Welcome to the Democratic Governors Association’s Friday newsletter, The Weekender.
Let’s get started.
Georgia: After Stacey Abrams declared she’s running for Georgia governor this week, Cook Political Report updated their 2022 governor race ratings, moving Georgia from Lean Republican to Toss Up. Cook Political sent warning signs to Gov. Brian Kemp, who will have to face Abrams while “staring down a potentially divisive GOP primary egged on by former President Trump.” Trump responded to Abrams’ announcement with a statement attacking Kemp, saying, “Some good Republican will run, and some good Republican will get my endorsement.” Earlier this year, Trump even admitted that he might prefer Abrams to be governor over Kemp. Both Kemp and potential challenger former Sen. David Perdue are divisive within the GOP. A Trump-backed bid from Perdue would drain Kemp’s early fundraising and bruise the eventual nominee ahead of the general election. “Kemp is the most vulnerable Republican incumbent on the map,” writes Cook Political.Massachusetts: Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball made massive ratings changes after Gov. Charlie Baker announced he won’t seek re-election as Massachusetts governor. Cook Political moved the race from Solid Republican to Lean Democrat, and Crystal Ball went a step further, moving their rating from Likely Republican to Likely Democratic. The race rating change is a result of Trump’s chaotic takeover of the Massachusetts Republican Party. Now that Baker is out and Lt. Governor Karen Polito also said she would not run for governor, filling the void as GOP frontrunner is far-right, Trump-endorsed Geoff Diehl, who has called for a partisan election audit. Massachusetts GOP Chair Jim Lyons emphasized that the party is set to go full MAGA, saying, “We look forward to working with President Trump as we continue to rebuild the Massachusetts Republican Party.” Cook wrote, “It’s clear that Diehl all but surely cannot win a statewide race.”
After Months of Dodging Questions, New Audio Exposes Heidi Ganahl for Spreading Big LieNew audio shared with 9NEWS’ Next with Kyle Clark reveals Colorado Republican candidate Heidi Ganahl is spreading Donald Trump’s dangerous Big Lie. In an interview after announcing her candidacy, Ganahl dodged questions about election fraud. But in the recent audio, Ganahl exposes herself as a conspiracy theorist and political hack, admitting that she believes the Big Lie and only redirects to other issues to win over undecided voters.“We’ve got to have such a red tsunami that there’s no question, there’s no fixing it,” Ganahl said. Ganahl’s spokeswoman has admitted that the campaign has not seen direct evidence of election fraud. This revealing answer is just the latest in a series of smoke signals Ganahl has sent up to show the far-right base she’s with them. In her campaign launch and an interview with Axios, Ganahl declined to say whether President Joe Biden was legitimately elected and would not specify whether she considered the January 6 attack on the Capitol an insurrection. Ganahl even praised Trump’s lawyer John Eastman, the mastermind behind a desperate ploy to overturn the 2020 election. Maybe Ganahl’s newfound candor will be enough to secure donations from the new Super PAC launched by Eastman’s like-minded associate, Thomas Klingenstein.
Gov. Janet Mills is On Track To Deliver Sweeping Climate ActionOne year after launching an ambitious climate plan, Maine Gov. Janet Mills is fulfilling her promise to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight the climate crisis head-on. To mark the anniversary of the governor’s Maine Won’t Wait climate plan, Gov. Mills announced new initiatives that provide grants and technical assistance to empower Maine towns and cities to implement their own climate action initiatives, including updating water infrastructure and transitioning to clean energy.Gov. Mills’ plan to fight climate change is the most ambitious the state has ever seen. It puts Maine on track to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by 2030, 80 percent by 2050, and carbon-neutral by 2045. Even during the challenges posed by the pandemic, Gov. Mills continued her commitment to fighting climate change. While sending direct relief to struggling small businesses, getting shots in arms, and revitalizing the economy, she still led Maine on a path to meet its climate goals.Kathleen Meil, policy director at Maine Conservation Voters, praised Gov. Mills’ continued leadership on climate during the pandemic, saying, “It is really such a testament to Gov. Mills’ climate leadership that she insisted we will walk and chew gum to address the pandemic and the climate crisis and do it well.”
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on MSNBC with Lawrence O’Donnell talking about the impact of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the importance of electing Democratic governors next year, when he will serve as DGA Chair.Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams on CNN with Brianna Keilar describing her campaign plans and voting rights.Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams on MSNBC with Rachel Maddow discussing her decision to run for governor and her vision for Georgia.
We know African American women and girls are disproportionately subject to violent crime.
That’s why we took action and established a first-in-the-nation Missing and Murdered African American Women task force.
“When Trump and his enablers sued Pennsylvania to undermine and overturn our election, I fought back — and won. I’ve said it time and again: don’t mess with Pennsylvania. We’ll be here to uphold the law.”
Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro on how he beat Trump 40 times in court.
“The MAGA base will just not vote for him.”Who said it? Send your answer to press@dga.net, and we’ll reveal the answer in the next Weekender!If you guessed Republican Pennsylvania Senator and gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano last time, you were right! Mastriano has repeatedly spread baseless conspiracy theories about the safe and effective COVID vaccine.
