Bryan McLaggen

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Bryan McLaggen
3rd Governor of Appalachia
In Office: 2015 - 2021 Lt. Governor: Charles Davenport 2019-2021 Benjamin Sisko 2019 Scotty LaRue 2016-2018 Steven Barton 2015-2016 Julian Williams 2015
Preceded by	Marshall Wagner
Succeeded by	Megaregionalization
Senior Senator of the Bluegrass
In Office: 2011 - 2015 Served with Obediah Maysfield
Preceded by	Nathaniel Jericho
Succeeded by	Julian Williams
Born	July 4, 1976 Kentucky
Political Party	Democrat
Spouse	Abigail Thomas (2010 - Present)
Profession	University Teacher
Religion	Methodist

Bryan McLaggen served as the third and final Governor of the Appalachia region and as a Senator of the Bluegrass region. He also was the 2020 Democratic Vice Presidential nominee.

Biography

Early Life

Bryan Thomas McLaggen was born to a farmer and his wife in a small Kentucky town. Raised on the farm his family had owned for generations, Bryan moved on to become an educator at a local college before being asked to fill the vacancy in the US Senate by Governor Ellis Forrestal.

Senate

Upon taking the oath of office, McLaggen hit the ground running, introducing measures to end tax breaks for companies who ship jobs overseas and to rebuild our schools and make sure every school has the 21st technology it needs. The highlight of his first years in office was the passing of his 'Honor Our Commitment to Veterans' plan in the Senate which would end the freeze on new enrollment of veterans into the VA healthcare system. McLaggen was the first elected official to endorse Senate Majority Leader Esther Cullen in her campaign for the White House and was a tireless campaigner for her on the trail in 2012. At the same time, McLaggen also faced Bluegrass voters for the first time to earn the right to complete the term of office he was appointed to. Facing off against Tennessee Congressman Mark Darlington, McLaggen barnstormed the Bluegrass with great success, winning all three states of the region and having a 7 point margin of victory. McLaggen began his time as an elected Senator pushing major legislation including reform of Medicare, universal prekindergarten, worker safety measures and prevention of Appalachian wildfires. McLaggen also passed through the Senate a measure to put federal jobs in the areas with the highest unemployment as well as a measure to ensure no federal money can be spend on contracts to companies whose workers are overseas. With the Democrats in the majority, McLaggen was selected to serve as Chairman of the Government Regulations and Commerce Committee where the committee had its most successful session in recent times under his leadership. Near the end of the 2013-2014 session, McLaggen began to explore the option of running for Appalachian Governor. He announced his campaign in early 2014 and never saw real Republican opposition materialize. He was easily elected to office with a resounding victory.

Governor

First Term (2015-2019)

Bryan McLaggen entered the Governor's office as the Appalachian legislature was at a near stand still. However, under his leadership, his first session as Governor saw a flurry of activity. McLaggen became the first Appalachian governor to pass a budget. His budget created the first surplus in Appalachian history, cut middle class taxes, cut the corporate tax, cut the sales tax, and restored responsible spending. The budget ended up passing with near unanimous consent out of the legislature. McLaggen's first session as Governor also saw his jobs plans passed through the legislature, included a tax break for companies who create new jobs in Appalachia, raising taxes on the companies who outsource Appalachian jobs overseas, put government jobs in high unemployment areas - areas that need the jobs the most, and started a low interest loan fund for small businesses to help them get up and running and creating jobs. McLaggen also passed through legislation that raised the minimum wage and indexed it to inflation, ensured equal pay for equal work, mandated paid lunch and breaks for every worker in Appalachia. He also lowered prescription drug costs through Medicaid. McLaggen ended the session having passed and signed into law more bills than any other previous legislative session in Appalachia history.

