Democratic Governors Association

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Democratic Governors Association
ChairMichelle Lujan Grisham (NM)
Vice ChairRoy Cooper (NC)
Founded1983; 38 years ago (1983)
Headquarters1225 Eye St NW Suite 1100,
Washington, D.C., 20005
AffiliatedDemocratic Party
State Governors
23 / 50
Territorial Governors
4 / 5
Website
www.democraticgovernors.org
  • Politics of United States
  • Political parties
  • Elections
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. Noam Lee is currently the executive director of the DGA, while Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico is the current chair.

History[]

Previously known as the Democratic Governors Conference within the Democratic National Committee, the DGA was founded by Virginia Governor Chuck Robb as an independent institution in 1983 with the help of Democratic National Committee Chairman 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 United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. 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 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 in all but 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.

DGA leadership[]

The leadership of the DGA consists of elected Democratic governors.

Office Officer State Since
Chair Michelle Lujan Grisham New Mexico 2020
Vice Chair Roy Cooper North Carolina 2020

List of current Democratic Governors[]

There are currently 23 Democratic governors:

Current Governor State Past Took office Seat Up
Gavin Newsom California California List 2019 2022
Jared Polis Colorado Colorado List 2019 2022
Ned Lamont Connecticut Connecticut List 2019 2022
John Carney Delaware Delaware List 2017 2024 (term limited)
David Ige Hawaii Hawaii List 2014 2022 (term limited)
J. B. Pritzker Illinois Illinois List 2019 2022
Laura Kelly Kansas Kansas List 2019 2022
Andy Beshear Kentucky Kentucky List 2019 2023
John Bel Edwards Louisiana Louisiana List 2016 2023 (term limited)
Janet Mills Maine Maine List 2019 2022
Gretchen Whitmer Michigan Michigan List 2019 2022
Tim Walz Minnesota Minnesota List 2019 2022
Steve Sisolak Nevada Nevada List 2019 2022
Phil Murphy New Jersey New Jersey List 2018 2021
Michelle Lujan Grisham New Mexico New Mexico List 2019 2022
Kathy Hochul New York (state) New York List 2021 (succeeded) 2022
Roy Cooper North Carolina North Carolina List 2017 2024 (term limited)
Kate Brown Oregon Oregon List 2015 2022 (term limited)
Tom Wolf Pennsylvania Pennsylvania List 2015 2022 (term limited)
Daniel McKee Rhode Island Rhode Island List 2021 (succeeded) 2022
Ralph Northam Virginia Virginia List 2018 2021 (term limited)
Jay Inslee Washington (state) Washington List 2013 2024
Tony Evers Wisconsin Wisconsin List 2019 2022

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

Current governor Territory Past Took office Seat Up
Lemanu Peleti Mauga American Samoa American Samoa List 2021 2024
Lou Leon Guerrero Guam Guam List 2019 2022
Pedro Pierluisi Puerto Rico Puerto Rico List 2021 2024
Albert Bryan United States Virgin Islands U.S. Virgin Islands List 2019 2022

List of DGA Chairs[]

Current and former DGA Chairs.

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

Executive Directors[]

Term Director
1983–1989
1990–1992 Mark Gearan
1993–1998
1999–2004
2005–2006
2007–2010 Nathan Daschle
2011–2014
2015–2018
2018–present

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:

  • Jimmy Carter of Georgia, 1977–1981
  • Bill Clinton of Arkansas, 1993–2001

Democratic governors appointed to the U.S. Cabinet:

  • Reubin Askew of Florida: Trade Representative, 1979–1980 (Carter)
  • Bruce Babbitt of Arizona: Secretary of the Interior, 1993–2001 (Clinton)
  • Richard Riley of South Carolina: Secretary of Education, 1993–2001 (Clinton)
  • Andrew Cuomo of New York (served prior to governorship): Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 1997–2001 (Clinton)
  • Bill Richardson of New Mexico (served prior to governorship): Ambassador to the United Nations, 1997–1998 (Clinton)
  • Bill Richardson of New Mexico (served prior to governorship): Secretary of Energy, 1998–2001 (Clinton)
  • Gary Locke of Washington: Secretary of Commerce, 2009–2011 (Obama)
  • Ray Mabus of Mississippi: Secretary of the Navy, 2009–2017 (Obama)
  • Janet Napolitano of Arizona: Secretary of Homeland Security, 2009–2013 (Obama)
  • Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas: Secretary of Health and Human Services, 2009–2014 (Obama)
  • Tom Vilsack of Iowa: Secretary of Agriculture, 2009–2017 (Obama), and 2021-Present (Biden)
  • Jennifer Granholm of Michigan: Secretary of Energy, 2021–Present (Biden)
  • Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island: Secretary of Commerce, 2021–Present (Biden)

Democratic governors appointed to Ambassadorships:

  • James Blanchard of Michigan: Ambassador to Canada, 1993–1996 (Clinton)
  • Ray Mabus of Mississippi: Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, 1994–1996 (Clinton)
  • Dick Celeste of Ohio: Ambassador to India, 1997–2001 (Clinton)
  • Mike Sullivan of Wyoming: Ambassador to Ireland, 1998–2001 (Clinton)
  • Gary Locke of Washington: Ambassador to China, 2011–2014 (Obama)
  • Phil Murphy of New Jersey (served prior to governorship): Ambassador to Germany, 2009–2013 (Obama)

Democratic governors elected as chair of the Democratic National Committee:

  • Roy Romer of Colorado, 1997–1999
  • Howard Dean of Vermont, 2005–2009
  • Tim Kaine of Virginia, 2009–2011

Democratic governors elected to the U.S. Senate:

  • Clyde R. Hoey of North Carolina, 1945-1954
  • J. Melville Broughton of North Carolina, 1948-1949
  • W. Kerr Scott of North Carolina, 1954-1958
  • Fritz Hollings of South Carolina, 1966–2005
  • Dale Bumpers of Arkansas, 1975–1999
  • Wendell Ford of Kentucky, 1974–1999
  • David Boren of Oklahoma, 1979–1994
  • J. James Exon of Nebraska, 1979–1997
  • David Pryor of Arkansas, 1979–1997
  • Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, 1985–2015
  • Terry Sanford of North Carolina, 1986-1993
  • Bob Graham of Florida, 1987–2005
  • Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, 1989–2001
  • Chuck Robb of Virginia, 1989–2001
  • Evan Bayh of Indiana, 1999–2011
  • Zell Miller of Georgia, 2000–2005
  • Tom Carper of Delaware, 2001–present
  • Mark Dayton of Minnesota (served prior to governorship), 2001–2007
  • Ben Nelson of Nebraska, 2001–2013
  • Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, 2009–present
  • Mark Warner of Virginia, 2009–present
  • Joe Manchin of West Virginia, 2010–present
  • Tim Kaine of Virginia, 2013–present
  • Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, 2017–present
  • John Hickenlooper of Colorado, 2021–present

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]

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", The Washington Post, October 22, 1993, accessed August 8, 2011.
  3. ^ O'Malley, Martin. "DGA Continues to Break Fundraising Records".[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Jake_Siewert?loadTab=0[dead link]
  5. ^ "Pelosi Names Senior Staff To Speaker's Office". The Washington Current. February 10, 2007. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  6. ^ "Cheryl Parker Rose - POLITICO Topics - POLITICO.com". Archived from the original on October 23, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  7. ^ "R&R Partners | Public Relations". Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  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.
  10. ^ "HWS: Office of the President". Hws.edu. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  11. ^ http://smpa.gwu.edu/faculty/people/27 Archived May 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine

External links[]

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