Democratic governors step forward to set the party’s agenda

As President Donald Trump’s second administration takes shape in Washington, Democratic governors across the country are laying out their own plans for the year, with some using high-profile speeches to detail plans to resist the president’s agenda — even if they’re not always saying so explicitly.

The Democratic Party is trying to find its way back after a tough 2024 election that locked it out of power in Washington. Many in the party are looking to the future in the states, where a number of governors have been floated as potential presidential contenders in 2028.

And the plans these governors are laying out now, even in the early days of Trump’s term, could be crucial to building their governing resumes ahead of a future campaign. Similarly, how they handle Trump is part of a broader conversation among Democrats about how to react to the election and Trump’s return to power.

Indeed, while many Democrats are highlighting priorities like expanding affordable child care, legalizing cannabis and protecting access to abortion, they are also using recent “State of the State” addresses to signal that they’re ready to take on Trump, even as his administration is still taking shape.

Addressing the ‘elephant that is not in the room’

While this year not all of the Democratic governors have yet outlined their budget proposals in what is traditionally known as a State of the State address, those who have (including Govs. Katie Hobbs of Arizona, Jared Polis of Colorado, Wes Moore of Maryland, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Kathy Hochul of New York, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Tony Evers of Wisconsin) are laying out generally progressive plans of action for their states — and not always outwardly lambasting the Trump administration.

Those who poked at Trump often did so under the thin veil of attacking “Washington” rather than mentioning Trump by name.

“We cannot allow reckless decisions in Washington to stymie our Wisconsin economic momentum,” Evers said in his speech last month.

In Shapiro’s budget address on Tuesday, the Pennsylvania governor poked at Trump through one of the president’s signature 2016 campaign promises, which he revived early in his 2024 campaign: going after the Affordable Care Act.

“Today, 1.2 million Pennsylvanians get their health care through the Affordable Care Act. And while I know there are some who would like to do away with it in Washington, D.C.,” Shapiro told state legislators, “the fact is, it’s working for Pennsylvanians.”

The decision by some governors not to explicitly speak about Trump comes as some in the party counsel against responding to every single thing he does with outrage and dismay, a hallmark of his first four years in the White House.

Some of these governors set that agenda at a gathering in California in December.

In the last Trump administration, people focused “too much on Trump and what was happening in D.C. and not enough on [Democratic] priorities,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at the time, adding: “Don’t fall into us versus them. … It’s not a winning strategy.”

Yet some governors did address Trump head-on, signaling their openness to work with him for common goals and against him when necessary.

Murphy, who gave his State of the State address just days before the president’s inauguration, told his constituents he would address “the elephant that is not in the room.”

“I know there is some uncertainty — and even concern — about what this new administration will bring,” Murphy said. “So here is my promise to the people of New Jersey: I will never back away from partnering with the Trump administration where our priorities align. But just as importantly, I will never back down from defending our New Jersey values — if and when they are tested.”

Murphy made national headlines after his speech for announcing his plan to stockpile mifepristone, an abortion-inducing drug, “so every woman can access this crucial form of reproductive care,” in the wake of GOP campaign promises last year to further restrict abortion nationally.

Moore also didn’t mention Trump by name in Maryland, but he referred to “a new administration in Washington that sows uncertainty, confusion and chaos.” He hit the Trump administration for “the beginnings of a trade war, the shutterings of federal agencies, thousands of workers laid off.”

“I still look at the new leadership in Washington and I hope that we can work together to make progress for Maryland,” Moore added before tempering expectations, saying that “if the policy decisions of these past few weeks are any preview, I fear that our most charitable expectations will be met with harsh realities.”

Immigration as a flashpoint

One issue in particular where the Democratic governors vocally diverged from Trump was on his plan to execute mass deportations, which his administration has been doing by targeting big cities, often in states led by Democratic governors.

“I truly hope that President-elect Trump and Congress can work together quickly to secure the border, stop human trafficking, and stop the illegal flow of guns and drugs,” Polis said in his speech, delivered in Colorado in early January. “We don’t support efforts to deport American citizens, to target those on pending legal status, to break up families.”

In Wisconsin, Evers framed his opposition to Trump’s deportation plan as an economic issue, telling his constituents, “Let’s agree to be honest about the fact that, in this state, some of our state’s largest and most important industries and companies have always welcomed the hard work of immigrants.”

“Let’s agree to be honest about the fact that the story of our state’s success today is told in the labor of over 3 million Wisconsinites, including tens of thousands of workers whose only transgression to date was not having the good fortune of being born in this country,” he added.

Laying out an agenda aside from combating Trump

While Trump earned mentions in a number of the speeches, the Democratic governors devoted most of their time to laying out the priorities they hope to achieve without Washington’s influence, like expanding access to affordable child care.

Hochul, Hobbs, Evers and Shapiro all outlined plans to make child care more affordable and available in their states. Hochul and Hobbs cited their own experiences seeking child care as working mothers.

“More than 75,000 Arizona children — 1 in 4 — have parents who need child care but can’t access it,” Hobbs said in Arizona. “I was a working mother who raised two kids and I understand these challenges intimately.”

The governors framed it as an economic issue, with Evers saying “Wisconsin’s child care crisis affects not only our kids, families and child care providers but our state employers, workforce and economy, too.”

In Pennsylvania, Shapiro outlined another one of his priorities, legalizing cannabis, in economic terms, citing benefits in other states nearby that have done the same.

“Twenty-four states have already legalized adult-use cannabis. That includes almost every single one of our neighbors,” Shapiro said. “Letting this business operate in the shadows — it doesn’t make sense. And by doing nothing, we are making Pennsylvania less competitive. Besides, like, let’s not kid ourselves here. Pennsylvanians who want to buy cannabis, they’re just driving across the border to one of our neighbors.”

Shapiro and several other Democratic governors also spoke about plans for tax cuts.

“I’m calling for a sweeping middle-class tax cut,” Hochul said in her speech, adding she wants New York to “deliver the lowest tax rates in 70 years, and it’ll save hardworking taxpayers $1 billion.”

In his speech, Moore blasted Maryland’s current tax structure, saying, “You cannot look at the system we have right now and say it makes sense.” He added: “Under our plan, two-thirds of Marylanders will get a tax cut, and in fact, 82% of Marylanders will see either a tax cut or no change in their taxes at all.”

As Shapiro spoke about his fiscal plan, he indirectly called out Republicans.

“Folks in this building have been talking about cutting taxes for years,” he said. “But here I am, a Democratic governor with an aggressive plan to cut taxes, ready to work with you to get it done.”