“The slow return to normalcy after the pandemic is a major factor in the satisfaction of many of the Democratic incumbents,” said Jesse Hunt, communications director for the Republican Governors Association.
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who is on the ballot this year and is considered a potential 2024 presidential nominee, welcomed the Democratic governors’ meeting in his state with the sale of “Lockdown Libs Tour” T-shirts.
“Lockdown Democrats Can’t Get Enough of Florida’s Freedom!” read a fundraiser email.
Democratic candidates for governor from Florida, Iowa, South Carolina, Arizona, Arkansas, Ohio and Pennsylvania all attended the retreat† just like the governors of Maine, New York, Kentucky and Rhode Island† Stacey Abrams, who is making her second bid for Georgia’s governor, also came and spoke at the nearby home of a donor who was hosting a reception, according to those in attendance.
There are 20 states with incumbent Republican governors this fall, and Democrats from those places said they hope public anger against those responsible on both sides can cut.
Despite the national climate, the map presents Democrats with two strong opportunities, in Maryland and Massachusetts, where popular anti-Trump Republican governors are no longer on the ballot in heavily Democrat states.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan could not be re-elected under term limits and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker chose not to seek another term because pro-Trump forces threatened a primary.
Republican infighting is also creating instability for the party in Georgia, where Governor Brian Kemp faces a fierce primary challenge from David Perdue, a former Senator, and in Arizona, where Mr. Trump has argued with outgoing administration Doug Ducey.