The Weekender (6/18/21)
Welcome to the Democratic Governors Association’s Friday newsletter, The Weekender.
Let’s get started.
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| Virginia: Since the start of the general election, Terry McAuliffe has launched a strong campaign with endorsements and a focus on expanding access to affordable health care for Virginians. Meanwhile, Glenn Youngkin has said that it’s “sad” that Virginia expanded Medicaid. Youngkin was also exposed in a new report from Business Insider for being a hypocrite who praised McAuliffe’s strong economic record before he was against it. He also still has no issues page on his website, and instead of releasing a serious platform, Youngkin spends his days on conservative talk shows spouting off extreme right-wing talking points entirely out of step with Virginians.
New Jersey: Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli’s uphill battle to win his party’s support is far from over. The numbers don’t lie, and Gov. Phil Murphy leads by a 26-point margin. Murphy’s high polling can be attributed to his high approval rating due to his successful handling of the pandemic. Ciattarelli has put in substantial effort to win over the Republican base, but his attempts have fallen short. In a matchup between the two candidates, Murphy wins 83 percent of the Democratic base, while Ciattarelli only wins 67 percent of the Republicans. |
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| Wisconsin Republicans Join Disgraced Ex-Governor On Conspiracy-Driven Trip to Arizona Audit Site |
| The nasty squabbling between Donald Trump and RGA Chair Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey continues to get worse, with Trump attacking Ducey directly, calling him an “unelectable RINO.” In a party where demonstrating undying loyalty to Trump is critical, Ducey and Trump’s rocky relationship is causing issues for the RGA.
As CNN recently reported, “Donald Trump is causing a headache for the Republican Governors Association” by threatening to revoke his support of candidates who don’t embrace the ‘Big Lie’ and the rest of his toxic agenda. As a result, Ducey and the RGA are dealing with massive recruitment failures across the country, while sitting GOP governors in states like Ohio and Georgia are facing vicious primaries from Republican challengers. Watch coverage of Trump’s latest meltdown against Ducey here. |
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| Gov. Whitmer works to make child care more affordable with a $1.4 billion proposal |
| Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently announced that she is taking the opportunity to invest in affordable child care in the state of Michigan. Using funds from the American Rescue Plan, Whitmer plans to invest $1.4 billion in federal child care funding.
Whitmer said, “Every family in Michigan deserves to have access to safe, affordable quality child care that meets their needs. Our state’s economic recovery depends on us getting this right.” |
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| California Governor Gavin Newsom on Headline News with Robin Meade officially announcing the state’s reopening.
Virginia Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe on MSNBC with Chuck Todd discussing bettering the lives of Virginia families following his decisive primary victory last week. Washington State Governor Jay Inslee on MSNBC with Ari Velshi discussing President Biden’s trip to the G7 Summit and the re-opening of the Canadian Border. |
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| “Nine years ago today, DACA carved a path for thousands of undocumented New Jerseyans to live without fear. We were proud to defend it in court, and we will continue to fight for the rights of all our residents.” – Gov. Phil Murphy on progress made after a long fight to support undocumented residents of New Jersey. |
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| “If election integrity is not the number one issue of these guys running, then they’re either lost, confused or too stupid to be running.” Who said it? Send your answer to press@dga.net, and we’ll reveal the answer in the next Weekender! If you guessed Pennsylvania Sen. Doug Mastriano last week, congratulations, you were right! In response to Former President Donald Trump and the legitimacy of this past presidential election and calling for an election audit in the state of Arizona, Mastriano said, “You know, we were oppressed this past year.” |