The Emboldening of American Governors
Ron DeSantis speaks at Nebraska Steak Fry in Nebraska City. Source: Matt Johnson, Right Cheer, Flickr
In July of this year, Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California, appeared in several 30-second advertisement spots promoting his claimed achievements and the supposedly enviable condition of his state. This wouldn’t be out of the ordinary if it weren’t for the fact that the commercial ran on Florida TV stations on the other side of the country. It’s an instance of Newsom’s recently discovered penchant for tangling with political opponents far outside the bounds of his state, and he is not the only one.
Ron DeSantis, Florida’s chief executive and a primary target of Newsom’s attack advertisements, has arguably garnered the most support nationally of any governor at the moment. Balancing an embrace of former president Donald Trump’s populist politics and combative nature with extensive political prowess, DeSantis is frequently cited by both supporters and critics as the “heir” to the de facto leadership of the Republican Party. This pull has allowed him to take extensive action within Florida’s borders and exert significant influence over the national conversation in a wide variety of topics, from the COVID-19 pandemic to President Joe Biden’s performance.
A reasonable inference as to the cause of this trend is that these men foresee a potentially successful presidential run. The pipeline from governor to president is not an uncommon one, with 17 of the 45 individuals who held the position having been elected to both offices in their careers. It’s a natural progression at first glance, as a state governor would already have obtained much experience in the position of chief executive. However, despite speculation of DeSantis and Newsom making presidential runs, the implications stretch much further than that. They are attempting to exert influence on politics and people thousands of miles away, sometimes to the detriment of their own electorate.
The two have diverging approaches to the task, but both have significant consequences for the American political field as a whole, as well as for the citizens of each state. Newsom directly ignores Californians while he bickers with Republican-controlled states, and DeSantis is using the full power of his office and a united legislature to experiment with blatantly partisan policy. The governors have become emboldened to use their power for purposes that don’t always extend beyond personal political gain.
Newsom’s neglect has vast repercussions for California, particularly with a new mandate following his triumph over a recall attempt in September. Conor Friedersdorf, a resident of the state, describes his grievances with the overzealous governor in an article for The Atlantic. He explains that while Newsom has been picking fights with conservatives on Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, his dysfunctional, “disaster-prone” state has been experiencing everything from unceasing energy shortages to a worsening homelessness crisis and rising crime. Californians languish under a deteriorating society while Newsom is too preoccupied with “trolling” political adversaries online in an attempt to expand his national image to care. His ignorance can and will become outright dangerous if the basic needs of the populace are not met.
DeSantis is more attentive to his home state, but this has led to other concerns with his tenure. Instead of directly neglecting his citizens like Newsom, he frequently uses Florida as a venerable laboratory for conservative policy rather than addressing the specific needs of the state. His most notable experiments include stripping Disney of control over Reedy Creek, its self-governing district due to political feuds, and prohibiting the instruction of gender and sexuality issues to students in grades K-3. These actions raise questions of whether DeSantis is working in the best interest of Floridians, or whether he is demonstrating to national political allies what's possible if he were in the highest office. While a corporation likely should not have such immense power over land, it is not nearly as relevant of an issue as Florida’s impending environmental concerns, of which DeSantis has a controversial record.
Both governors have determined their priorities do not lie with the electorate struggling in historically desperate times with record inflation, skyrocketing gas prices and a global pandemic. The American populace cares far less about the political dynamics of prospective presidential runs than they do about providing for themselves and their loved ones. When the state is burning to the ground and the citizens need swift support from the government, what good is a national groundswell of supporters who do not experience the state’s dire circumstances?
The core issue with this trend is not necessarily that these governors have greater aspirations, it is that they sometimes seem to forget that they were elected by a constituency, and their primary job is to serve the electorate, even if it includes people who did not vote for them. The citizens of two of the largest states in the country rightfully expect their governor to put their needs first and foremost. They have instead chosen to forsake their duties as public servants of the populace and pursue ambitions of greater power. Ideally, it should serve as a wake-up call for Americans to expect more from those who are meant to represent them, but this ideal is irrelevant if no one demands better.