The Weekender (10/25/19)

Welcome to the Democratic Governors Association’s Friday newsletter, The Weekender. This weekly newsletter keeps you updated on all the gubernatorial campaign news you need to start your weekend.
Let’s get started.

Kentucky: Attorney General Andy Beshear’s campaign released a new ad, “Serious,” highlighting how Beshear will protect access to health care for Kentuckians with a pre-existing condition.

Bluegrass Values, a DGA-backed group, launched a new ad, “Air,” how Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin and his cronies fly high while Kentuckians pay the price.

Beshear also earned the endorsement of the Lexington Herald-Leader today.

Mississippi: Attorney General Jim Hood released a new ad, “Nurse,” highlighting his plan to expand Medicaid to 300,000 working Mississippians.

Hood released another ad, “Under The Hood,” highlighting how Hood will look out for Mississippi taxpayers as governor.

Louisiana: Gov. Edwards released a new ad, “Not Right,” highlighting former Republican candidate Ralph Abraham’s comments against Eddie Rispone in the jungle primary.

Matt Bevin Losing Support of Some GOP Members In Homestretch

Matt Bevin is losing some Republicans in the homestretch who are tired of his insults and bullying.

In a Washington Post profile of the race, Republican Betty Sanders said she is a strong Trump supporter but won’t vote for Bevin because “there is no excuse for betraying a teacher.”

And Bevin lost the support of one of his primary opponents, who endorsed Beshear this week. William Woods says endorsing Beshear is “the right thing to do.”

Bevin is worried and it’s probably why he sounds like a “flailing loser.”

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Fighting For Overtime Workers’ Pay
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer directed the state’s Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity to establish rules to increase the salary threshold under which employers must pay overtime to their workers. Whitmer’s rule would counter the Trump administration’s rule scaling back worker’s rights and would only cover one in six Michiganers. Gov. Whitmer’s rule would close that gap by raising the threshold to the original $51,000 mark.

23.5 billion – Amount of money invested to revamp Illinois’ roads thanks to Gov. JB Pritzker’s leadership. The passage of a transportation bill signed into law by Pritzker in May upped the state’s contribution to the multi-year plan from 12 percent to 58 percent.
420 – Number of megawatts of renewable energy Virginia has purchased making it the number one most substantial renewable energy contract in the United States thanks to Gov. Ralph Northam’s leadership.
2 – Number of biomass plants that shut down in New Hampshire because Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed a bill that would have supported 6 biomass plants for 3 years.

“This is just one more example of the Trump Administration’s unprecedented assault on the environment, and we will not stand for it. We will fight to protect the people who live in our states and defend our clear and unambiguous authority under law.”

-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee in a joint statement defending their stance on the Clean Water Act.

“I won’t vote for him even if Donald Trump personally asked me to.” 

A voter said this about which Republican candidate for governor? Send your answer to press@dga.net and we’ll reveal the answer in the next Weekender!

Congrats to Eva Kemp of Democrats for Education Reform for guessing Eddie Rispone last week! Eddie Rispone’s political mentor Lane Grigsby actually said, “I am the kingmaker, I talk from the throne” when he tried to get a Republican state Senate candidate to drop out of the race. We can’t make it up, y’all.