Democratic Governors Association

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.

Democratic Governors Association
ChairMichelle Lujan Grisham (NM)
Vice ChairRoy Cooper (NC)
Founded1983 (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
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.

Founding and early years

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 in a Democratic Governors Conference.

1990s

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.

Recent history

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:

Democratic Governors appointed to the U.S. Cabinet:

Democratic Governors appointed to Ambassadorships:

Democratic Governors elected as Chair of the Democratic National Committee:

Democratic Governors elected to the U.S. Senate:

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 List 2019 2022
Jared Polis Colorado List 2019 2022
Ned Lamont Connecticut List 2019 2022
John Carney Delaware List 2017 2024 (term limited)
David Ige Hawaii List 2014 2022 (term limited)
J. B. Pritzker Illinois List 2019 2022
Laura Kelly Kansas List 2019 2022
Andy Beshear Kentucky List 2019 2023
John Bel Edwards Louisiana List 2016 2023 (term limited)
Janet Mills Maine List 2019 2022
Gretchen Whitmer Michigan List 2019 2022
Tim Walz Minnesota List 2019 2022
Steve Sisolak Nevada List 2019 2022
Phil Murphy New Jersey List 2018 2021
Michelle Lujan Grisham New Mexico List 2019 2022
Andrew Cuomo New York List 2011 2022
Roy Cooper North Carolina List 2017 2024 (term limited)
Kate Brown Oregon List 2015 2022 (term limited)
Tom Wolf Pennsylvania List 2015 2022 (term limited)
Gina Raimondo Rhode Island List 2015 2022 (term limited)
Ralph Northam Virginia List 2018 2021 (term limited)
Jay Inslee Washington List 2013 2024
Tony Evers 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 List 2021 2024
Lou Leon Guerrero Guam List 2019 2022
Pedro Pierluisi Puerto Rico List 2021 2024
Albert Bryan 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
1966–1967 Harold Hughes Iowa
1968 Robert Evander McNair South Carolina
1969 John N. Dempsey Connecticut
1970 Robert W. Scott North Carolina
1971 Marvin Mandel Maryland
1972 Dale Bumpers Arkansas
1973 Wendell Ford Kentucky
1974 Wendell Anderson Minnesota
1975 Philip W. Noel Rhode Island
1976 Reubin Askew Florida
1977 Patrick Lucey Wisconsin
Unknown Unknown
1978 Jim Hunt North Carolina
1979 Ella Grasso Connecticut
1980 Brendan Byrne New Jersey
1981 Jerry Brown California
1982 John Y. Brown Jr. Kentucky
1983 Scott M. Matheson Utah
1984 Chuck Robb Virginia
1985 Bruce Babbitt Arizona
1986 Richard Riley South Carolina
1987 Michael Dukakis Massachusetts
1988 Bill Clinton Arkansas
1989 James Blanchard Michigan
1990 Dick Celeste Ohio
1991 Roy Romer Colorado
1992 John D. Waihee III Hawaii
1993 David Walters Oklahoma
1994 Evan Bayh Indiana
1995 Mel Carnahan Missouri
1996 Gaston Caperton West Virginia
1997 Howard Dean Vermont
1998 Pedro Rosselló Puerto Rico
1999 Frank O'Bannon Indiana
2000 Paul E. Patton Kentucky
2001 Gray Davis California
2002 Parris Glendening Maryland
2003 Gary Locke Washington
2004 Tom Vilsack Iowa
2005–2006 Bill Richardson New Mexico
2007 Kathleen Sebelius Kansas
2008 Brian Schweitzer Montana
2009 Christine Gregoire Washington
2010 Jack Markell Delaware
2011–2012 Martin O'Malley Maryland
2013–2014 Peter Shumlin Vermont
2015 Steve Bullock Montana
2016–2017 Dannel Malloy Connecticut
2018 Jay Inslee Washington
2019 Gina Raimondo Rhode Island
2020 Phil Murphy New Jersey
2021 Michelle Lujan Grisham New Mexico

Executive Directors

Term Director
1983–1989 Chuck Dolan
1990–1992 Mark Gearan
1993–1998 Katie Whelan
1999–2004 BJ Thornberry
2005–2006 Penny Lee
2007–2010 Nathan Daschle
2011–2014 Colm O'Comartun
2015–2018 Elisabeth Pearson
2018–present Noam Lee

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: 1–28. doi:10.1017/S0898588X20000188. ISSN 0898-588X.
  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".
  4. http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Jake_Siewert?loadTab=0%5B%5D
  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
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