The Weekender (7/2/21)
Welcome to the Democratic Governors Association’s Friday newsletter, The Weekender.
Let’s get started.
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| Virginia: A new report from the Associated Press exposed Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin’s company’s horrific track record of wrecking American jobs and Americans’ livelihoods — all for a profit. Youngkin’s company the Carlyle Group outsourced more than 1,000 jobs and raised rents on mobile homeowners, forcing some residents — many of whom were seniors — to choose between paying for their food and their medicine. Youngkin has tried to paint his time as co-CEO of the private equity group as good for businesses and jobs, but the AP report shows Youngkin and his company chose profits over people time and time again. To make matters worse, Youngkin has made it clear that he’s running on harmful and unpopular policies. Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe won an endorsement from the AAPI PAC shortly before Youngkin was exposed for using the racial slur “yellow” to describe Asians as he promised to unite Virginians. Donald Trump’s hand-picked candidate has based his campaign on creating an “election integrity task force” and spent months misleading about the 2020 election. Youngkin also has refused to support expanding paid sick, family, and medical leave to all Virginians and opposes raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Youngkin’s policies tell voters one thing — he’s more interested in pleasing Trump than improving the lives of Virginians.
New Jersey: Gov. Phil Murphy is gaining support from organizations across New Jersey. The latest organization to endorse Murphy is Planned Parenthood of New Jersey. The endorsement comes as no surprise, as Gov. Murphy has restored family planning funds eliminated by his predecessor, deeply unpopular GOP Gov. Chris Christie. Murphy has already gained the support of various organizations and unions such as the United Food and Commercial Workers, the AFL-CIO, and the state’s largest firefighter union. Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli’s plan to appeal to the far-right and support for Trump’s toxic agenda has backfired as he struggles to gain support and endorsements. As Ciattarelli’s rocky relationship with his Republican base continues, Gov. Murphy continues to receive high marks and approval from New Jersey voters. |
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| Wisconsin GOP Leaders Engulfed in Chaotic Battle with Donald Trump
The Wisconsin GOP is engulfed in a feud with Donald Trump over election fraud, and things are quickly turning into a full-scale meltdown. The party leader attacked Wisconsin Republican leaders head-on and accused Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, state Senator Chris Kapenga, and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu of “working hard to cover up election corruption.” Trump blasted members of the GOP, telling Wisconsinites to not “fall for their lies,” and issued a veiled threat that Wisconsin Republicans will be “quickly run out of office” if they don’t pledge their complete allegiance to his conspiracy theories about election fraud. In response to Trump’s temper tantrum, Vos, Kapenga, and LeMahieu stated, “we are doing everything we possibly can to uncover what occurred in 2020,” and sure enough, they have been pushing Trump’s ‘Big Lie’ in full force by using of thousands of taxpayer dollars to have retired police officers and a known conspiracy theorist conduct a vigilante-style, closed-door investigation into the 2020 election. Vos and the rest of the Wisconsin Republican Party also pledged their loyalty to Trump in passing anti-democratic legislation under the guise of “election integrity” that would make it harder for Wisconsinites to vote and specifically targets voters with disabilities. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is the last line of defense for voting rights and has already vetoed one blatant attack on the right to vote. |
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| Lamont Funds Gun Violence Prevention, Giving Local Officials the Tools They Need to Keep Connecticut Safe |
| This week, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced $5 million in COVID-19 relief funding for gun violence and crime reduction, much-needed aid that will soon go out to communities.
Gov. Lamont prioritized residents’ safety, specifically emphasizing community outreach programs. The funding also supports local law enforcement, expanding to both neighborhoods and hospitals to help reduce conflict and retaliation. Utilizing federal American Rescue Plan funds, Lamont also addressed the secondary impacts of the pandemic, noting that violent crime has surged across the nation during the pandemic. “It’s not all about law and order,” Governor Ned Lamont said, “It’s about what our population has been through.” |
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| Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker on MSNBC with Brian Williams urging people to stay vigilant regarding new COVID variants.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Bloomberg’s What’d You Miss with David Westin encouraging people to go out and get vaccinated and discussing investments in infrastructure. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on MSNBC with Chris Hayes on the severity of the heatwave and further implications of climate change-induced crises. |
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Each sunrise brings new opportunities to be our very best and create a brighter future for our kids. ^AB pic.twitter.com/zBDBq1jcH5
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) June 29, 2021
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“This is a budget that invests in Pennsylvanians. It is a budget that will help those hit hardest by the pandemic get the support they need while at the same time making crucial investments in our future by supporting the students and workers who will drive our economy forward in the years to come.”
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| “Mike Pence is a traitor.”
Who said it? Send your answer to press@dga.net, and we’ll reveal the answer in the next Weekender! If you guessed former president Donald Trump last week, you’re correct! In a statement, Trump and former Fox News Host Bill O’Reilly announced they would be selling VIP tickets for over $7,500 to their “fun, fun, fun” speaking tour through Florida and Texas in December. |