NBC: “Democratic governors step forward to set the party’s agenda”

NBC: “Democratic governors step forward to set the party’s agenda”

Over the weekend, a new NBC report highlighted how Democratic governors across the country are “step[ping] forward” and laying out plans to “set the party’s agenda,” including using their State of the State speeches to put forth “priorities like expanding affordable child care, legalizing cannabis and protecting access to abortion…”

As the report notes, Democratic governors are leading efforts to address high costs and cut taxes for working and middle class families, highlighting plans from Govs. Evers, Hobbs, Hochul, Moore, Murphy, Polis, and Shapiro to lower costs.

Read more from NBC on how Democratic governors are setting the agenda for the Democratic Party:

• “In Shapiro’s budget address on Tuesday, the Pennsylvania governor poked at Trump through one of the president’s signature 2016 campaign promises, which he revived early in his 2024 campaign: going after the Affordable Care Act. ‘Today, 1.2 million Pennsylvanians get their health care through the Affordable Care Act. And while I know there are some who would like to do away with it in Washington, D.C.,’ Shapiro told state legislators, ‘the fact is, it’s working for Pennsylvanians.’”
• “In the last Trump administration, people focused ‘too much on Trump and what was happening in D.C. and not enough on [Democratic] priorities,’ Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at the time, adding: ‘Don’t fall into us versus them. … It’s not a winning strategy.’”
• “Murphy made national headlines after his speech for announcing his plan to stockpile mifepristone, an abortion-inducing drug, ‘so every woman can access this crucial form of reproductive care,’ in the wake of GOP campaign promises last year to further restrict abortion nationally.”
• “‘I truly hope that President-elect Trump and Congress can work together quickly to secure the border, stop human trafficking, and stop the illegal flow of guns and drugs,’ Polis said in his speech, delivered in Colorado in early January. ‘We don’t support efforts to deport American citizens, to target those on pending legal status, to break up families.’”
• “In Wisconsin, Evers framed his opposition to Trump’s deportation plan as an economic issue, telling his constituents, ‘Let’s agree to be honest about the fact that, in this state, some of our state’s largest and most important industries and companies have always welcomed the hard work of immigrants.’”
• “‘More than 75,000 Arizona children — 1 in 4 — have parents who need child care but can’t access it,’ Hobbs said in Arizona. ‘I was a working mother who raised two kids, and I understand these challenges intimately.’”
• “The governors framed it as an economic issue, with Evers saying, ‘Wisconsin’s child care crisis affects not only our kids, families, and child care providers but our state employers, workforce, and economy, too.’”
• “In his speech, Moore blasted Maryland’s current tax structure, saying, ‘You cannot look at the system we have right now and say it makes sense.’ He added: ‘Under our plan, two-thirds of Marylanders will get a tax cut, and in fact, 82% of Marylanders will see either a tax cut or no change in their taxes at all.’”
• “As Shapiro spoke about his fiscal plan, he indirectly called out Republicans. ‘Folks in this building have been talking about cutting taxes for years,’ he said. ‘But here I am, a Democratic governor with an aggressive plan to cut taxes, ready to work with you to get it done.’”

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