ALDEN - Former Mesa Governor Kirk Paul has announced that he has officially retired from politics to focus on his Alden Prime Time hosting gig and to focus on other special interests. The ex-Governor says that it was time for him to move on.
Kirk Paul, who served as the 19th Governor Of Mesa from November 20, 2021 until his resignation on May 9, 2023, fought to the bitter end to save his career. His defaming anti-trans legislation, harmful policies on LGBTQ+ healthcare and access to schooling also led to the collapse of his political career. While he tried to save his career, many pro-trans supporters continued their calls for him to resign.
"To me, it is quite personal, I've served my state, I left the office, I think it is time to work on something different," said Paul. "My political career was over the moment I resigned from office, with my hopes to reignite it, something that I've worked hard to restore, but at this point it is not worth my time or effort."
The former Governor and current Alden Prime Time host said that a future Presidential campaign could happen, but as of now it is likely to be for the foreseeable future. He said that the resignation scarred his political reputation that he once held, which most people consider a very strong one, as he was likely to be nominated for the Republican Presidential candidate going into 2024 before dropping out.
"He is distancing himself from the policies that led to his career's collapse," said political expert Diane Hutten. "If he does this, most individuals will see him become popular again, but the embattled governor fought for over a month to save his career, but ultimately failed, being forced for resign. He will likely be back to politics but not for a while.
"Many Mesians who are currently stuck under the leadership of Paul's successor, Governor Joshua Adamson, say that Paul was wrongfully forced out of office. They claim that continued talks behind closed doors to force Paul to resign has also been brought to light as he nears almost 2 months out of office.
After everything that he went through during the last weeks of his leadership, he maintained his commitment to the Mesians people and delivered more than any other embattled governor before him. His retirement from politics marks a significant shift in values of the Republican party who themselves, attempted to remove him from office."
"It is unbelievably sad that Paul, who had flourished in the political world, just ended his career, just like that," said Governor Adamson. "He was a key member of this party, and his affiliation with my office, especially being my predecessor, has grown the strength of our party, during a time that this office needed him."
Paul will continue to serve as the host of Alden Prime Time for the next two years before contracts are reviewed. His current contractual benefits include a J 2.5 Million dollars in a base salary for 6 months, then a contractual sign-on bonus of an additional J 1.0 Million dollars. He says that he quite frankly, "is happy and quite content with his new gig."