Latest news with #DemocraticGovernorsAssociation
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nebraska Dems hosting Beshear, possible 2028 presidential candidate
Gov. Andy Beshear speaks to reporters in Louisville. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley) LINCOLN — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is coming to Nebraska to speak to Democrats for the state party's top annual fundraising event in November. Beshear is a Democratic governor in a deeply red Republican state. He and other 2028 potential presidential hopefuls visited South Carolina in recent weeks, to test the water for their campaign messages. He was picked to lead the Democratic Governors Association into next year's midterm elections and has been touted as 'most popular Democratic governor in America.' Beshear was attorney general of Kentucky before becoming governor in 2019. His father was previously governor. National Democrats have been seeking answers as President Donald Trump made gains among working-class voters, including minority voters, last year. A trend of prominent Democratic figures making their way to the heartland has emerged, and some are crossing the Missouri River from traditionally first-in-the-nation Iowa into Nebraska. Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders launched his 'Fighting Oligarchy' nationwide tour in Omaha. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz hosted a Democratic town hall earlier this year And Former Texas U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke is having a similar town hall in Omaha next month. The events with prominent Democratic figures appear aimed at energizing the Nebraska Democratic base for the midterms and come when two federal races could be competitive. Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District has drawn national attention as its single presidential race electoral vote has swung from Republicans to Democrats in recent years, most recently to former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. Nebraska could regain the national spotlight in 2026, with an open seat race in the state's 2nd District for the U.S. House and Dan Osborn's nonpartisan Senate bid against Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts. Both races could determine which party controls what parts of Congress. But Nebraska Democrats face an uphill battle in a state where Republicans outnumber Democrats about 2 to 1, Republicans have gained a legislative supermajority, and the party last held a congressional seat with former U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford in 2017. Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Aaron Sanderford for questions: info@
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Nebraska Dems hosting Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, possible 2028 presidential candidate
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks during the Semafor World Economy Summit 2025 at Conrad Washington on April 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. () LINCOLN — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is coming to Nebraska to speak to Democrats for the state party's top annual fundraising event in November. Beshear is a Democratic governor in a deeply red Republican state. He and other 2028 potential presidential hopefuls visited South Carolina in recent weeks, to test the water for their campaign messages. He was picked to lead the Democratic Governors Association into next year's midterm elections and has been touted as 'most popular Democratic governor in America.' Beshear was attorney general of Kentucky before becoming governor in 2019. His father was previously governor. National Democrats have been seeking answers as President Donald Trump made gains among working-class voters, including minority voters, last year. A trend of prominent Democratic figures making their way to the heartland has emerged, and some are crossing the Missouri River from traditionally first-in-the-nation Iowa into Nebraska. Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders launched his 'Fighting Oligarchy' nationwide tour in Omaha. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz hosted a Democratic town hall earlier this year And Former Texas U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke is having a similar town hall in Omaha next month. The events with prominent Democratic figures appear aimed at energizing the Nebraska Democratic base for the midterms and come when two federal races could be competitive. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District has drawn national attention as its single presidential race electoral vote has swung from Republicans to Democrats in recent years, most recently to former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. Nebraska could regain the national spotlight in 2026, with an open seat race in the state's 2nd District for the U.S. House and Dan Osborn's nonpartisan Senate bid against Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts. Both races could determine which party controls what parts of Congress. But Nebraska Democrats face an uphill battle in a state where Republicans outnumber Democrats about 2 to 1, Republicans have gained a legislative supermajority, and the party last held a congressional seat with former U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford in 2017. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
NBC News
17 hours ago
- Business
- NBC News
How Trump's 'big beautiful bill' is shaping this year's biggest elections
President Donald Trump's sweeping tax cut and spending law known as the 'big beautiful bill' is expected to be a major issue in the 2026 midterm elections. But first, candidates for governor this year in Virginia and New Jersey are already testing how the measure plays on the campaign trail. Rep. Mikie Sherrill and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominees in New Jersey and Virginia, respectively, have warned about devastating impacts from looming cuts to social safety net programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Republicans are taking mixed approaches. In New Jersey, a high-tax state where affordability is a top issue, former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli and his allies are planning to go on offense, arguing that Sherrill voted to block critical tax cuts. And in Virginia, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the GOP nominee, has dismissed concerns about program cuts, arguing that the state's Republican governor has put the state in a strong position to respond. Those lines of attack could determine who holds the governorships of two key states by the beginning of next year, as well as set the tone for how candidates battling for control of Congress approach the issue in 2026. Democrats focus on budget cuts, Republicans focus on tax cuts Democrats have already signaled that they plan to go all in on the measure's changes to SNAP, the program once known as food stamps, and Medicaid. The Democratic Governors Association released a memo Monday detailing its polling of Virginia and New Jersey, which showed majorities of voters in both states have 'serious concerns' and slim majorities saying they would prefer governors who oppose the measure. 'The races for governor in Virginia and New Jersey in November will be voters' first opportunity to reject Trump's harmful budget bill — and the GOP nominees will not be able to run from their record of supporting these deeply unpopular Medicaid cuts,' DGA Executive Director Meghan Meehan-Draper wrote in the memo. A congressional analysis published by Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee estimates that in Virginia, more than 300,000 residents could lose their health care by 2034. The number is a combination of people who could lose their Medicaid under changes to the program and people who would no longer be eligible for the state's expansion of that program under the Affordable Care Act. The New Jersey Department of Human Services estimated that around 350,000 residents who are eligible for Medicaid would lose health care coverage 'because of bureaucratic barriers,' and warned that the state's food assistance program, which affects 800,000 residents, is at risk unless the state can raise between $100 million and $300 million. In New Jersey, Ciattarelli has confronted concerns about Medicaid cuts by echoing Republicans in Washington who say those who need the program's crucial health coverage will still receive it. 'The best way to protect Medicaid is to make sure that those who receive it are truly in need of it most,' Ciattarelli said in a video posted on X after the measure passed the Senate. 'As I go around the state each and every day, I find an overwhelming number of New Jerseyans agree that able-bodied adults without young children should have to work or go to school at least 20 hours a week to remain eligible for their Medicaid benefits.' Ciattarelli and his GOP allies are planning to go on offense on the measure with a focus on taxes, lauding provisions codifying the 2017 tax cuts and temporarily raising the federal deduction for state and local taxes from $10,000 to $40,000, a top issue in the high-tax state. Ciattarelli knocked Sherrill for opposing the measure after pledging to work to eliminate the SALT cap, saying in his video statement that Sherrill 'voted to raise your taxes.' (Democrats note that a SALT cap is still in place under the new law and argue the law's tax cuts will benefit the wealthy overall.) Chris Russell, a Ciattarelli campaign consultant, told NBC News that the campaign plans to emphasize Sherrill's vote against the tax provisions in this measure, which also boosted the child tax credit, and made tips and overtime pay exempt from federal taxes. 'That is going to directly impact people in New Jersey and their pocketbooks,' Russell said, later adding, 'We intend to make her defend that vote.' Change NJ, a pro-Ciattarelli super PAC, has already launched digital ads knocking Sherrill for opposing the measure, focusing on the tax provisions. The group also released a memo last week with a poll from its senior adviser and pollster Kellyanne Conway, Trump's former campaign manager. The survey, which tested a range of attacks against Sherrill, found that the best-performing attack highlighted 'her vote to not extend Trump tax cuts, leading to a potential $1,700 tax hike for families, tax hike on small businesses and a cut to the child tax credit,' although critics of the poll note it modeled an electorate more favorable to Republicans. 'This is the most recent, most vivid example of Mikie doing the things in Washington that people are tired of Trenton Democrats doing,' Change NJ spokesman Carlos Cruz said. 'To that end, you should expect to see us talking a lot about it.' Democrats highlight downstream effects of Medicaid spending cuts Hospital associations have also warned that rural hospitals in Virginia will take a major financial hit under the law, because they rely so heavily on Medicaid dollars: People living in rural areas are far more likely to receive their health insurance through Medicaid. Both Spanberger and Sherrill have emphasized those cuts on the campaign trail. Sherrill held events earlier this month at a health care center in Camden, a solar energy business in Southampton Township, and Kean University in Union to highlight the effects of the 'one big beautiful bill,' which Sherrill has called the "Republican Price Hike Bill.' 'This cruel piece of legislation will kick hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans off their healthcare and raise costs for even more, cut food assistance for working families, and increase the cost of utilities and mortgages,' Sherrill said in her statement explaining her vote against the measure. 'At the same time, they are funneling New Jersey's hard-earned tax dollars to Trump's billionaire friends and donors.' Spanberger, for her part, made criticism of Trump's bill a central tenet of a campaign bus tour through Virginia in late June, telling voters during a stop in Fredericksburg before the measure was enacted that she'd already begun 'looking at how we can make sure that, come January, as few people as possible get pushed off of Medicaid.' In video released by her campaign after the House passed its iteration of the bill, she warned that it would constitute a 'massive attack on health care as we know it' and create 'a reality where Virginians cannot afford the care they need,' warning that it would boot people off Medicaid, cause rural hospital closures, increase prescription drug costs and overrun emergency rooms. In both states, Democrats also plan to use the Republicans' support for the bill to make the broader case that they won't stand up to Trump, who lost both states by nearly 6 percentage points. Earle-Sears says 'don't panic' In Virginia, Earle-Sears has both praised Trump's tax-and-spend law and brushed off concerns about the measure. At a press conference one week after the law was enacted, Earle-Sears responded to questions about its impact on rural hospitals and voters' concerns about the law more broadly. 'I would say to Virginia, don't panic,' she said, before adding that 'things are being worked out' and saying that federal and state lawmakers had begun taking actions to counter hits to health care coverage. A week earlier — but still after the bill was enacted — Earle-Sears said during an interview on Newsmax, a conservative television network, that the bill 'does so many great things' amid a broader discussion about her policy plans to create jobs in Virginia. And in June, prior to Trump's bill becoming law, Earle-Sears told a crowd at an event in the rural town of Marion that the state would be able to fill in financial gaps created by cuts to Medicaid with 'rainy day' state budgetary funds. Virginia Democrats have pushed as loudly on instances of Earle-Sears defending the law as they have on Spanberger's criticism of it. 'After supporting and praising these cuts, all Winsome Earle-Sears has to say is 'don't panic,'' Democratic Party of Virginia spokesperson Maggie Amjad said in response to questions about how the party was positioning itself to message on Trump's law in the governor's race. Amjad called the GOP nominee's comments 'dismissive and empty advice.' Responding to questions about Earle-Sears' views on Trump's law — and about Democratic attacks on that response — campaign spokesperson Peyton Vogel wrote in an email that 'Abigail Spanberger may not be aware of this, but we're running for Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.' 'When she and Joe Biden were sending bills that directly impacted the future of our Commonwealth, Governor Youngkin and Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears fought for all Virginians,' Vogel added. 'That's where all of our priorities should be focused, on the people of Virginia. Fear mongering over President Trump's tax cuts is a losing strategy, but we aren't going to get in Abigail's way.' Republicans working for some outside groups wouldn't rule out the idea of ads promoting aspects of Trump's law in the state, as seems to be on the menu in New Jersey, where the pro-Ciattarelli super PAC noted the political value of the tax cut provisions. But Vogel said the Earle-Sears campaign was not planning to feature in any ads, or as part of any paid media, any messaging that defended or touted the "big beautiful bill." 'We are focused on Virginia and Winsome's story,' she said.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Beshear on possible 2028 run: ‘I do not want to leave a broken country' to future generations
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said Sunday that he's mulling a run for president in 2028 because he's concerned about future generations living in a 'broken country,' but said he needed to decide if he's the right person to 'bring people back together.' 'My family's been through a lot, but I do not want to leave a broken country to my kids or anyone else's,' Beshear said in an interview on CNN's 'State of the Union.' 'I'm going to make sure we're putting the country first, because my kids deserve to grow up in a country where they don't have to turn on the news every morning, even when they're on vacation, and say, 'What the heck happened last night?'' Beshear said he wouldn't have entertained a presidential run 'if you had asked me this question a couple years ago.' 'What I think is most important for 2028 is a candidate that can heal this country, that can bring people back together,' he said. 'When I sit down, I'm going to think about whether I'm that candidate or whether someone else is that candidate.' Beshear has led ruby-red Kentucky since December 2019, winning reelection with more than 53 percent of the vote in 2023. He was considered a top contender to become Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate last year after former President Biden abruptly ended his 2024 reelection campaign. Beshear, 47, is slated to chair the influential Democratic Governors Association (DGA) next year, before his gubernatorial term ends in 2027. The former Kentucky attorney general cannot immediately seek another four years because state law limits governors to two consecutive terms. He predicted Democrats in traditionally GOP-controlled states will have better chances in the upcoming election cycle in the wake of President Trump's massive tax and spending package that was signed into law Friday. 'I think, especially in these rural states where Republican governors have not spoken up whatsoever to stop this devastating bill, we're going to have strong candidates,' Beshear said. 'We're going to win a lot of elections.' 