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Democratic Governors Select Gov. Phil Murphy As Next DGA Chair

From the Chair’s Desk

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Gov. Laura Kelly Selected As Vice Chair, Gov.-Elect Wes Moore As Finance Chair, and Gov.-Elect Josh Shapiro As Chair of Strategic Engagement

This weekend, America’s Democratic governors voted to elect New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy to serve as the new Chair of the Democratic Governors Association for 2023. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly will serve as Vice Chair. Maryland Gov.-Elect Wes Moore will serve as Finance Chair. Pennsylvania Gov.-Elect Josh Shapiro will serve as Chair of Strategic Engagement, a new DGA leadership role focused on building and expanding the organization’s relationships with key coalitions. The vote occurred at the DGA’s Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“I am honored to be the next chair of the Democratic Governors Association,” said DGA Chair Gov. Phil Murphy. “Thank you to Gov. Roy Cooper, who led the DGA to history-making midterm victories. Under Gov. Cooper’s leadership, we defied expectations and picked up a net of two governorships. Now, 57% of Americans will be represented by a Democratic governor. As we continue to prove we can win tough races, we have no plans to take our foot off the gas. I look forward to building on the DGA’s record of success and continuing to deliver commonsense improvements to Americans’ daily lives.”

“I’m looking forward to joining the leadership of the DGA, which has been instrumental to the historic elections of Democratic governors across the country,” said DGA Vice Chair Gov. Laura Kelly. “In Kansas, we’ve shown that Democratic governors can compete and win everywhere when we deliver results on the biggest issues facing families, from improving public schools to growing the economy. I’m excited to get to work and build on our momentum.”

“The DGA’s record of success is unmatched, and I look forward to building on this year’s wins as DGA Finance Chair,” said DGA Finance Chair Gov.-Elect Wes Moore. “With our historic victory in Maryland, we made clear that Democrats can and should have the courage to compete everywhere. The DGA’s smart and strategic investments this cycle allowed Democrats to compete across our respective states and win with broad coalitions that included Democrats, Independents, and in many cases, Republicans. I’m committed to ensuring that our candidates have the resources they need to get their message out so we can continue to do work that matters most — serve our states and our country. As I join the DGA as a new governor, I look forward to working with all my distinguished colleagues to help the DGA extend our success into years to come.”

“I am honored to serve in this new role in DGA leadership to maintain and expand the DGA’s relationships with key coalitions,” said DGA Chair of Strategic Engagement Gov.-Elect Josh Shapiro. “In our campaign in Pennsylvania, we built a broad coalition of voters from every corner of the Commonwealth, regardless of their age, class, or political stripes. That’s how we won in Pennsylvania and that’s how Democratic governors continue to win in red, blue, and purple states. With the majority of Americans now living in a state with a Democratic governor, I look forward to ensuring voters understand the tangible, positive impact having a Democratic governor makes in their everyday lives.”

BACKGROUND

Gov. Phil Murphy has been called a “pro-growth progressive” for his commitment to creating a fairer, stronger, and future-focused New Jersey economy. Last year, he made history by being the first Democratic governor re-elected in New Jersey in over 40 years.

Since taking office in January 2018, Gov. Murphy has raised the minimum wage, enacted strong paid family leave and equal pay laws, made health care more affordable, and has finally put the Garden State on a path to fully funding public schools. Under his leadership, New Jersey is a national leader on gun safety, and the state is moving towards renewable energy. He previously served as DGA Chair in 2020.

Prior to running for office, Gov. Murphy served as United States Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany under President Barack Obama. Gov. Murphy has served on numerous non-profit boards and has led a national task force on the future of education.

Gov. Laura Kelly brings together both parties to get things done for Kansas. She has brought jobs, businesses, opportunities, and record economic success to Kansas.

In her first term as governor, Gov. Kelly fulfilled her promise to put Kansas back on track after years of fiscal mismanagement, harmful budget deficits, and underfunded schools. She’s worked with both parties to balance the budget, fully fund schools, grow the economy, and rebuild the state’s infrastructure.

Under Gov. Kelly’s leadership, Kansas has seen a record of over $14 billion dollars of investment in new business initiatives and the creation and retention of over 53,000 jobs, including the state’s largest economic development project in history with a $4 billion investment and 4,000 direct new jobs.

Previously, Gov. Kelly was executive director of the Kansas Recreation & Park Association and served in the Kansas Senate, where she built a reputation as a no-nonsense leader who worked with both Republicans and Democrats to build common ground and get things done.

After making history in her decisive second-term victory in a state Trump won in 2020, Gov. Kelly will build on her accomplishments and chart a bold agenda for Kansans.

Gov.-Elect Wes Moore is a combat veteran, small business owner, Rhodes Scholar, former CEO of one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty organizations, and now the governor-elect of Maryland.

With his win, he became the first Black person elected governor of Maryland and only the third Black person elected governor in the United States.

Gov.-Elect Moore has devoted his life’s work to the same basic principle he learned on Day 1 in the Army: Leave No One Behind. With his historic victory, that has become the new mission of the state of Maryland, where he will fight to create pathways for work, wages, and wealth for all Marylanders.

Gov.-Elect Josh Shapiro has spent his career in public service taking on the status quo, bringing people together to solve tough problems, and delivering results for the people of Pennsylvania.

As Attorney General, he has restored integrity to an office badly in need of reform and taken on big fights for the people. He has proven to Pennsylvanians he can bring people together to solve tough problems, and is unafraid to enforce the law without fear or favor.

As governor, Gov.-Elect Shapiro will continue to defend Pennsylvanians and deliver results.