleges and outlawing using puberty-blockers and hormones to deal with transgender minors.

“Kay Ivey is probably the most conservative governor our state has ever had. She has at all times been a fighter for conservative values and that may by no means change,” Heartsill stated.

Blanchard, who was Trump’s ambassador to Slovenia, ran an advert that questioned why Ivey didn’t seem on stage with Trump at a Cullman rally. It was there {that a} cantankerous crowd jeered U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks for suggesting that voters focus power on the following election since they could not change the result of the latest presidential contest. Ivey greeted Trump on the airport and her workplace distributed photographs of the assembly. Trump has not weighed in on the Alabama race.

The dynamic is enjoying out in different states. J.D. Vance, the creator of “Hillbilly Elegy,” gained the Republican main for an Ohio Senate seat in a race the place contenders competed to be probably the most Trump-like candidate.

State Rep. Mike Ball, who’s retiring after 20 years in the Alabama Legislature, stated the candidates all have staunchly conservative positions and are in a race amongst themselves to be probably the most conservative of all.

“There are some excessive positions being taken in this main. Look on the adverts on these scorching button points,” he stated.

David Mowery, an Alabama-based political guide, stated proper now there may be “plenty of sound and fury and we’ll see what it signifies on Election Day.”

“Ivey nonetheless has the higher hand and no less than a strong shot of profitable without a runoff,” he stated.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This materials will not be printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man has pleaded responsible to defrauding greater than 30 girls of greater than $1.3 million by pretending to be a physician on online relationship companies, a U.S. legal professional mentioned Thursday.

Brian Brainard Wedgeworth, 46, who previously lived in the Florida capital metropolis of Tallahassee and in Center Point, Alabama, used 10 totally different aliases as a part of the scheme, U.S. Attorney Jason Cody mentioned in a news launch.

“Our residents shouldn’t be preyed upon by fraudsters who steal by means of overtures of affection,” Cody mentioned.

Wedgeworth made guarantees to the ladies to con them into sending him money, jewellery and watches, in keeping with courtroom paperwork. He pleaded responsible to 25 counts, together with wire fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identification theft and money laundering.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service and the Internal Revenue Service, and authorities mentioned they’re looking for any extra victims.

Wedgeworth faces as much as 20 years in jail on wire fraud and mail fraud counts, 10 years in jail on money laundering counts and a compulsory two years in jail on identification theft counts that shall be consecutive to every other sentence imposed.

He is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 8.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This materials might not be printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

SANTTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court on Thursday upheld $165 million of jury awards towards FedEx in a wrongful-death lawsuit stemming from a lethal crash involving a Texas household and a contract driver for the delivery firm.

The 2011 crash on Interstate 10 west of Las Cruces killed Marialy Venegas Morga and her 4-year-old daughter and critically injured the El Paso girl’s 19-month-old son when the household’s small pickup was rear-ended.

According to testimony, the large rig did not brake earlier than the crash.

Truck driver Elizabeth Quintana additionally died.

A jury in Santa Fe awarded $93 million in compensatory damages to the estates of these relations killed and $72 million to different relations.

FedEx’s attraction argued that the awards have been extreme and {that a} state District Court decide ought to have granted the corporate’s request for a brand new trial.

The Supreme Court declined to order a brand new trial in the case, concluding that “substantial proof supported the decision and that the jury’s award was not the results of ardour or prejudice.”

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This materials might not be revealed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.