It’s the GOP’s world in Washington. Democratic governors are getting ready | Global News Avenue

Beverly Hills, California — Democrats on the verge of losing power as Republicans take control of Washington all three branches In January’s election of government, state capitals run by Democratic governors are seen as the clearest path to resisting a second term for President-elect Donald Trump.

As 16 governors and three governors-elect gathered in Los Angeles last weekend for their annual conference, they welcomed areas where compromise could be found through: trump card The White House, but they are already planning which battles to choose and are considering how to proceed.

Many of the governors attending were elected during the 2018 blue wave and have experience working with the Trump administration, particularly during Coronavirus disease Pandemic.

“We can find a way,” said Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, one of those governors and chairwoman of the Democratic Governors Association. “We did take a proactive approach and this time, I think we’ll end up doing the same thing because realistically, we don’t know what’s going to happen. So, we’ll evaluate things as they happen.”

Politically, Democratic governors are also poised to fill a leadership vacuum within their party in the coming years. Some potential 2028 presidential candidates have already taken action.

In early December, California Governor Gavin Newsom launched a special session to “defend California values” and fund legal defense against potential federal action on abortion, climate and immigration. A week after the election, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker teamed up with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to form Governors Preserving Democracy, a think tank that aims to create a “toolbox” of policies and responses to a Trump presidency. “.

“Anything that happens in Washington right now, states are going to be the front line of defense,” said Corey Platt, a Democratic strategist who served as the DGA’s political director from 2013 to 2018. “There’s always anger against Washington, however. , states have to make things work every day. “

There is no “perfect answer” to losses in 2024

The governors still have memories of the party’s widespread defeat in the 2024 elections. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein’s victory in the gubernatorial race became an electoral highlight for Democrats in the swing state, where Vice President Kamala Harris lost by 3 percentage points.

He said he doesn’t have a “perfect answer” as to why he won (although his Scandal ridden Republican opponents helped him gain the advantage) and Harris lost. Stein blamed the “difficult national environment” but noted that his state often splits votes: North Carolina has voted for a Republican for president and a Democratic gubernatorial election in seven of the past nine presidential elections.

“People are definitely anxious financially because they’re seeing and feeling the price increases,” he said. “Typically, when you’re unhappy, you blame the party that controls the White House. Even if it’s not their fault nationally.”

New Jersey and Virginia are potential Democratic flips, with gubernatorial elections in 2025. The landscape in 2026 is vast, with 36 states electing governors. Several of those states, such as Georgia, Nevada and New Hampshire, are likely to be targeted by the party. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear will take over as DGA Chairman in 2026.

“We’re going to support as many people as we can who are running on areas of common sense and common ground that people care about most, and that will create enough of a mass base for people to say that the Democratic Party is for working people,” Beshear said. A rare Democratic governor to win in a Republican state.

Platt, the former DGA political director, agreed that the 2026 gubernatorial race could help find “good alternatives who are empathetic, who have Democratic policies and Democratic ideas that people can understand.” He added that while a large number of governors would be “in the conversation” as the party realigns, it’s not just them.

“We need leaders who can talk to real people,” he said. “This didn’t happen because of the polls. This didn’t happen because of tactics. It’s real and I’m excited to see how it happened.”

Courtney Alexander, communications director for the Republican Governors Association, pushed back against potential attempts by Democratic governors to confront the incoming Trump administration.

“Just a month ago, Americans resolutely rejected the Democratic agenda, but Democrats still believe that opposing an agenda of lower costs, safer and more freedom is their winning message, showing they are completely out of touch with the Democratic agenda . this country,” Alexander told CBS News.

Trump’s mass deportation plan

Some governors are laying the groundwork to push back on Trump’s plan mass deportations Undocumented immigrants.

Trump said in an interview with NBC News:Meet the media“Deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions is a priority in its mass deportation program, but other non-violent undocumented immigrants may also be deported.

“I think you have to do it, and it’s hard – it’s a very hard thing. But you have to have, you know, you have rules and regulations and laws. They’re coming in illegally,” Trump said.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said that while she is willing to accept federal aid to help find and deport convicted undocumented immigrants, she would have “zero approach” to cooperating with a broader mass deportation plan. .

She pointed to her control over the state police force, said she would not grant warrants for physical detention, and said providing private information about undocumented residents to the federal government would endanger transgender residents or women from states that ban abortion.

“I have no doubt he’s going to do whatever it takes,” Lujan Grisham said of Trump and his mass deportation plans. “He’s going to have trouble executing this. But I’m also not going to be Pollyanna about how serious he is… I take him at his word and that’s why I know what I have to do and what I’m going to do. Let’s Let’s see if my strategy works the way I think it does across the country.”

Kelly said she would not allow the Kansas National Guard to “provide such services” and said it was not the job of the Kansas State Police either.

“There’s no question that if they force us to do something that we think is wrong or illegal, we’ll draw the line,” Kelly said.

Stein, who will take office as North Carolina governor in January, said mass deportations of all undocumented immigrants in the state “would pose real economic challenges,” but he expressed doubts about the likelihood of mass deportations being implemented.

“(Trump) is a master of saying something and making a lot of noise, and then the reality may be different. I’m going to wait and see what he ultimately comes up with,” Stein said.