The Weekender (9/4/20)
Welcome to the Democratic Governors Association’s Friday newsletter, The Weekender.
Let’s get started.
Missouri: Democratic gubernatorial candidate State Auditor Nicole Galloway continues to have the momentum in the Missouri governor’s race. Galloway announced this week she raised over $1.1 million between July 24 and August 29 – more than double what Gov. Parson’s campaign brought in over the same period. Galloway also earned a spot on Fortune’s 40 Under 40 rankings. And A Stronger Missouri, an independent organization backed by the DGA, released its first TV ad in Missouri, highlighting how Missouri Gov. Mike Parson used his position to rack up gifts and perks from lobbyists and special interest groups.
Another sign Missouri is ready for new leadership – due to Gov. Mike Parson’s atrocious, anti-worker policies, Missouri was ranked one of the worst states for working families during the pandemic.
Montana: Good Jobs MT, an independent organization backed by the DGA, released a new digital ad campaign against GOP gubernatorial nominee Greg Gianforte in Montana. Gianforte has spent his career working to block public land access. As Montana’s sole congressman, Gianforte introduced a pair of bills to strip protections from nearly 700,000 acres of public lands, and gave the health care industry billions in tax breaks while accepting thousands in campaign contributions from them. Gianforte also pushed for a sales tax in Montana because he thinks “the fairest tax is the one you pay and I don’t.” The ad campaign makes it clear – Greg Gianforte is never for Montanans and always out for himself.
GOP Governors Ignore White House Recommendations to Curb Spread of COVID-19
GOP governors are ignoring recommendations from the White House to curb the spread of COVID-19 – even as cases continue to rise across the country.
According to White House coronavirus task force reports, states in the “red zone” should have enacted mask orders, but 14 GOP governors ignored the White House’s guidelines and refused to prioritize the health and safety of their constituents. GOP governors in at least three of those states, Nebraska, Iowa, and Georgia, actively fought back against local mask mandates.
In Iowa, the state with the highest case rate this week, Gov. Kim Reynolds has no apparent plans to implement a mask mandate and is forcing schools to remain at least 50% open, against the recommendations of the CDC, local health officials, and school districts in the state. Reynolds is also recklessly permitting potential superspreader events. While the White House recommends areas in the “red zone” keep gatherings to a mere ten people, Reynolds is planning to allow Iowa State University to welcome an estimated 25,000 fans to its season opener football game.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson still won’t require masks in his state, and refuses to wear one himself, even in the presence of senior citizens. Another GOP holdout on masks, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, has ignored pleas from mayors of both parties. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is also ignoring a growing list of state legislators and local electeds who are calling on him to implement a mask mandate.
While GOP governors continue to ignore common sense, science, and now the White House, all states with Democratic governors have had mask mandates in place for at least a month. Experts predict widespread mask use could save tens of thousands of lives.
Under Gov. Jay Inslee’s Leadership, Washington State Ranked Best State For Working Families
Under Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee’s leadership, Washington state has been ranked the best state for working families during COVID-19 by Oxfam. Washington earned this ranking based on its unemployment benefits, worker protections and health care system during the pandemic.
Gov. Inslee’s paid family and medical leave program provides some of the most progressive benefits in the nation, which allow 12 weeks of paid medical leave to care for a serious health condition and up to 12 weeks of paid time off to care for an ailing family member. These benefits have been critical to families during COVID-19.
Gov. Inslee also recently created a program specifically for food production workers through The Food Production Paid Leave Program, which sets aside $3 million to pay food production workers who remain home when they are sick.
Washington also received high marks for protecting workers with mandatory face coverings and personal protective equipment, as well as a moratorium on evictions during the pandemic, relief from utility shutoffs, and a fund for undocumented workers.
Oxfam also ranked Washington the #1 state to work in 2018.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on MSNBC’s Meet the Press Daily with Chuck Todd, discussing the steps his state has taken to ensure a safe, secure election this November and his decision to allow indoor dining at a low capacity.
“Nothing like dumping some good old arsenic into our rivers. What could go wrong.”
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom on the Trump administration’s rollback of an Obama-era protection to keep toxic metals and pollutants out of rivers and streams.
“The reality is had this virus not escaped from — however it occurred — from the lab in China, I don’t know that we’d be having the kind of conversations that we’re having all day every day and that’s just the fact.”
Who said it? Send your answer to press@dga.net and we’ll reveal the answer in the next Weekender!
If you guessed South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem last week, you were right! When asked about the behavior of the terrorist who opened fire on protestors in Wisconsin, Noem said, “We’ve seen stories on both sides involving protesters and then against protesters as well,” echoing a claim that President Trump made three years ago about the violence that erupted in Charlottesville.