Democratic Governors Association

The Democratic Governors Association is a Washington, D.C.–based 527 organization founded in 1983, consisting of U.S. state and territorial governors affiliated with the Democratic Party. The main purpose of the organization is to provide party support to the election and re-election of Democratic gubernatorial candidates. The DGA's Republican counterpart is the Republican Governors Association. The DGA is not directly affiliated with the non-partisan National Governors Association.
Meghan Meehan-Draper is currently the DGA's executive director, and Governor of Kentucky Andy Beshear is the current chair.

History

Previously known as the Democratic Governors Conference within the Democratic National Committee, DGA became an independent institution in 1983 under the leadership of then-Virginia governor Chuck Robb with the help of then-Democratic National Committee chair Charles Manatt. The purpose of the committee was to raise funds to elect Democrats to governorships and to improve the partnership between Democratic governors and the Democratic leadership of the U.S. Congress. Prior to its current formation in mid-1983, they met as the Democratic Governors Conference.
The DGA played a pivotal role in the election of Arkansas governor Bill Clinton to the presidency in 1992. Under the leadership of DGA chair and Hawaii governor John Waiheʻe, the DGA helped organize Clinton's "winning the West" campaign tour through Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and California. Republicans had handily won all of those states except Washington and Oregon the previous three elections. According to The Washington Post, it was "all but unthinkable to Republicans that the GOP could lose such stalwart pieces of the party's electoral base as Wyoming and Nevada." Clinton lost Wyoming but carried Nevada, Colorado, Montana, Washington, Oregon, and California.

Leadership

The DGA is led by two elected Democratic governors.

List of current Democratic governors

There are currently 24 Democratic governors.

Current governor

State

Past

Took office

Current term

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List of DGA chairs

Executive directors

Other offices

Democratic governors have served in various other government positions after their tenure. The following list includes recent positions from the DGA's formalization in 1983.
Democratic governors elected as President:

Jimmy Carter of Georgia, 1977–1981
Bill Clinton of Arkansas, 1993–2001

Democratic governors appointed to the U.S. Cabinet:

Reubin Askew of Florida: Trade Representative, 1979–1980
Bruce Babbitt of Arizona: Secretary of the Interior, 1993–2001
Richard Riley of South Carolina: Secretary of Education, 1993–2001
Andrew Cuomo of New York : Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 1997–2001
Bill Richardson of New Mexico : Ambassador to the United Nations, 1997–1998 and Secretary of Energy, 1998–2001
Gary Locke of Washington: Secretary of Commerce, 2009–2011
Ray Mabus of Mississippi: Secretary of the Navy, 2009–2017
Janet Napolitano of Arizona: Secretary of Homeland Security, 2009–2013
Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas: Secretary of Health and Human Services, 2009–2014
Tom Vilsack of Iowa: Secretary of Agriculture, 2009–2017 and 2021– 2025
Jennifer Granholm of Michigan: Secretary of Energy, 2021– 2025
Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island: Secretary of Commerce, 2021–2025

Democratic governors appointed to ambassadorships:

James Blanchard of Michigan: Ambassador to Canada, 1993–1996
Ray Mabus of Mississippi: Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, 1994–1996
Dick Celeste of Ohio: Ambassador to India, 1997–2001
Mike Sullivan of Wyoming: Ambassador to Ireland, 1998–2001
Gary Locke of Washington: Ambassador to China, 2011–2014
Phil Murphy of New Jersey : Ambassador to Germany, 2009–2013
Jack Markell of Delaware: Ambassador to the OECD, 2022–2023 and Ambassador to Italy, 2023– 2025

Democratic governors elected as chair of the Democratic National Committee:

Roy Romer of Colorado, 1997–1999
Howard Dean of Vermont, 2005–2009
Tim Kaine of Virginia, 2009–2011

Democratic governors elected to the U.S. Senate:

Clyde R. Hoey of North Carolina, 1945–1954
J. Melville Broughton of North Carolina, 1948–1949
W. Kerr Scott of North Carolina, 1954–1958
Fritz Hollings of South Carolina, 1966–2005
Dale Bumpers of Arkansas, 1975–1999
Wendell Ford of Kentucky, 1974–1999
David Boren of Oklahoma, 1979–1994
J. James Exon of Nebraska, 1979–1997
David Pryor of Arkansas, 1979–1997
Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, 1985–2015
Terry Sanford of North Carolina, 1986–1993
Bob Graham of Florida, 1987–2005
Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, 1989–2001
Chuck Robb of Virginia, 1989–2001
Evan Bayh of Indiana, 1999–2011
Zell Miller of Georgia, 2000–2005
Tom Carper of Delaware, 2001–2025
Mark Dayton of Minnesota, 2001–2007
Jon Corzine of New Jersey, 2001–2006
Ben Nelson of Nebraska, 2001–2013
Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, 2009–present
Mark Warner of Virginia, 2009–present
Joe Manchin of West Virginia, 2010–2025
Tim Kaine of Virginia, 2013–present
Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, 2017–present
John Hickenlooper of Colorado, 2021–present
Fundraising

The DGA reported raising over $20 million in 2011, almost doubling what it raised during the comparable 2007 election cycle. "Because of our strong efforts in 2011, we will have the resources to aid Democratic candidates in targeted states and continue to fight for our core priorities: Jobs. Opportunity. Now.," DGA Chair Martin O'Malley said. Executive Director Colm O'Comartun added, "There is no doubt that we will face a challenging electoral environment in 2012, but our victories in 2011 showed that we know how to wisely and strategically deploy our resources. We are delighted with the continued support of everyone who believes in our mission of creating jobs and expanding opportunity now."

Notable staff alumni

Several former DGA staff members have gone on to hold prominent positions in the government and in the private and non-profit sectors.
Former communications director Jake Siewert served as press secretary for President Bill Clinton for four months from 2000 to 2001. From 2001 to 2009, he worked for Alcoa Inc. In 2009, he became an advisor to then-Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
Former policy director Sheryl Rose Parker was director of intergovernmental affairs for U.S. House speaker Nancy Pelosi. She is currently deputy director of government affairs for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Former policy communications director Doug Richardson served as director of public affairs at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy in the Obama administration. He is currently public relations director for R&R Partners.
Former executive director Katie Whelan served as a senior advisor to Republican California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. She was an Institute of Politics Fellow at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. She is currently senior public policy advisor for Patton Boggs LLP.
Former executive director Nathan Daschle is the founder and CEO of Ruckus, Inc., an online political engagement platform. He is the son of former U.S. senator Tom Daschle. In October 2010, Daschle was recognized as one of Time magazine's "40 under 40" rising stars in politics.
Former executive director Mark Gearan was director of communications during the Clinton administration and served as director of the Peace Corps. He served as president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York from 1999 to 2017.
Founding executive director Chuck Dolan is a senior vice president at kglobal and was appointed by President Clinton as vice-chair of the Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. He is a lecturer at the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs.