The Messenger: “Democratic Governors – Even Those Not On The Ballot Tuesday – Had Strong Nights”

The Messenger: “Democratic Governors – Even Those Not On The Ballot Tuesday – Had Strong Nights”

Following Gov. Andy Beshear’s decisive victory in Kentucky on Tuesday, The Messenger is highlighting how a number of other Democratic governors “had strong nights in their home states and indirectly contributed extensively to successful campaigns across the country.”

Specifically, The Messenger details how DGA Chair and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro were big factors in down ballot electoral victories in their own states, while Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, among others, helped deliver crucial victories around the country.

Overall, The Messenger said the wins highlight the “growing importance” of Democratic governors “to the party’s apparatus ahead of 2024.” 

Read more here from The Messenger about how Democratic governors contributed to wins across the country on Tuesday:

• In Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro saw Democrat Dan McCaffrey win a seat on Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court. Shapiro headlined multiple rallies to get out the vote in the commonwealth, including for McCaffrey, lending the popularity that elected him by a wide margin last year to other Democrats. And in the Allegheny County county executive race, victorious Democrat Sara Innamorato closed her campaign with a television ad that featured Shapiro speaking straight-to-camera about the stakes of the race.
• In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy saw his party pick up five seats in the state assembly, something party operatives in the state did not entirely expect… Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy raised around $1 million to support legislative candidates across the state, according to a spokesperson for the governor, and, like Shapiro, attended several rallies looking to turn out Democrats in those key elections.
• And in New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul saw Democrats notch wins across the state, including winning a county district attorney position for the first time in history, flipping the city council in Binghamton, and winning a majority on the county legislature in Cayuga County, a county former President Donald Trump carried in both 2016 and 2020.
• Governors from outside these states with down-ballot races also played a role in the victories. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker donated $250,000 to the successful coalition that protected abortion access in Ohio and another $250,000 to Virginia Democrats ahead of their successful bid to stop Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin from winning a trifecta in the commonwealth.
• Maryland Gov. Wes More rallied with neighboring Virginia Democrats ahead of Election Day. And California Gov. Gavin Newsom raised $2.2 million for party committees and candidates before the 2023 cycle, including, he claims in an email to supporters, more than $100,000 for the Virginia Democratic Party.
• While the rise of Trump and his win in 2016 coincided with Democrats losing more gubernatorial elections, that began to shift under Trump after the 2018 midterms, where Democrats won back a series of governor’s mansions and progressive governors became the bulwarks standing against the Republican administration.

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