McLaggen's second legislative session saw major advancement of his agenda. McLaggen was able to implement two of his signature initiatives in universal prekindergarten for every 3 and 4 year old in the region as well as full day kindergarten for every 5 year old in Appalachia. He also entered Appalachia into the Interstate Medical Professional Compact to help lower the cost of care yet improving the quality of it. His home-owners agenda passed with a first time home buyers tax credit and an education requirement before entering a high risk mortgage. He ended the tax on gun sales and instituted an Eddie the Eagle gun safety education program for Appalachian youth. His environmental protection plank also saw great success with the passage of plans including a moratorium on offshore drilling, a pilot program to use green materials in road construction, an expansion of grants to automakers who build the clean cars of the future with a suspension of the sales tax on those vehicles and finally incentives for local power companies to join with residents with alternative energy. The Governor also passed a second budget which left the tax rates unchanged from the reform of last session, meaning the middle class tax relief was left as is. Spending was again not increased in any department and only one department saw any cuts. The budget also creates a larger surplus than any other in Appalachian history. McLaggen ended his first term having passed more of his agenda than any previous Governor and having turned Appalachia around from the partisan standstill he inherited.

Reelection

Having completed his first term, McLaggen became the first Appalachian Governor to seek reelection in 2018. His opponent was the Legislative Minority Leader Jack Norment of Virginia. The race began at a near dead heat, with McLaggen leading within the margin of error and an even split among the states. However as the campaign wore on and McLaggen campaigned tirelessly on his record of results and plans for the future, his lead continued to grow. Halfway through the campaign, McLaggen's lead jumped to 6 points regionwide and lead in 4 of the 6 states. By the time the campaign finished, McLaggen had earned his second term with a 11 point margin of victory and losing only the state of South Carolina in a sweep unlike any seen in Appalachia's history.

Second Term (2019-2021)

The Governor began his second term with a strong start and build on his success in his first term. He passed a class size reduction plan as well as a comprehensive teacher recruitment and retainment plan. He established the seal and flag of the region, as well as it's motto of 'Somnium Ago' or 'The Dream Lives'. He created a pilot program for at-risk youth mentoring programs in cities across the region, made testing for HIV in children an opt-out program instead of an opt-in, instituted dating violence prevention and protection of victims education in schools across Appalachia and cracked down on drugs in schools by increasing punishment for those who bring drugs onto school grounds in an effort to promote and protect our youth. And in continuing his effort to fight illegal immigration, he passed a plan to force businesses caught hiring illegal immigrants to pay back any tax cuts or breaks they received. McLaggen also expanded his successful Putting Appalachia to Work Tax Credit from his first term and passed a tax credit to cover the cost of retraining workers. On top of that, McLaggen also set up the nation's first re-employment insurance that if a worker is hired to a new job that pays less than previous employment, re-employment insurance will help cover the difference as the worker makes it back on their feet. On healthcare, McLaggen passed a plan to radically make healthcare more accessible and affordable, including halting the denial of coverage due to pre-existing conditions. He passed a landmark Veteran's Bill of Rights to help veterans and their families find employment and continue their education. McLaggen expanded Appalachia's future scholorships program to help more students attend college and made tax holidays for the purchasing of textbooks. He also singed into law sweeping changes to hate crime legislation and the prohibition of racial profiling. Five more tax cuts were passed and signed under McLaggen's watch and McLaggen also passed his third and final budget which left his middle class tax relief unchanged, increased spending across the board, and still left Appalachia with more money than ever before saved.

McLaggen's second term was cut short when megaregionalization was announced in late 2019. Instead of seeking the position of Governor of Dixie, the combination of the old Appalachia and Gulf Coast regions, McLaggen stepped aside, leaving a lasting legacy on his time as Governor.

Vice Presidential Nominee (2020)

While expecting to retire from public service after leaving the Governor's mansion, Bryan McLaggen found a new cause when he was selected by Lincoln Winters, Midwest Senator and 2020 Presidential Nominee, to join him on the Democratic ticket. He accepted the nomination on the second night of the Democratic Convention in his home region at Charlotte, North Carolina and campaigned tirelessly around the country for the Winters-McLaggen ticket. On election night, the Winters-McLaggen ticket became the first since 2000 to win the popular vote but lose the electoral college. While winning states such as Florida, New Jersey and Iowa, Winters-McLaggen pulled in 265 electoral votes to incumbent President Pizzuto's 273 electoral votes.

Personal Life

McLaggen was married in 2010 to Abigail Thomas of Louisville, Kentucky. Thomas was a local educator that McLaggen met at a state education conference a few years before marriage. They met each other again at a mutual friends Christmas party and began a relationship that led to marriage. McLaggen has one stepson, Nate, 17.

Election Results

• Won popular vote, lost electoral college 273-265

*Default victory

Political Succession