Western Governors Association

The Western Governors' Association (WGA) is a non-partisan organization of all 22 United States governors (representing 19 U.S. states and 3 U.S. territories) that are considered to be part of the Western region of the nation.

The WGA also invites Canadian premiers (the leader of the provincial parliamentary party) of Western Canada to its annual conference. ^[1]

Western Governors University, an autonomous private non-profit online university, was co-founded by Western governors from a plan that originated in WGA meetings in the 1990s.

Mission

The WGA addresses important policy and governance issues in the West, advances the role of the Western states in the federal system, and strengthens the social and economic fabric of the region.

WGA develops policy and carries out programs in the areas of natural resources, the environment, human services, economic development, international relations and state governance.

WGA acts as a center of innovation and promotes shared development of solutions to regional problems.

Strategies

The WGA takes up issues using six basic strategies:

• Develop and Communicate Regional Policy
  • The WGA enables governors to identify issues of regional concern, to formulate regional policy for those issues, and to take action that promotes Western interests.
• Serve as a Leadership Forum
  • The WGA provides a forum for governors and other leaders to exchange ideas, positions and experiences.
• Build Regional Capacity
  • Through the WGA, governors and their staffs exchange information and ideas about problem solving for a wide range of practical management concerns. The exchange helps governors manage their resources more efficiently, for example, when they procure services jointly and share development costs for new programs. The exchange also helps build rapport among governors, cabinet officers and gubernatorial staffs in the region.
• Conduct Research and Disseminate Findings
  • The WGA develops and maintains up-to-date information on a wide range of subjects important to Western policy-makers, business leaders and educators. WGA produces occasional white papers, reports and other analyses used in the development of policy on matters important to the West.
• Form Coalitions and Partnerships to Advance Regional Interests
  • Through the WGA, Western governors form coalitions to collectively express their positions on matters of shared interest, and together advocate a Western agenda before Congress and the executive branch of the federal government.
• Build Public Understanding and Support for Regional Issues and Policy Positions
  • Through its annual convention, meetings, media briefings, resolutions and background papers, the WGA provides timely information for the public.

List of current Western governors

The current chair of the WGA is Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico and the vice chair is Republican Spencer Cox of Utah. ^[2]

Current governor	State	Past	Party	Assumed office	Term ending
Mike Dunleavy	Alaska	List	Republican	2018	2026 (term-limited)
Pula Nikolao Pula	American Samoa	List	Republican	2025	2029
Katie Hobbs	Arizona	List	Democratic	2023	2027
Gavin Newsom	California	List	Democratic	2019	2027 (term-limited)
Jared Polis	Colorado	List	Democratic	2019	2027 (term-limited)
Lou Leon Guerrero	Guam	List	Democratic	2019	2027 (term-limited)
Josh Green	Hawaii	List	Democratic	2022	2026
Brad Little	Idaho	List	Republican	2019	2027
Laura Kelly	Kansas	List	Democratic	2019	2027 (term-limited)
Greg Gianforte	Montana	List	Republican	2021	2029 (term-limited)
Jim Pillen	Nebraska	List	Republican	2023	2027
Joe Lombardo	Nevada	List	Republican	2023	2027
Michelle Lujan Grisham	New Mexico	List	Democratic	2019	2027 (term-limited)
Arnold Palacios	Northern Mariana Islands	List	Republican	2023	2027
Kelly Armstrong	North Dakota	List	Republican	2024	2028
Kevin Stitt	Oklahoma	List	Republican	2019	2027 (term-limited)
Tina Kotek	Oregon	List	Democratic	2023	2027
Larry Rhoden	South Dakota	List	Republican	2025	2027
Greg Abbott	Texas	List	Republican	2015	2027
Spencer Cox	Utah	List	Republican	2021	2029
Bob Ferguson	Washington	List	Democratic	2025	2029
Mark Gordon	Wyoming	List	Republican	2019	2027 (term-limited)

The premiers of Canada's Western provinces are also typically invited to attend WGA meetings.

Current premier	Province	Past	Party	Assumed office
Danielle Smith	Alberta	List	United Conservative	2022
David Eby	British Columbia	List	New Democratic	2022
Wab Kinew	Manitoba	List	New Democratic	2023
Scott Moe	Saskatchewan	List	Saskatchewan Party	2018

References

1. ^[ dead link ‍]
2. "Our Governors". Western Governors Association. Retrieved 1 February 2025.

External links

• WGA Website
• West's governors plan climate strategy