Democratic Governors Association

Last updated
Democratic Governors Association
Chair Tim Walz (MN)
Vice Chair Laura Kelly (KS)
Founded1965 (Democratic Governors Conference)
1983 (Democratic Governors Association)
Headquarters1225 Eye St NW
Ste 1100
Washington, D.C., 20005
Affiliated Democratic Party
State governors
23 / 50
Territorial governors
4 / 5
Federal district mayorship
1 / 1
Website
www.democraticgovernors.org
United States President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden meet with the Democratic Governors Association in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on 22 February 2013. Barack Obama and Joe Biden meet Democratic Governors Association.jpg
United States President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden meet with the Democratic Governors Association in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on 22 February 2013.

The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) is a Washington, D.C.-based 527 organization founded in 1983, consisting of U.S. state and territorial governors affiliated with the Democratic Party. [1] The mission of the organization is to provide party support to the election and re-election of Democratic gubernatorial candidates. The DGA's Republican counterpart is the Republican Governors Association. The DGA is not directly affiliated with the non-partisan National Governors Association. Meghan Meehan-Draper is currently the DGA's executive director, while Tim Walz is the current chair.

Contents

History

Previously known as the Democratic Governors Conference within the Democratic National Committee, DGA became an independent institution in 1983 under the leadership of then-Virginia Governor Chuck Robb with the help of then-Democratic National Committee Chair Charles Manatt. The purpose of the committee was to raise funds to elect Democrats to governorships and to improve the partnership between Democratic governors and the Democratic leadership of the U.S. Congress. Prior to its current formation in mid-1983, they met as the Democratic Governors Conference.

The DGA played a pivotal role in the election of Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton to the presidency in 1992. Under the leadership of DGA Chair and Hawaii Governor John Waiheʻe, the DGA helped organize Clinton's "winning the West" campaign tour through Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and California. Republicans had handily won all of those states except Washington and Oregon the previous three elections. According to The Washington Post, [2] it was "all but unthinkable to Republicans that the GOP could lose such stalwart pieces of the party's electoral base as Wyoming and Nevada." Clinton lost Wyoming but carried Nevada, Colorado, Montana, Washington, Oregon, and California.

Following the 2023 gubernatorial elections, the Democrats lost one seat in Louisiana held by John Bel Edwards who left office due to term limits in January 2024, and was replaced by Republican Jeff Landry.

Leadership

DGA's leadership consists of two elected Democratic governors.

OfficeOfficerStateSince
Chair Tim Walz Minnesota 2023
Vice Chair Laura Kelly Kansas 2023

List of current Democratic governors

There are currently 23 Democratic governors.

Current governor State PastTook officeSeat up
Katie Hobbs Flag of Arizona.svg Arizona List 2023 2026
Gavin Newsom Flag of California.svg California List 2019 2026 (term limited)
Jared Polis Flag of Colorado.svg Colorado List 2019 2026 (term limited)
Ned Lamont Flag of Connecticut.svg Connecticut List 2019 2026
John Carney Flag of Delaware.svg Delaware List 2017 2024 (term limited)
Josh Green Flag of Hawaii.svg Hawaii List 2022 2026
J. B. Pritzker Flag of Illinois.svg Illinois List 2019 2026
Laura Kelly Flag of Kansas.svg Kansas List 2019 2026 (term limited)
Andy Beshear Flag of Kentucky.svg Kentucky List 2019 2027 (term limited)
Janet Mills Flag of Maine.svg Maine List 2019 2026 (term limited)
Wes Moore Flag of Maryland.svg Maryland List 2023 2026
Maura Healey Flag of Massachusetts.svg Massachusetts List 2023 2026
Gretchen Whitmer Flag of Michigan.svg Michigan List 2019 2026 (term limited)
Tim Walz Flag of Minnesota.svg Minnesota List 2019 2026
Phil Murphy Flag of New Jersey.svg New Jersey List 2018 2025 (term limited)
Michelle Lujan Grisham Flag of New Mexico.svg New Mexico List 2019 2026 (term limited)
Kathy Hochul Flag of New York.svg New York List 2021 (succeeded) 2026
Roy Cooper Flag of North Carolina.svg North Carolina List 2017 2024 (term limited)
Tina Kotek Flag of Oregon.svg Oregon List 2023 2026
Josh Shapiro Flag of Pennsylvania.svg Pennsylvania List 2023 2026
Dan McKee Flag of Rhode Island.svg Rhode Island List 2021 (succeeded) 2026
Jay Inslee Flag of Washington.svg Washington List 2013 2024 (retiring)
Tony Evers Flag of Wisconsin.svg Wisconsin List 2019 2026

In addition to governors of U.S. states, the DGA also offers membership to Democratic governors of U.S. territories.

