Popular Governors Rise Above Party

Froma Harrop
Mon, 23 Feb 2026 10:51:54 -0800
Opinion

Another exercise in nonpartisan cooperation ended sadly, as Donald Trump undoubtedly planned. Every year, the nation's governors meet with the president to discuss common concerns. Trump had initially banned two Democratic members of the National Governors Association from attending — governors Jared Polis of Colorado and Wes Moore of Maryland.

The association's chair, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, objected to Trump's banishing of two members. The governors' gathering is one of the few cross-party events still held at the national level.

"He can invite whomever he wants," press secretary Karoline Leavitt snapped like a high-school mean girl.
Updated: Tue Feb 24, 2026

Another exercise in nonpartisan cooperation ended sadly, as Donald Trump undoubtedly planned. Every year, the nation's governors meet with the president to discuss common concerns. Trump had initially banned two Democratic members of the National Governors Association from attending — governors Jared Polis of Colorado and Wes Moore of Maryland.

The association's chair, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, objected to Trump's banishing of two members. The governors' gathering is one of the few cross-party events still held at the national level.

"He can invite whomever he wants," press secretary Karoline Leavitt snapped like a high-school mean girl.

And Stitt responded by canceling the meeting. As he explained to Trump, "I said, 'Sir, I can't cancel an event at the White House. The only thing I said was, 'If it's not for all 50 governors, then the NGA is not the right facilitator for it.'"

Once Trump succeeded in injecting his unique brand of nastiness into what's normally a friendly bipartisan affair, he backpedaled and said, OK, Polis and Moore can attend. Mission accomplished. He had wrung maximum attention from a venue that normally escapes extensive news coverage. But by keeping the governor's confab from collapsing, he still had a full set of politicians to toy with.

About our governors. As the highest elected state officials, they manage, budget and lead in emergencies. They set educational standards and oversee road projects. In other words, they do things that matter to everyday citizens.

And facing a statewide electorate, they must appeal to a broader voter base than representatives cosseted in their gerrymandered districts. Because their job revolves around pragmatic problem-solving, governors occupy one of the political offices for which voters will cross their party lines. In addition, their party affiliation doesn't greatly change the power balance in Washington.

The job's above-the-fray nature helps explain why deep-blue Vermont has a Republican governor — and conservative Kentucky and Kansas have Democratic ones. On the Tennessee governor's official website, Bill Lee offers an extensive biography covering his deep Tennessean roots and accomplishments in office. Nowhere is there mention of political party. (Lee is a Republican).

With congressional Republicans staring down a rough ride through the midterms, some political analysts have expressed surprise at polls showing momentum in governors' races leaning more toward Republicans than Democrats. Some wrongly hold up these Republican-friendly surveys as evidence that the party isn't in as much trouble as was widely thought.

But the real reason was already outlined above. Washington Republicans have largely submitted to Trump's grifting schemes and erratic policies — the tariff chaos being most unpopular. That makes them a different animal from Republicans in state capitals, in Montpelier, Vermont, or Columbus. Ohio.

Speaking of Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine did himself proud by denouncing Trump's demented claim, echoed by the spineless JD Vance during the 2024 campaign, that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are eating cats and dogs. DeWine responded: "These Haitians came in here to work because there were jobs ... And if you talk to employers, they've done a very, very good job and they work very, very hard."

Trump isn't helping Republican governors seeking reelection by dragging them into his house of crazy mirrors — notwithstanding their survival in the recent past. In 2022, DeWine won again after angering Trump by saying Joe Biden was the elected president. Trump repeatedly attacked Georgia's governor, Republican Brian Kemp, for defending his state's election results favoring Biden. And New Hampshire governor, Republican Chris Sununu, prevailed after Trump accused him of disloyalty.

Democrats are pumped for the midterms and might just supply the boost that brings defeat to otherwise popular Republicans — popular precisely because they rise above party when doing so seems right.

Follow Froma Harrop on X @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com. To find out more about Froma Harrop and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com.