'All these Republican governors that aren't saying a thing, where their rural hospitals are going to close, where they're going to see massive layoffs and people lose their coverage. That's pretty sad,' he added. Trump's megabill, named the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' narrowly passed the House and Senate. Every Democratic lawmaker voted against it. The president and his allies have hailed the legislation for boosting defense spending and funding for Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown, while extending the 2017 tax cuts from his first term. But Democrats have blasted the measure for cutting funding for social safety net programs, such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Porgram. 'I know a lot of people on Medicaid — these are our parents with special needs children that could have never covered it otherwise. These are busy people all working two jobs already to support that child,' Beshear told CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday. 'I mean, you can lie all you want about what's in this bill, but the numbers are the numbers.' The bill would cut nearly $800 billion from the health care program that primarily covers poor people, pregnant women and children by setting work requirements for most 'able-bodied adults' with no dependents, implementing more frequent eligibility checks and reducing federal aid for states that provide coverage for undocumented migrants. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated the new law could threaten health care coverage for millions of people. It raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, forestalling the threat of a federal default, while adding $2 trillion to the deficit. 'It's going to devastate rural health care, all while adding trillions of dollars to our national debt. And it's going to upend every state budget across the country,' Beshear said. 'Our job is to stand up for and represent our people, and I wish people would get back to that.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's megabill is creating a budget nightmare for states
President Donald Trump's landmark legislation is driving a giant hole in governors' budgets in a midterm year. By slashing health care and food assistance for low-income Americans, Republicans in Washington are passing tremendous costs onto the states, leaving local leaders from both parties grasping for ways to make up for billions in lost federal dollars. The cuts are already threatening to endanger governors' education, public safety and disaster relief funds. And this is all happening as up to 20 state leaders face reelection in 2026, forcing them to figure out how to message the fallout as their parties battle for control over the House next year. 'We don't put these budgets together that have a lot of fluff and rainy day funds that are easily accessible,' said Democratic Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, who chairs the Democratic Governors Association. 'All of us are trying to figure out how to mitigate the damage that will be done to our constituents.' Kelly, whose term ends next year, said governors across the country are now in 'a world of hurt and concern.' In deep blue New York, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is contending with an $11 billion budget hole as she faces reelection next year, possibly against Trump acolyte Rep. Elise Stefanik. Some 2,500 miles away in Arizona, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is warning the state can't even begin to cover the losses from the federal legislation passed earlier this month. And in Nevada, Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo has to try to persuade his voters of the merits of his party's tax cuts geared toward the working class as he runs for reelection, even though he too has warned against slashing Medicaid. It all amounts to a serious financial problem that's even more acute for governors up for reelection next year. Many will have to decide between politically unpopular tax hikes or further changes to Medicaid that could kick more people off the program. State leaders have begun crunching numbers as they try to account for the looming funding gap. Kelly's fellow Democratic governors are shackled with the same budget constrictions as Republicans — and similarly will face fallout. But despite the impending headache, the party sees political upside. Democrats intend to slam Republicans in the midterms over their cuts to Medicaid and food assistance in order to pay for tax cuts that largely benefit the wealthy. That message will be a centerpiece of the minority party's midterm strategy, and they're anticipating voters will blame the GOP when they lose Medicaid coverage or experience the closure of a local hospital. In a twist that stands to advantage Democratic governors, many of the GOP-backed cuts won't take effect until after next year's elections — a provision Republicans instituted to armor itself. 'While the legislation is terrible, it is good ammo for governors in battleground states,' said Matt Grodsky, a Democratic consultant in Arizona. 'In Arizona we know this will increase costs on families, utility rates will go up, for some families taxes will go up, and even if you're not on Medicaid chances are your older relatives are.' Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a frequent Trump critic, will focus his campaign messaging on the president. 'It's the federal government and MAGA Republicans that are at fault for your food assistance, your rural hospitals closing or you getting kicked off Medicaid,' said a person close to Pritzker's reelection campaign, hinting at the Democratic governor's strategy for maneuvering around state budget concerns. Last week, Pritzker featured the owner of Billie's coffee shop in Chicago talking about the local business affect of the president's trade policies, as a way to localize Trump's actions and influence swing voters. 'Packaging bags, the costs have increased,' the owner Gina says in the video. 