Democratic governors take on Trump – with an eye to 2028
“See you in court.”
Those words, spoken a year ago at the White House, captured the tension in the air as the nation’s governors met with newly reinstated President Donald Trump. At that time, Maine’s Democratic governor was rebuffing the president’s threat to withhold federal funds for child nutrition because of his state’s advocacy of transgender athletes.
Ultimately, the Trump administration and Maine settled in court and funding was restored. But the episode highlighted how the Democratic Party would wield power during the second Trump presidency: through its governors, not through the Republican-controlled Congress.
Why we wrote this
As U.S. governors gather in Washington this week, many Democrats among them will be in the spotlight as leading contenders for their party’s nomination in the 2028 presidential election. One reason: They have found ways to fight back against the Trump administration.
On Thursday, as the National Governors Association reconvenes in Washington for its annual winter meeting, prominent Democratic governors will once again be in the spotlight.
Maine Chief Executive Janet Mills is now running for U.S. Senate and finds herself engaged in a fierce primary battle against an upstart populist. The winner will face centrist Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November — a race that could determine control of the Senate.
But the biggest spotlight of this year’s NGA conference may be on the many Democratic governors who are, by all appearances, preparing to run for president in 2028. From California’s Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro to Illinois’ JB Pritzker, Kentucky’s Andy Beshear and Maryland’s Wes Moore, a slew of Democratic governors are considered top hopes for their party’s 2028 nomination, even though it’s still early.
One reason they are attracting attention is that they have found ways to successfully challenge Mr. Trump at the state level, sometimes in court. And they presented themselves to frustrated Democratic base voters as ready to fight.
The Trump administration’s decision to withdraw National Guard troops from Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, Oregon, came after months of resistance from governors, mayors and protesters in those cities. The withdrawal of immigration enforcement personnel in Minneapolis, following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents, also came after sustained resistance from Minnesota Democratic politicians, including Gov. Tim Walz. And in many states, notably California, Democratic governors have fought fire with fire to counter the Trump administration’s congressional redistricting efforts aimed at retaining the Republican Party’s slim majority in the House.
At the NGA’s winter meeting in Washington this week, the dynamic of Mr. Trump’s interactions with governors, between a breakfast on Friday and a dinner on Saturday, could fuel presidential nomination battles in both parties — including Republicans potentially seeking to succeed Mr. Trump, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Whether these White House meetings would even take place was in question until the last minute. Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, chairman of the NGA, initially said he would cancel the White House events because Democratic governors had not been invited.
Mr. Trump responded by calling the apparent snub a “misunderstanding” and claiming that Democrats were in fact invited — with the exception of Governor Moore of Maryland and Governor Jared Polis of Colorado. He also called Governor Stitt a “RINO,” a “Republican in name only.”
Mr. Trump publicly criticized Governor Polis over the case of Tina Peters, a former Colorado county clerk convicted in state court of violating the security of voting equipment while trying to find evidence that the 2020 election was stolen. (Mr. Trump can only pardon federal crimes.)
For potential 2028 presidential candidates, like Mr. Moore, fighting Mr. Trump could prove politically useful. The two men recently exchanged barbs on social media after Mr. Trump accused Maryland’s governor of being responsible for a massive sewage spill into the Potomac River, which runs along the border of Maryland and the District of Columbia. The sewer line that is broken is the responsibility of the DC Water utility and is not controlled by Maryland. Mr. Trump also criticized Mr. Moore for his handling of the 2024 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
In recent years, being governor has not been a stepping stone to the presidency. The last governor to win a first term as president was George W. Bush of Texas in 2000. The last Democratic governor to win a first term as president was Bill Clinton of Arkansas in 1992.
Governors “take care of the nuts and bolts of government,” which can make it difficult to break through in today’s chaotic media environment, says Larry Sabato, a veteran political analyst at the University of Virginia. “This doesn’t lend itself to large-scale slogans like ‘Make America Great Again.’” »
Still, the executive experience gained by governors can be an asset to those seeking the nation’s highest office.
California Governor Newsom often emphasizes that he leads the most populous US state, as well as the world’s fourth-largest economy. At the same time, he has demonstrated an almost Trumpian ability to attract attention, using social media to mock the president and troll other leading Republicans — including Vice President JD Vance, a potential rival in 2028.
Mr. Newsom also gained attention by hosting MAGA stalwarts on his podcast “This is Gavin Newsom,” including Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk, before the latter’s assassination last September.
Another box checked by several Democratic governors in the 2028 presidential sweepstakes is the release of memoirs. Mr. Shapiro’s book, “Where We Keep the Light,” made headlines for the Pennsylvania governor’s candid description of interviewing to be the running mate of 2024 Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
Mr. Newsom’s memoir, “Young Man in a Hurry,” will be published on February 24. Gov. Beshear, a rare Democrat elected in a red state, announced this week that he will release a book in September focused on his Christian faith called “Go and Do Likewise.” Mr. Moore, governor of Maryland, has published five books, including a memoir titled “The Other Wes Moore.”
So far, polls show former Vice President Harris leading the 2028 Democratic presidential primary, but, at this point, that largely reflects his name recognition. Mr. Newsom, another high-profile politician, usually comes in second. Other Democrats include former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
If Mr. Newsom officially enters the 2028 nomination race — a contest expected to begin in about a year — he will face questions about California’s ultraliberal policies and his own past political missteps, including an infamous dinner at the swanky French Laundry restaurant outside San Francisco at the height of the pandemic lockdown.
Yet Mr. Newsom deserves praise from many Democrats for following the Trump model on social media: being aggressive and relentless, by turns funny and mean.
“It takes a lot to get in the gutter with these guys, and he does,” Democratic strategist Jim Manley says of the two-term California governor. “He’s going to have to deal with a lot of baggage. But for now, you see him doing a really good job taking on Trump.”