Current governor Territory PastTook officeSeat up
Lemanu Peleti Mauga Flag of American Samoa.svg American Samoa List 2021 2024
Lou Leon Guerrero Flag of Guam.svg Guam List 2019 2026 (term limited)
Pedro Pierluisi Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Puerto Rico List 2021 2024
Albert Bryan Flag of the United States Virgin Islands.svg U.S. Virgin Islands List 2019 2026 (term limited)

In addition, the DGA offers membership to the mayor of the District of Columbia.

Current mayorFederal districtPastTook officeSeat up
Muriel Bowser Flag of Washington, D.C.svg District of Columbia List 2014 2026

List of DGA chairs

Election
cycle(s)
ChairState
1965 John Connally Flag of Texas.svg Texas
1966–1967 Harold Hughes Flag of Iowa.svg Iowa
1968 Robert Evander McNair Flag of South Carolina.svg South Carolina
1969 John N. Dempsey Flag of Connecticut.svg Connecticut
1970 Robert W. Scott Flag of North Carolina.svg North Carolina
1971 Marvin Mandel Flag of Maryland.svg Maryland
1972 Dale Bumpers Flag of Arkansas (1924-2011).svg Arkansas
1973 Wendell Ford Flag of Kentucky.svg Kentucky
1974 Wendell Anderson Flag of Minnesota (1957-1983).svg Minnesota
1975 Philip W. Noel Flag of Rhode Island.svg Rhode Island
1976 Reubin Askew Flag of Florida (1900-1985).svg Florida
1977 Patrick Lucey Flag of Wisconsin (1913-1981).svg Wisconsin
UnknownUnknown
1978 Jim Hunt Flag of North Carolina (1885-1991).svg North Carolina
1979 Ella Grasso Flag of Connecticut.svg Connecticut
1980 Brendan Byrne Flag of New Jersey.svg New Jersey
1981 Jerry Brown Flag of California.svg California
1982 John Y. Brown Jr. Flag of Kentucky.svg Kentucky
1983 Scott M. Matheson Flag of Utah (1913-1922).png Utah
1984 Chuck Robb Flag of Virginia.svg Virginia
1985 Bruce Babbitt Flag of Arizona.svg Arizona
1986 Richard Riley Flag of South Carolina.svg South Carolina
1987 Michael Dukakis Flag of Massachusetts.svg Massachusetts
1988 Bill Clinton Flag of Arkansas (1924-2011).svg Arkansas
1989 James Blanchard Flag of Michigan.svg Michigan
1990 Dick Celeste Flag of Ohio.svg Ohio
1991 Roy Romer Flag of Colorado.svg Colorado
1992 John D. Waihee III Flag of Hawaii.svg Hawaii
1993 David Walters Flag of Oklahoma (1988-2006).svg Oklahoma
1994 Evan Bayh Flag of Indiana.svg Indiana
1995 Mel Carnahan Flag of Missouri.svg Missouri
1996 Gaston Caperton Flag of West Virginia.svg West Virginia
1997 Howard Dean Flag of Vermont.svg Vermont
1998 Pedro Rosselló Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Puerto Rico
1999 Frank O'Bannon Flag of Indiana.svg Indiana
2000 Paul E. Patton Flag of Kentucky.svg Kentucky
2001 Gray Davis Flag of California.svg California
2002 Parris Glendening Flag of Maryland.svg Maryland
2003 Gary Locke Flag of Washington.svg Washington
2004 Tom Vilsack Flag of Iowa.svg Iowa
2005–2006 Bill Richardson Flag of New Mexico.svg New Mexico
2007 Kathleen Sebelius Flag of Kansas.svg Kansas
2008 Brian Schweitzer Flag of Montana.svg Montana
2009 Christine Gregoire Flag of Washington.svg Washington
2010 Jack Markell Flag of Delaware.svg Delaware
2011–2012 Martin O'Malley Flag of Maryland.svg Maryland
2013–2014 Peter Shumlin Flag of Vermont.svg Vermont
2015 Steve Bullock Flag of Montana.svg Montana
2016–2017 Dannel Malloy Flag of Connecticut.svg Connecticut
2018 Jay Inslee Flag of Washington.svg Washington
2019 Gina Raimondo Flag of Rhode Island.svg Rhode Island
2020 Phil Murphy Flag of New Jersey.svg New Jersey
2021 Michelle Lujan Grisham Flag of New Mexico.svg New Mexico
2022 Roy Cooper Flag of North Carolina.svg North Carolina
2023 Phil Murphy Flag of New Jersey.svg New Jersey
2024 Tim Walz Flag of Minnesota.svg Minnesota

