The Midwest might be a better place to look, at least on the Democratic side. Walz in MN has remained popular (54/41 last poll I could find) while delighting Democrats by using a rare DFL trifecta to enact a ton of party priorities. And Pritzker in IL has been getting a ‘this guy is gonna run in 2028’ article written about him about once a month. Beyond state policy achievements, he’s been donating and fundraising for other Dem candidates around the country, and he’s hosting the 2024 convention.
On the Democratic side there's a solid bench of governors who would seemingly make good presidential candidates (a list I emphatically do not include Newsom on). Off the top of my head: Gretchen Whitmer, Roy Cooper, Andy Beshear, Tim Walz, and J.B. Pritzker.
We now the establishment considers him evil (like Trump), but DeSantis is by far the most competent governor - Florida is prospering, he didn’t fall for the damaging Covid narrative and even filled in for the President bringing Americans safely home from Israel while the State Department dawdled.
J.B. Pritzker, Grechen Whitmer and Jared Polis are also mentioned in fantasy drafts to replace Biden. The New Yorker just had a longish write-up on Pritzker, "Billionaire Hotel Heir - and Progressive Hero?" They seem to be doing a pretty good job running their states - esp. Whitmer, from what I've seen. I'd be surprised if all three of them don't manage to find something to do in Iowa after the election.
I read a Tweet yesterday (no source listed in the tweet, so maybe a grain of salt is needed) that DeSantis has spent $50 million on trips to Israel, including the cost of TWO private jets...
and maybe Daniel might know something about this OTHER tweet I saw, where DeSantis pressured Trump to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem and even found the location?
My mother once told about obstetrician of her generation who had an uncanny ability to predict the sex of the babies he would deliver. He would tell the prospective parents that they were to have a boy while at the same time noting in his records that his patient was expecting a girl.*
In re Michigan, Whitmer's good, but the trifecta was massively helped by 1) voters who amended the state constitution in favor of a post-2020-census independent citizens' redistricting commission, and 2) the Party of Feral Boars nominating obvious crazies to the top of their ticket.
The dominance of primaries has changed politics. Governors used to be able to go to conventions as favorite sons with a bloc of firm support. No longer possible, particularly if the party rules mandate proportional representation at the convention instead of winner-take-all.
I say this with zero snark - you have a ‘right’ instead of a ‘write’ in the DeSantis section.
Isn’t what’s really happening is that there is no room for governors on either side to gain visibility or rise to prominence because of the unique circumstances of the 2024 election? (ie candidates essentially chosen 10 minutes after the 2020 election)
Your point is correct on the Dem side, but not the Republican side. Post-midterms, a popular GOP governor should have been able to have supplanted Trump. Why DeSantis didn't is a fascinating question.
Are you seeling Whitmer short? It is true that at the present time, she is getting acclaim for working in a Dem trifecta state, but she spent her whole first term navigating a state with a GOP legislature, and THEN helped leader her party to the first Dem trifecta in several decades.
If you expand the criteria to include former VPs and flag officers, the pattern goes back all the way to the 19th Century with, IIRC, Kennedy the only exception in the 20th Century. And even Trump based his campaign around the illusion that he had executive experience as a businessman.
The Midwest might be a better place to look, at least on the Democratic side. Walz in MN has remained popular (54/41 last poll I could find) while delighting Democrats by using a rare DFL trifecta to enact a ton of party priorities. And Pritzker in IL has been getting a ‘this guy is gonna run in 2028’ article written about him about once a month. Beyond state policy achievements, he’s been donating and fundraising for other Dem candidates around the country, and he’s hosting the 2024 convention.
Also, Wes Moore, Josh Shapiro, Andy Beshear...just to name a few.
Three cheers for my governor. Governor Andy is great for Kentucky.
1,000%...Beshear is a fantastic governor.
Both have exhibited excellent potential.
On the Democratic side there's a solid bench of governors who would seemingly make good presidential candidates (a list I emphatically do not include Newsom on). Off the top of my head: Gretchen Whitmer, Roy Cooper, Andy Beshear, Tim Walz, and J.B. Pritzker.
Try a reality check.
We now the establishment considers him evil (like Trump), but DeSantis is by far the most competent governor - Florida is prospering, he didn’t fall for the damaging Covid narrative and even filled in for the President bringing Americans safely home from Israel while the State Department dawdled.
Dear God I love your passion for DeSantis.
No passion - just an independent mind with the ability to observe and assess - not a narrative follower.
J.B. Pritzker, Grechen Whitmer and Jared Polis are also mentioned in fantasy drafts to replace Biden. The New Yorker just had a longish write-up on Pritzker, "Billionaire Hotel Heir - and Progressive Hero?" They seem to be doing a pretty good job running their states - esp. Whitmer, from what I've seen. I'd be surprised if all three of them don't manage to find something to do in Iowa after the election.
I read a Tweet yesterday (no source listed in the tweet, so maybe a grain of salt is needed) that DeSantis has spent $50 million on trips to Israel, including the cost of TWO private jets...
and maybe Daniel might know something about this OTHER tweet I saw, where DeSantis pressured Trump to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem and even found the location?
Twitter is so unreliable these days.
Youngkin, really?
This is why you always need to read the footnotes.
My mother once told about obstetrician of her generation who had an uncanny ability to predict the sex of the babies he would deliver. He would tell the prospective parents that they were to have a boy while at the same time noting in his records that his patient was expecting a girl.*
*Not really analogous
In re Michigan, Whitmer's good, but the trifecta was massively helped by 1) voters who amended the state constitution in favor of a post-2020-census independent citizens' redistricting commission, and 2) the Party of Feral Boars nominating obvious crazies to the top of their ticket.
The dominance of primaries has changed politics. Governors used to be able to go to conventions as favorite sons with a bloc of firm support. No longer possible, particularly if the party rules mandate proportional representation at the convention instead of winner-take-all.
What about Kasich?
We liberal Michiganders love Gretchen Whitmer-she gets things done!
I say this with zero snark - you have a ‘right’ instead of a ‘write’ in the DeSantis section.
Isn’t what’s really happening is that there is no room for governors on either side to gain visibility or rise to prominence because of the unique circumstances of the 2024 election? (ie candidates essentially chosen 10 minutes after the 2020 election)
Thanks for the correction -- oy that's a bad one!
Your point is correct on the Dem side, but not the Republican side. Post-midterms, a popular GOP governor should have been able to have supplanted Trump. Why DeSantis didn't is a fascinating question.
Are you seeling Whitmer short? It is true that at the present time, she is getting acclaim for working in a Dem trifecta state, but she spent her whole first term navigating a state with a GOP legislature, and THEN helped leader her party to the first Dem trifecta in several decades.
If you expand the criteria to include former VPs and flag officers, the pattern goes back all the way to the 19th Century with, IIRC, Kennedy the only exception in the 20th Century. And even Trump based his campaign around the illusion that he had executive experience as a businessman.