Democratic Governors Select Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham As Next DGA Chair

Gov. Roy Cooper Selected As Vice Chair and Chair-Elect for 2021, Chair in 2022

Gov. Phil Murphy Will Serve as DGA Finance Chair

America’s Democratic governors voted today to elect New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to serve as the new Chair of the Democratic Governors Association for 2021. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper will serve as Vice Chair and Chair-Elect for 2021 and Chair in 2022. The vote occurred at the DGA’s Annual Meeting, which was held online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Outgoing DGA Chair New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has been chosen to serve as the new DGA Finance Chair. 

Gov. Lujan Grisham served as DGA Vice Chair in 2020, alongside Chair New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

“I am honored to lead the Democratic Governors Association, and I join my fellow governors in thanking Gov. Phil Murphy for his remarkable leadership,” said DGA Chair Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. “This past year has been full of unexpected challenges, but with Gov. Murphy at the helm, the DGA successfully weathered the storm. The DGA re-elected incumbents in Delaware and Washington, as well as the battleground state of North Carolina, marking the sixth consecutive cycle that the DGA has successfully defended all incumbents. I look forward to continuing our record of success in 2021 by re-electing Gov. Phil Murphy and keeping Virginia blue so that Democratic governors can continue to move our country forward.”

“I am honored to take on this role and join Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in leading the DGA,” said DGA Vice Chair Gov. Roy Cooper. “This past year has reminded the nation of the critical role that Democratic governors play in keeping our nation safe and building a brighter future for all. Throughout my time in office I have worked tirelessly to expand health care access, invest in public education, and create economic opportunity across North Carolina. I am grateful for the support of the DGA in my re-election bid to give me the ability to continue this work for the next four years and look forward to working with Gov. Lujan Grisham to build on this record of success.”

“We’re proud of the work we accomplished over the past year at the Democratic Governors Association and I am honored to continue to build on this record of success as DGA Finance Chair,” said outgoing DGA Chair and incoming Finance Chair Gov. Phil Murphy. “With smart and strategic investments, the DGA was able to successfully re-elect all our incumbents and hit record fundraising levels that set the DGA up for success in years to come, all in the face of an unprecedented public health and economic crisis. Our strong roster of Democratic governors in swing states paved the way for President-elect Biden’s historic win and ensured a fair and complete count in the key states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. I look forward to working with Gov. Lujan Grisham and Gov. Cooper to help the DGA extend our success into the 2021 and 2022 cycles.”

BACKGROUND

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham made history as the first Democratic Latina elected to serve as governor of a U.S. state and the first Democratic woman elected as Governor of New Mexico. As a 12th-generation New Mexican, she has been laser-focused on expanding opportunities for every New Mexican. In 2019, she oversaw one of the most productive legislative sessions in the state’s history, including legislation that raised the minimum wage for the first time in a decade so working families can put food on the table. New Mexico under Gov. Lujan Grisham’s leadership is offering public and private employees options for paid family leave for the first time. New Mexico has become a national leader in renewable transition efforts, and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has received national praise for her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and her early rollout of widespread free testing, including to vulnerable populations.

Prior to running for governor, Gov. Lujan Grisham served as a member of Congress for the 1st Congressional District from 2013 until 2018 and as a longtime state Cabinet secretary at both the New Mexico Department of Aging and Long-term Services and Department of Health.

Gov. Roy Cooper made history in 2016 when he became the first challenger since 1850 to defeat a sitting North Carolina Governor, and was re-elected in 2020. Gov. Cooper has spent nearly three decades in public service, including 16 years as Attorney General, protecting families, keeping communities safe, and working to create jobs and improve schools. 

As governor of North Carolina, Gov. Cooper has announced tens of thousands of new jobs across the state, worked to fight workplace discrimination, and launched a Clean Energy Plan to create good-paying jobs, increase the use of renewable energy, and fight climate change. From his first day in office, Gov. Cooper has fought for better teacher pay and funding for classrooms, expanded pre-kindergarten programs, and re-established the Teaching Fellows Program to recruit and support highly qualified teachers in North Carolina. Gov. Cooper worked across party lines to combat the opioid crisis in the state and continues to fight tirelessly for Medicaid expansion.

Gov. Cooper served in both the North Carolina House of Representatives and the North Carolina Senate prior to being elected as Attorney General in 2000.