Executive directors

TermDirector
1983–1989 Chuck Dolan
1990–1992 Mark Gearan
1993–1998 Katie Whelan
1999–2004 BJ Thornberry
2005–2006 Penny Lee
2007–2010 Nathan Daschle
2011–2014 Colm O'Comartun
2015–2018 Elisabeth Pearson
2018–present Noam Lee

Other offices

Democratic governors have served in various other government positions after their tenure. The following list includes recent positions from the DGA's formalization in 1983.

Democratic governors elected as President:

Democratic governors appointed to the U.S. Cabinet:

Democratic governors appointed to ambassadorships:

Democratic governors elected as chair of the Democratic National Committee:

Democratic governors elected to the U.S. Senate:

Fundraising

The DGA reported raising over $20 million in 2011, almost doubling what it raised during the comparable 2007 election cycle. "Because of our strong efforts in 2011, we will have the resources to aid Democratic candidates in targeted states and continue to fight for our core priorities: Jobs. Opportunity. Now.," DGA Chair Martin O'Malley said. Executive Director Colm O'Comartun added, "There is no doubt that we will face a challenging electoral environment in 2012, but our victories in 2011 showed that we know how to wisely and strategically deploy our resources. We are delighted with the continued support of everyone who believes in our mission of creating jobs and expanding opportunity now." [3]

Notable staff alumni

Several former DGA staff members have gone on to hold prominent positions in the government and in the private and non-profit sectors.

Former communications director Jake Siewert served as press secretary for President Bill Clinton for four months from 2000 to 2001. From 2001 to 2009, he worked for Alcoa Inc. In 2009, he became an advisor to then-Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. [4]

Former policy director Sheryl Rose Parker was director of intergovernmental affairs for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She is currently deputy director of government affairs for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. [5] [6]

Former policy communications director Doug Richardson served as director of public affairs at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy in the Obama administration. He is currently public relations director for R&R Partners. [7]

Former executive director Katie Whelan served as a senior advisor to Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. She was an Institute of Politics Fellow at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. She is currently senior public policy advisor for Patton Boggs LLP. [8]

Former executive director Nathan Daschle is the founder and CEO of Ruckus, Inc., an online political engagement platform. He is the son of former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle. In October 2010, Daschle was recognized as one of Time magazine's "40 under 40" rising stars in politics. [9]

Former executive director Mark Gearan was director of communications during the Clinton administration and served as director of the Peace Corps. He served as president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York from 1999 to 2017. [10]

Founding executive director Chuck Dolan is a senior vice president at kglobal and was appointed by President Clinton as vice-chair of the Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. He is a lecturer at the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs. [11]

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References

  1. Sparacino, Anthony (2021). "The Democratic and Republican Governors Associations and the Nationalization of American Party Politics, 1961–1968". Studies in American Political Development. 35: 76–103. doi:10.1017/S0898588X20000188. ISSN   0898-588X. S2CID   233359969.
  2. Devroy, Ann, "Clinton Takes His Case to GOP's Western Stronghold" [ permanent dead link ], The Washington Post, October 22, 1993, accessed August 8, 2011.
  3. O'Malley, Martin. "DGA Continues to Break Fundraising Records".[ permanent dead link ]
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  8. "Patton Boggs | Professionals | Katie Whelan". Archived from the original on April 10, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  9. "Nathan Daschle". The Public Squared. Archived from the original on 2011-06-22. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
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  11. "Charles H. Dolan, Part-time Faculty - School of Media and Public Affairs - the George Washington University". smpa.gwu.edu. Archived from the original on May 12, 2011.