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The Weekender (11/11/22)

Weekender

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Welcome to the Democratic Governors Association’s weekend newsletter, the Weekender.

Let’s get started.

Massachusetts/Oregon: In Massachusetts and Oregon, Gov.-Elects Maura Healey and Tina Kotek made history by becoming the country’s first openly lesbian governors. Both candidates have strong track records of solving tough problems. Healey and Kotek won their races with bold plans to ​​deliver affordable housing, promote equity in their states, and fight for working families.
Maryland: In Maryland, Gov.-Elect Wes Moore became the state’s first Black governor and the third Black governor elected in U.S. history. A combat veteran, Rhodes Scholar, small business owner, and CEO of one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty organizations, Moore has committed to building a world-class public education system and enhancing Maryland’s economy.

Glenn Youngkin’s Red-Vest Republicans Lose Big on Election Night
On the campaign trail, Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin stumped for several extremist GOP candidates across the county. The MAGA candidate calling card? A bright red vest. During campaign rallies, Gov. Youngkin proudly touted failing candidates, including Tudor Dixon, Christine Drazan, Mark Ronchetti, Derek Schmidt, Heidi Gahnal, Paul LePage, Tim Michels, and Lee Zeldin.What do all these GOP candidates have in common? Besides their extremist views and election denialism, all of these “red-vest” Republicans were defeated in Tuesday’s general election by Democratic candidates. While Republicans predicted a “red tsunami,” voters made it clear on Tuesday that these GOP gubernatorial candidates were just too extreme.

Democrats Continue to Make History With Their Wins in Governors’ Races
Democrats made history in Tuesday’s election, avoiding any net loss and instead picking up at least one net new governorship. This is a practically unheard-of victory for the party of the president in a midterm election.As President Biden noted in a speech this week, this is the “best midterms for governors since 1986.”  Several Democratic governors also made history in representation, with Gov.-Elects Maura Healey in Massachusetts and Tina Kotek in Oregon becoming the country’s first openly lesbian governors. Gov. Kathy Hochul won her race in New York, making her the first female governor elected in state history. And Gov.-Elect Wes Moore also made history by becoming the first Black governor in Maryland.

Across the country, voters rejected extremism and elected candidates with a track record of fighting for a better future for working families and children instead of promoting a MAGA agenda.

DGA Chair North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on CNN with Dana Bash on Democratic governors’ historic success this election and the crucial role of Democratic governors on key issues such as protecting abortion and preserving democracy.Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on MSNBC with Hallie Jackson discussing his win on Tuesday night and the Democratic sweep in Colorado.Maryland Governor-Elect Wes Moore on CNN with Jake Tapper discussing his historic election and the lessons he hopes to bring to the governor’s office.

Massachusetts Governor-Elect Maura Healey on MSNBC with Lawrence O’Donnell on her historic win on Tuesday night.


“The Democratic Governors Association invested three times the amount of money that we did in 2018 in these elections because we knew how important it was, and it turned out that we had the right formula. People knew that Democratic governors were going to protect their pocketbooks and their freedoms, and we know that they’re there to protect democracy.”

  • DGA Chair North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on the historic success of Democratic governors in the midterms.

“It’s easy to come out and point fingers now, but the truth is they fought against me every step of the way and put the entire ticket at risk.”Who said it? Send your answer to press@dga.net, and we’ll reveal the answer in the next Weekender!If you guessed Arizona GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake last week, you were right! Lake made headlines last week for her comments making light of the violent attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband.