Telecommunications

Michael Perik, husband of Rhode Island Democratic Party Chair Liz Beretta-Perik, has been indicted on 12 felony counts tied to a racketeering scheme that allegedly siphoned $20 million in federal financial aid and state subsidies from the now-closed Eastern Gateway Community College in Ohio. Prosecutors say Perik and two co-defendants used for-profit companies to control enrollment and financial aid, disbursing funds to ineligible students and bribing officials between 2017 and 2022, a period when enrollment ballooned from roughly 8,500 to over 60,000 students, mostly online and out-of-state. Perik's attorney calls the case political retribution. Beretta-Perik has not been charged; Democratic gubernatorial candidate Helena Foulkes has called for her to step aside.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar is seeking to become Minnesota's next governor, casting herself as a moderate Democrat who can repair the state's reputation and address pandemic-era welfare fraud scandals that Republicans have used to paint Minnesota as a cautionary tale of liberal governance. Klobuchar, who built a national profile during her 2020 presidential run and has served in the U.S. Senate, is widely seen as the favorite in the race.

Her campaign comes as Minnesota Democrats face scrutiny over fraud tied to pandemic relief programs, along with lingering political fallout from the 2020 murder of George Floyd and subsequent unrest in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Klobuchar is positioning herself against more progressive currents within her party, emphasizing pragmatic governance over ideological approaches associated with democratic socialism. The race is being watched as a test of whether centrist Democrats can reclaim ground in a state Republicans have targeted as emblematic of government mismanagement, with implications for broader 2026 gubernatorial and midterm dynamics.

Oregon's 2026 governor's race between Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek and Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan remains a toss-up, polling similarly tight to their 2022 contest, when Kotek won narrowly. A Drazan victory would be historic: Oregon hasn't elected a Republican governor in 44 years. Kotek has leaned heavily on tying Drazan to President Trump's unpopularity in the state, while Drazan has distanced herself from Trump and shifted toward working-class, bio-focused messaging after a divided GOP primary win.

Interviews with voters in Sherwood, a Portland suburb that nearly perfectly mirrors Oregon's statewide party registration and split three votes between the candidates in 2022, show ambivalence rather than enthusiasm on either side. Many voters say they are motivated more by fear of the alternative than support for their chosen candidate — concerns about housing costs, jobs, taxes, and Trump-era politics are driving decisions. Analysts say this anxiety-driven dynamic could determine turnout and ultimately decide the outcome of a race both candidates have framed as existential for Oregon's future.