Nationally, among the most consequential elections this Fall are a number of Governor’s races. Some of these races are important because gerrymandering has produced solidly Republican (and sometimes extremist) state legislatures, for whom Democratic governors serve as one of the few effective checks. Others are important because the GOP nominee for Governor is an election-denying extremist who cannot be trusted to fairly oversee the state’s elections in 2024 in beyond. (In some states, it’s the Secretary of State who directly oversees elections, and we’ll highlight some of those races next week, but Governors often play a role as well, particularly with the certification of electoral college votes.)
So we list here a number of gubernatorial candidates whom we think worthy of support. At this time, we recommend a) financial support; and b) reaching out to friends & family in those states and asking how you can help them get involved. As phone-banking opportunities (or other ways to pitch in from a distance) arise, we’ll share those as well.
- In Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro is running against an extremist, election-denying ideologue.
- In Arizona, Katie Hobbs is likewise running against an extremist, election-denying ideologue.
- In Georgia, Stacey Abrams is locked in a very tight rematch with incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp, who 4 years ago abused his powers as Secretary of State to suppress many Democratic votes in the election that made him Governor.
- In Texas, Beto O’Rourke is running to unseat Gov. Greg Abbott. Beto has fallen short in some previous races (for Senate and President), but Abbott has made so many missteps (following the Uvalde shooting, with Texas’s energy grid, and more) that this race is winnable.
- In Florida, Charlie Christ is running to unseat Ron DeSantis, who is a leading contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. DeSantis has been leading this race throughout, but some early signs indicate that his recent Martha’s Vineyard stunt (spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to dupe immigrant asylum seekers into boarding a plane, then relocating them with no advance notice to local officials) may be backfiring (in addition to being horrifying and unjust).
- In Wisconsin, Democratic Governor Tony Evers is one of the best examples of an incumbent Governor who serves as one of the few checks on a gerrymandered GOP legislature. He is trying to hold off a challenge from a Trump-endorsed, anti-abortion extremist.
- In Michigan, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer is another great example of an incumbent currently in position to check a gerrymandered legislature. Michigan voters will also be voting on a ballot initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, and there are also several contested House races in Michigan. Turning out liberal and progressive voters for any of these should help up and down the ballot. So support for the ballot campaign is another good way to pitch in.
While the Democrats do not always live up to our hopes, it is vital that Democrats keep the House and Senate. Over the next few months, Indivisible Onondaga County will highlight ways you can contribute to this effort, as well as to critical NYS races. CNY Solidarity Coalition does not endorse specific candidates.
Easiest way to support change at the national level? Donate to indivisible’s Give No Ground campaign to support selected House and Senate candidates: www.givenoground.org
What else can you do? Donate or volunteer in the races we will be highlighting. Forward this newsletter to friends who might be interested. Suggest they visit our website and sign up for this newsletter.