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Don't Call it a Comeback

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One of Those Guys

Standard & Poors downgrades N.J. financial outlook to 'negative'

Standard & Poors has changed its outlook for New Jersey from stable to negative, the latest in a series of bad financial news for the Christie administration. The negative action by Standard & Poors, confirmed by spokesman for the firm, follows two critical reports by two other Wall Street ratings firms who said the state’s…

I Won't Rest

A Conversation with Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley

Governing sat down with Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., last week. Here are excerpts from that conversation. Why do governors matter for a party? Governors matter because, look, we are the United States. There are 50 states that make this great union, and our country only moves forward when our…

Top Democrat: 2012 Election Will Be Won By The Base

Maryland governor Martin O’Malley told BuzzFeed that Democrats will win in 2012 by energizing their base, not by trying to persuade elusive swing voters. O’Malley, a top Obama ally who chairs the the Democratic Governors Association and is often named as a possible presidential contender in 2016, discounted the idea that whoever wins the presidential…

Simple

Chris Christie vs. the world (or, at least, Democratic governors)

Chris Christie likes to mix it up; this much we know. But increasingly, the pugilistic New Jersey governor isn’t just going at it with reporters or hecklers, but also with fellow governors. And in a way that governors historically have avoided. A spat with California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) in recent days has quickly devolved…

Missouri named among top states for economic development

This year’s report from Pollina Corporate Real Estate and the American Economic Development Institute ranked Missouri ninth overall in pro-business policy and planning. The report, Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States for 2012, ranked states based on criteria ranging from labor and taxes to economic development and right-to-work legislation. “Gov. Jay Nixon has shown that he…