'Those are things that I feel like President Trump has created. We have cut as much as we can at this point. We need some stability, and that's not what we've seen so far.' Republicans are confident they can beat back the attacks by claiming they are effectively combating waste, fraud and abuse in welfare programs, while pointing to the bill's popular provisions like eliminating taxes on tips or overtime. Yet House Speaker Mike Johnson has privately conceded that the deeper Medicaid cuts pushed by the Senate will force House Republicans to lose their slim majority next year. Publicly, Johnson has struck a more optimistic tone, repeatedly telling reporters that he has 'no concerns' about the bill costing Republicans' seats. Republicans know the megabill could end up hurting them. That's particularly relevant in Arizona, where Hobbs might face a challenge from Republican Rep. Andy Biggs, who voted for the legislation. 'I can imagine voters will be reminded on an hourly basis that any cuts will be laid at the feet of Congress and President Trump,' GOP strategist Barrett Marson said. Should Hobbs — facing one of the most competitive gubernatorial races next year — successfully channel backlash to the megabill to help her win reelection, she will have other problems to deal with. An estimated 360,000 Arizonans stand to lose their Medicaid coverage. And experts have identified five rural hospitals on the brink of closure due to reduced revenue from Medicaid patients. The federal government shifting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program administration costs onto states could mean that Arizona will strain to continue feeding the 1 in 8 residents who rely on it to buy groceries. The federal clawbacks are so significant that governors are warning they are entirely unable to make up the difference. "It's billions of dollars that we don't have," Hobbs said as the Senate passed the bill. "Even if we cut every single thing in the state, we don't have the money to backfill all these cuts." By design, the bulk of the Medicaid and SNAP changes won't take effect until after the midterms, a legislative maneuver intended to shield Republicans from immediate electoral consequences that could also give governors more time to reconfigure state funding formulas. But state appropriators say they are already mapping out how to account for the steep federal losses, and may need to start moving around funds in next year's budgets. 'Do we fund food for hungry families, or do we fund our community colleges?'' said Arizona State Rep. Oscar De Los Santos, the Democratic minority leader. 'Do we fund food for hungry families, or do we pay public school teachers? That is the position that Trump and the Republicans have put us in.' Public polling shows the funding bill is widely unpopular. One recent Quinnipiac survey found 55 percent opposed the law compared to 29 percent in support. The Republican governors who publicly supported the bill now have an especially difficult situation. GOP-led states with large populations of low-income Americans rely the most on federal assistance and lack the tax base or political willpower to support any revenue increases. Repercussions from the megabill are unlikely to have any electoral bearing on the deep red states with upcoming gubernatorial elections. But it could pose problems for Lombardo. In February, Lombardo urged Congress not to slash Medicaid funding to avoid 'serious consequences' for vulnerable populations and the health care infrastructure – a rare break for a GOP governor against Trump and Congressional Republicans. But when the bill was ultimately passed, Lombardo praised its no-tax-on-tips provision that influenced by Nevada and its thriving tourism economy, and said that while his administration assesses the bill 'Nevadans should be excited about the potential impacts of tax cuts, investments in small businesses and American manufacturing, and efforts to secure the border.' Democrats who control the Nevada state legislature, however, believe that the legislation will create more harm than good, and when people start to lose their health insurance they will blame Lombardo for not speaking out more against the law. "It's just too early to tell how bad it is, but from what we know so far, it is going to be a life and death situation for many folks,' said Fabian Doñate, a Nevada state senator. In New York, state officials are warning the funding cuts will lead to job losses. A projected 63,000 jobs will be eliminated, nearly half from the health care sector. Democratic strategists believe that's a compelling argument for Hochul to make ahead of her campaign for a second full term next year, when she faces potential GOP challenges from Stefanik and Rep. Mike Lawler. 'Don't just focus on the cost of it, talk about what people aren't going to be able to do going forward,' said Basil Smikle, the former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party. 'Talk about what they'll lose. Kids aren't going to a doctor, your child is losing SNAP benefits. That's the way you talk about it — not so much as a spending issue, but frame it as a right you used to have but no longer have.' Yet Democratic state lawmakers in Albany worry there are limits to that strategy. New York's budget next year was already estimated to have a $7.5 billion gap to fill. That hole is expected to grow to $11 billion as a result of the federal cuts. 'Governmentally this is an atomic bomb,' Democratic state Sen. James Skoufis said. 'It's nothing but bad news. It's a massive gaping hole in New York's budget and I imagine most state budgets around the country.' New York has one of the costliest Medicaid programs in the country. About 44 percent of the state's residents are enrolled in Medicaid or have state-sponsored coverage. Some Democrats fret the cuts will lead to hospital closures and impact other big-spending areas of the budget like school aid. 'You can blame the federal government all you want, but it's the state that's going to be making the cuts to the hospitals and the nursing homes and the health centers and the schools,' Assemblymember Amy Paulin said. 'It's everywhere.' Shia Kapos contributed to this report.
