Governors of both parties are increasingly in the spotlight in their response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Charlie Baker, the Republican governor of Massachusetts who runs for re-election in 2022, became the last state leader to face criticism in recent months. He joins Andrew Cuomo
Andrew CuomoSirota: It is up to the Democrats to hold Cuomo responsible for the Republican Party’s signs that the choice of Biden AG will be under pressure on Cuomo Ocasio-Cortez’s requests for a thorough investigation of Cuomo’s coronavirus treatment in nursing homes (D) from New York and Gavin Newsom
Gavin NewsomCalifornia to reserve 10 percent of vaccines for educators California lawmakers reach .5B agreement on reopening schools State lawmakers propose bill to ban fracking in California by 2027 MORE (D) California as one of the high profile governors to see its reputation suffer a noticeable impact in the midst of the public health crisis, representing a potential challenge for its future political ambitions.
The recent turn of events stands in stark contrast to the early months of the pandemic, when many governors – Cuomo in particular – gained positive media exposure for their responses to COVID-19. Most governors, in fact, had higher approval ratings than previous ones President Trump
Donald TrumpUN report says Erik Prince violated arms embargo against Libya: Lee report after Romney impeachment vote: There is enough space in the Republican Party ‘for both of us’ Nunes lawsuit against CNN is rejected MORE at the beginning of the crisis.
“Some people are looking for visible demonstrations of a governor’s strong leadership. During a crisis, this is often what they want, ”said Aubrey Jewett, an associate professor of political science at the University of Central Florida. “That’s how we explain Cuomo’s extraordinarily high ratings when everything was really, objectively, horrible.”
Now, the growing political reaction in states like Massachusetts, California and New York is offering new ammunition to opponents of governors.
Baker is under increasing scrutiny for his way of handling vaccine registrations in Massachusetts, as his residents try to register for appointments, only to find technical difficulties.
The governor acknowledged that the state officials responsible for the site did not do a proper job.
“My hair is on fire with the whole thing,” said Baker in an interview with Boston Public Radio this week. “I can’t even begin to say how upset I am, and people are working hard to fix it.”
Baker’s approval rating already seemed to have dropped somewhat in a December survey by Suffolk University / Boston Globe, with 72 percent of respondents saying they approved how the governor was handling the pandemic. That rating fell 9 points from a June poll that showed Baker with 81% approval.
Baker has not confirmed whether he will run for re-election in 2022, but Democrats in the state are already on the offensive.
“He’s our target,” said Gus Bickford, president of the Massachusetts Democratic Party. “During the Trump presidency, [the president] would do anything to distract people from everything that was happening and attracted all the attention of the media ”.
“What the governor is reacting to now is that he cannot manage poorly now. He cannot make mistakes and have no public notice ”, he added.
Baker is not the only one to catch fire before 2022. Cuomo, who has already announced that he is running for reelection for a fourth term, is potentially facing one of the biggest crises of his political career after admitting that his government had some responsibility for retaining coronavirus data related to deaths in New York nursing homes.
Although Cuomo drew bipartisan criticism for the scandal, the governor’s approval rating in the state has yet to be reached. A survey by the Siena College Research Institute released on Tuesday – the day before further accusations against Cuomo related to the nursing home data emerged – showed that the governor has a 56% favorability rate among registered voters. Meanwhile, 61% said they specifically approved of the way he was dealing with the pandemic.
And despite the reaction, Democrats say they are confident that the governor’s mansion will remain blue after 2022.
“We will be aware that it is New York,” said Democratic Governors Association spokesman David Turner. “It’s not like this is a Republican pickup opportunity.”
“I’m not minimizing anything,” added Turner. “New York and California are often put under a magnifying glass, be it good things that are happening or bad things that are happening. Much attention was paid to Cuomo and Newsom at the beginning of the pandemic and, again, people are paying a lot of attention to them now. ”
Still, Republicans were quick to attack Cuomo and Newsom, which is facing its own criticism in California.
“If Democrats are forced to save governors of a deeply blue state like Newsom and Cuomo from their COVID scandals, governors like Tony Evers
Tony EversEx-Trump, chief of staff, Priebus, meditating on the Wisconsin governor’s candidacy The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by TikTok – Dems end their case; verdict on Trump this weekend. Wisconsin Governor supports legal marijuana MORE, Laura Kelly, and Janet Mills
Janet MillsMaine warns against parties in the Super Bowl States that expect fewer doses of vaccine than promised: Overnight Health Care report: USA breaks COVID record in a single day with more than 100,000 cases | Pelosi Announces Expansion of COVID-19 Tests to House | Two states require masks in public all the time MORE you must be looking in horror, ”said spokesman for the Association of Republican Governors, Jesse Hunt, in a statement to The Hill. “People want leadership and a measured approach in times of crisis and Democratic governors failed on both counts during the pandemic.”
Newsom has been criticized by California Republicans for statewide blockades and their effects on the economy. He saw his approval rating drop from 64 percent in September to just 46 percent in late January, according to a survey conducted by the University of California-Berkeley Institute of Government Studies, and now faces an increasing recall effort.
Supporters of the recall say they already have 1.5 million signatures needed to start the process next month, but the signatures need to be verified first. They face a steep rise in the deep blue state, which became more progressive than it was during the last recall in 2003, when Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) was elected governor as a result of a recall effort.
But while the Republican Party may struggle to win in a traditional government dispute, Republicans may be more fortunate to vote in a recall. As part of that process, voters would answer two questions on the ballot: whether they support Newsom’s withdrawal and, if so, who should replace him. The candidate who obtains a simple majority of votes wins.
A Berkley IGS poll released earlier this month showed that 36% of registered voters say they support the recall effort, while 45% said they would oppose it. Nineteen percent said they were undecided. Trump lost his state in the general election with just 34% support.
Republicans are quick to draw a contrast between Newsom and the governor of Florida. Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantisDeSantis to Lower Florida Flags in Honor of Limbaugh Overnight Health Care: Biden Employees Announce Funding to Track Variants of the Virus | Dems Senate Reveals Proposed Public Option | White House: Vaccination of teachers not required for schools to reopen restaurant in Florida goes viral with ‘face diapers not needed’ sign MORE (R), who took the opposite approach to the pandemic, pushing aggressively for reopenings, while Democrats like Newsom favored statewide closings.
“In many DeSantis counties, people attend on-site schools and the economy is recovering,” said Florida Republican Party strategist Ford O’Connell. “Newsom is starting, how do I say? Scratch.”
The approval of DeSantis’ work also appears to have recovered after being hit during the first part of the pandemic. A Florida Chamber of Commerce poll released last month showed that 54% of likely state voters said they approved of their job performance.
However, both California and Florida have similar cases when population differences are taken into account. California reported about 3.5 million COVID-19 cases, while Florida reported about 1.82 million.
And DeSantis did not fail to make its own criticisms. The Florida governor faced a backlash earlier this week when he threatened to divert vaccines from communities that criticized his government’s distribution plans. Critics also accused him of being too lax with restrictions on coronavirus at the height of the pandemic.
“He seems to lack empathy and I think it hurts him,” said Jewett.
Still, DeSantis’ approach to the pandemic didn’t hurt Republicans in Florida last November. Trump won the state and the Republican House Party got seats.
But Democrats say Florida will still be at stake during DeSantis’ reelection next year.
“Anyone thinking that Democrats should drop Florida is absolutely wrong,” said Turner. “It is a competitive state and I think it will remain competitive.