The Weekender (10/16/20)
Welcome to the Democratic Governors Association’s Friday newsletter, The Weekender. Only two more Weekenders until Election Day!
Let’s get started.
Missouri: Uniting Missouri, Gov. Mike Parson’s PAC, released several ads attempting to tie Nicole Galloway to groups seeking to defund the police, but a fact check by Politifact found those claims are entirely false. After sorting through Galloway’s finance reports, Politifact “found no contributions made by any group that expressly and openly supports defunding the police.” In fact, Galloway’s campaign is largely funded by small-dollar donations from individuals and labor unions. Parson’s PAC has been caught lying to Missourians several times this cycle – fact checks from KMBC and KMOV found that claims made about Galloway in earlier Uniting Missouri ads were also untrue.
North Carolina: In North Carolina’s only gubernatorial debate, Gov. Roy Cooper made the clear case for his re-election, citing his leadership on the COVID-19 pandemic and his record of fighting for working families. Republican Dan Forest, a walking red flag, doubled down on his extreme positions and demonstrated how he would be a public health hazard if elected. Forest has failed to take the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, and has embraced positions that would unnecessarily endanger countless lives.
More Than 100 Health Professionals Urge Greg Gianforte To Stop His “Reckless Behavior”
A group of more than 100 health professionals wrote an open letter to Republican gubernatorial nominee Greg Gianforte urging him to stop his reckless behavior and “start taking this pandemic seriously.”
Gianforte has touted “herd immunity” as an effective approach for combating the COVID-19 pandemic – a strategy which could cost at least one million American lives and has been debunked by public health experts. He has also voiced opposition to mask mandates and refused to wear one in public. Most recently, Gianforte arrived at last week’s gubernatorial debate without a mask.
It’s clear Gianforte thinks the pandemic is a joke. When asked for a handshake at a campaign event, Gianforte mocked social distancing and said “Buddy, I’ll give you a hug if you want it!”
If Gianforte was in charge of Montana’s COVID-19 response, he would ignore public health experts and unnecessarily endanger countless lives. As the health experts say in their letter, “it’s certainly not the leadership that Montanans deserve.”
Dem Govs Get It Done: Lawsuit Filed By Gov. Steve Bullock Forces Postal Service to Reverse Changes That Slowed Mail Service Nationwide
Thanks to Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, the United States Postal Service agreed to reverse the harmful changes that slowed mail service nationwide and threatened to put the upcoming election at risk.
Gov. Bullock filed a lawsuit against the USPS on September 8th, arguing that the changes impeded access to mail services in Montana, delayed delivery of important items including prescriptions, bills, payments, Social Security checks, job applications and more, and made it more difficult for Montanans to vote by mail.
Under the agreement reached with Gov. Bullock, the USPS will prioritize election mail, which is extremely important considering a record number of Americans will likely submit ballots through the mail during the pandemic, and reverse the controversial changes in all states.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on CBS Sunday Morning with his daughters, talking about quarantining together during the pandemic and reflecting on New York’s response to COVID-19.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whtimer on CBS’s Face the Nation, criticizing Republican leaders for refusing to condemn domestic terrorists like the groups who targeted her. She says these groups are “finding comfort and support in the rhetoric” from GOP leaders at both the federal and state level.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, discussing the steps he might take this winter if New Jersey sees an uptick in cases.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on CNN’s New Day, reacting to the news that he was also a potential target of the domestic terrorists who plotted to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“Just as they have throughout this presidency, and this crisis, the blue wall of governors may become the only thing protecting Americans against Republicans’ unrelenting attempts to roll back popular, vital policies and precedents like the Affordable Care Act.”
- Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf in an op-ed, reminding Americans that Democratic governors are the last line of defense against a majority conservative Supreme Court.
“No, I don’t think there’s systemic racism.”
Who said it? Send your answer to press@dga.net and we’ll reveal the answer in the next Weekender!
If you guessed New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu last week, you were right! Sununu said “Washington continues to drop the ball,” refusing to call out the President by name. It’s clear Sununu will continue to put his loyalty to Donald Trump above everything else, and is afraid to stand up to him.