The Weekender (3/19/21)
Welcome to the Democratic Governors Association’s Friday newsletter, The Weekender.
Let’s get started.
Virginia: The VA GOP gubernatorial candidates will do anything to prove they are the most like Donald Trump – but Pete Snyder has taken that gambit a little too far. Snyder was caught shrouding information from the IRS, a key element of the Trump playbook. In addition to lying about his small business fund, Snyder is also refusing to support the popular American Rescue Plan, which is providing critical economic relief for Virginia’s small businesses, calling it “absolutely insane.”
California: Following Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement forming a committee to oppose Republicans’ recall campaign in California, Democrats across the country announced their support for Gov. Newsom, including Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Cory Booker, as well as Stacey Abrams. Instead of focusing on fighting COVID-19, Republicans are wasting taxpayer money, time, and energy on a partisan recall in the middle of a national crisis. The Republican recall is being led by Trump Republicans and has been tied to groups who planned and led the insurrection on January 6th, anti-vaccination activists, QAnon conspiracy theorists, and the Proud Boys, among others.
Minnesota Republicans Lose Top Recruit For Governor
Minnesota Congressman Pete Stauber announced he would not be running for governor in 2022, leaving the Minnesota GOP in a state of disarray, and the RGA without a viable candidate to take on popular Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. Former Republican House Speaker Kurt Zellers said, “I don’t know if there’s a clear path right now for any candidate.”
The Minnesota GOP field thus far is a pathetic crop of far-right extremists who are out-of-touch with reality. The closest to a serious announced candidate is former state lawmaker Scott Jensen, an anti-science, COVID denier who spent more time golfing than he did serving his constituents. The only other announced candidate is Mayor Mike Murphy, a Trump hack who has supported candidates affiliated with QAnon and suggested 2020 was “aliens controlling the matrix.”
Also rumored to be running is MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who is fighting a $1 billion lawsuit for touting far-right conspiracy theories so ludicrous that even Newsmax threatened to kick him off their network.
While the Minnesota GOP decides between a quack doctor, an alien conspiracy theorist, and lawsuit Lindell, Gov. Walz continues to be a steady, bipartisan leader with consistently high approval ratings.
Democratic Governors Are the Last Line of Defense Against Voting Rights “Armageddon”
As Republicans across the country launch unprecedented attacks on voting rights, New York Magazine explains how Democratic governors on the ballot in 2021 and 2022 could be the last line of defense against this voting rights “armageddon.”
Republicans have introduced 253 bills in 43 states seeking to limit voting rights and disenfranchise minority voters, low-income voters, and young people. Republican state legislatures are also trying to influence the redistricting process in attempts to tip the scales in their favor.
The future of voting rights is on the ballot for governor in 2021 and 2022.
In Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam and Virginia Democrats have championed a bill that will make Virginia the first state in the South to pass its own Voting Rights Act. Republican gubernatorial candidates like Pete Snyder, Amanda Chase, Kirk Cox, and Glenn Youngkin are threatening to roll back the progress Democrats have made and continue to trumpet election conspiracy theories.
In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy has restored voting rights for 80,000 people and made it easier to vote during the pandemic. Like Republicans across the country, likely Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli has endorsed restrictive voting laws like voter ID requirements and purging voters from registration rolls in an effort to demonstrate his loyalty to Trump.
Georgia has emerged as ground zero for voting attacks, where Republicans have introduced a laundry list of bills seeking to limit Georgians’ right to vote and disenfranchise Black voters who propelled President Biden and Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock to victory. As a former Secretary of State, GOP Gov. Brian Kemp has a history of pushing for voter suppression proposals.
In Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers is the last thing standing against the Wisconsin GOP’s efforts to tighten voting laws. Just last week, Wisconsin Republicans introduced a number of ridiculous proposals, including drowning voters in paperwork when they apply for an absentee ballot, barring staff at assisted living sites from reminding residents of an upcoming election, imposing photo ID requirements, restricting drop boxes to one per municipality, and more.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on Bloomberg’s Balance of Power, explaining the benefits of the American Rescue Plan on his state’s economy.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on MSNBC’s The ReidOut, discussing the dangerous people who are backing the Republican recall in California – the RNC is the second-largest contributor to the effort and Trump megadonors have donated close to $3 million.
“Hate has no home in Michigan or in the United States. We must remain united in our fight against the parallel epidemics of racism and COVID-19 that we face.”
- Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer responding to the murder of 8 people in Atlanta, including 6 Asian-American women, and the rise of anti-Asian violence across the U.S.
“This is like Jeffrey Dahmer walking into a morgue surprised and asking how all the bodies got here.”
Who said it? Send your answer to press@dga.net and we’ll reveal the answer in the next Weekender!
If you guessed West Virginia Governor Jim Justice last week, you were right! Justice slammed fellow Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s reckless decision to remove his state’s mask mandate, saying “for crying out loud, we could be a little more prudent for 30 more days.”