'Something your opponents can’t take away': Dem governors from red states tell Biden how to win

27 June 2024

In late June, the Democratic Governors Association held a meeting in Minneapolis. The governors who attended came from a variety of states — some deep blue, some purple swing states, and some red.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly were among the examples of centrist Democratic governors serving in states that are heavily Republican.

Bloomberg's Patricia Lopez, in an opinion column published on June 27, lays out some of the things that President Joe Biden can learn from governors in those states.

Describing her conversations at the Minneapolis event, Lopez explains, "Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told me, 'It has to be not left, not right, but forward'…. Biden, he said, 'is at his best when he is at an event where his policies have created jobs, built a facility — something very tangible. When you stand in front of something that your policies made possible, that's something your opponents can't take away from you.'"

Lopez also describes her conversation with Kelly, noting that her "affable demeanor and quiet smile give cover for an extraordinarily tough negotiator."

"She vetoed three tax bills passed by the GOP-led legislature before calling a special session, where she signed a $2 billion compromise version," Lopez notes. "Everybody, she noted with some satisfaction, was a little frustrated. 'That's what a bipartisan bill looks like,' she said. Kelly defeated MAGA acolyte and former Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt by sticking with her 'middle of the road' issues and selling her economic accomplishments hard — like snagging a $4 billion Panasonic battery plant and thousands of jobs for her state, and bringing broadband to rural areas. 'And we made sure we broadcast it,' she said."

Lopez adds, "Biden steered the country to the strongest economic recovery in the world coming out of the pandemic, but hanging a tag like Bidenomics on it and tut-tutting voters for dwelling on inflation won't cut it."

Patricia Lopez's full Bloomberg column is available at this link (subscription required).

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