The Weekender (12/8/23)
Welcome to the Democratic Governors Association’s Friday newsletter, the Weekender.
Let’s get started.
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Ayotte has a long history of attacking abortion rights throughout her time in public office. In 2010, as a U.S. Senator, Ayotte called for Roe v. Wade to be overturned, and in 2014, she led a group of 33 Republican senators demanding a vote on a national abortion ban. Ayotte also called a regulation requiring most employers to cover costs of birth control “an unprecedented affront to religious liberty,” and has voted repeatedly to defund Planned Parenthood.

Over the weekend, America’s Democratic governors voted to elect Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to serve as the new Chair of the Democratic Governors Association and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly to continue to serve as DGA Vice Chair for 2024. The vote occurred at the DGA’s Annual Meeting, held in Phoenix, Arizona. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy will remain in DGA leadership as Finance Chair.
DGA Chair Gov. Tim Walz said: “In Minnesota, we’ve shown the country that when Democratic governors win, we deliver real results that directly benefit working families like expanding free school meals and expanding paid family and medical leave, while also standing up to protect reproductive rights and our democracy. I look forward to taking that record of winning and delivering to this role, and building on the DGA’s record of success as we have an exciting map of eleven governor’s races next year.”

WATCH: DGA Chair and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on CNN News Centralcontrasting how Democratic governors deliver and GOP governors stoke division.
WATCH: New York Gov. Gov. Kathy Hochul on The Today Show touting New York’s first-of-its-kind State Weather Risk Communication Center.
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