Democratic governors say the party’s midterm strategy must focus on voters’ pocketbook concerns

PHOENIX AP Democratic governors met this weekend in Arizona looking to parlay last month s big victories for the party in New Jersey and Virginia into campaigns for next year s midterms when a majority of governor s seats will be up for vote Those elections helped Democrats zero in on what they see as a strategy to help grow their ranks in office and recover from big losses in when voters put Donald Trump back in the White House and gave Republicans majorities in both houses of Congress The plan is to focus intently on making life more affordable a message they hope will work even in several conservative-leaning states We have to be laser focused on people s everyday concerns and how hard life is right now for the American people disclosed Kentucky Gov Andy Beshear the new chairman of the Democratic Governors Association and a viable candidate for president in Everybody wants the financial system of the coming day but paying the bills nowadays is absolutely critical He and other governors disclosed Democrats can use the affordability message as a cudgel against Trump without making him the central focus of their campaigns Yes we can judge a president and we should judge this president Beshear disclosed But we never judge those voters Democrats hone in on costs The meeting of Democratic governors comes as blue states have been under fire from the Trump administration which is exercising power in novel methods against the president s perceived enemies Trump has deployed the National Guard in California Oregon and Illinois over the objections of their Democratic governors His administration has demanded detailed voter statistics and threatened to cut off food assistance for states that don t provide information to patronage his immigration crackdown Heading into a primary season in which factions will battle over the future of the party Democratic governors largely sang from the same sheet over the weekend A dozen candidates and sitting governors all stated they plan to talk extensively about the costs of housing child care utilities and groceries during Trump s second term But the unified focus on affordability papers over real divisions in the party s ranks over how aggressively to confront Trump who won all of the presidential battleground states last year and how to deal with the rising costs that are squeezing Americans On the same day Democratic moderates with national measure credentials Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger in Virginia won their governor s races Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won ballot as New York mayor All ran on promises to tackle affordability but they offered very different visions for how to deliver The affordability strategy isn t without jeopardy Economic conditions could change making concerns about prices less salient or urgent And Democrats could be setting themselves up for disappointment down the road if they win in but are unable to bring down costs to voters satisfaction allowing Republicans to capitalize on the same buyer s remorse Democrats are now seeking to stoke For Democratic incumbents seeking reelection they can t rest on fighting the Trump administration announced two-term Democratic Gov Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico They need to show results Deliver for me But don t forget to fight this stated Lujan Grisham who is barred by term limits from seeking reelection They do want both and finding methods to cross-cut those and marry that I think is going to be a winning set of messages Affordability also becomes a focal point for Trump After the New Jersey and Virginia elections last month the White House began shifting its message to focus more on affordability Trump who has not done much domestic tour during his second term is scheduled to visit Pennsylvania on Tuesday to highlight his efforts to reduce inflation The president has talked more about affordability in recent months and he reduced tariffs on beef and other commodities that consumers say cost too much But Trump also has mentioned the economic system is better and consumer prices lower than announced by the media The word affordability is a Democrat scam he declared during a Cabinet meeting last week He continues to blame his Democratic predecessor former President Joe Biden for the increase nationwide in inflation rates that occurred this year after his return to the White House Overall inflation is tracking at annually up from in April when Trump rolled out a sweeping set of import taxes Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday declared the administration will be intent on reducing inflation after tackling immigration and pushing to have interest rates cut I expect inflation to roll down strongly next year he reported on CBS s Face the Nation Democratic governors and candidates were largely aligned in the conclusion that numerous voters in didn t feel as if their party was focused on their concerns or shared their anger at a system they believe is failing average Americans I think if there was any failure in the presidential polling it s we forgot what real people care about noted Oregon Gov Tina Kotek who is expected to seek a second term next year We ve got to listen to people announced Keisha Lance Bottoms the former mayor of Atlanta who is running for Georgia governor Democrats believe various red states could be in play Once Spanberger takes office in January Democrats will control governor s offices a substantial improvement from the low point of just following the balloting but still slightly behind the Republicans seats Thirty-six states will hold elections for governor next year Among the hardest-fought contests will be in swing states that flipped between supporting Biden in and Trump in Those include Arizona where Democratic Gov Katie Hobbs is seeking a second term and Nevada where Republican Gov Joe Lombardo is up for reelection Wisconsin Michigan and Georgia all have open seats that are widely expected to attract a large field of candidates and big spending The retirement of Democratic Gov Laura Kelly in Kansas an overwhelmingly Republican state in presidential contests gives the GOP the upper hand there But Democrats are talking about expanding the field by competing in states such as Iowa or Ohio where the party used to be competitive but has struggled in the Trump era Gina Hinojosa a Texas lawmaker running for governor in the nation s second-most populous state is making the scenario to Democratic donors that investing in Texas will be crucial to her party s hopes of winning power in Washington before the census Her state is projected to pick up at least four House seats and Electoral College votes at the expense of blue states such as California and Illinois If we don t flip before the end of the decade there won t be Democratic control of Congress or the White House Hinojosa commented Because the math doesn t work