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Progressive governor and failed vice presidential candidate Tim Walz is leading a Democratic effort to turn one of the country’s most influential bipartisan groups against President Donald Trump, according to a report by a mainstream media outlet.
Walz, the governor of Minnesota and one-time running mate of former Vice President Kamala Harris, is threatening to pull out of the bipartisan National Governors Association (NGA) over concerns it is not doing enough to push back against Trump, according to The Atlantic.
The Atlantic reported that two unnamed people “familiar with the governors’ thinking” shared that at least two Democratic governors — Walz and fellow Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who is head of the Democratic Governors Association — are opting to stop paying their NGA dues this month.
The two governors will not renew their membership in the organization out of frustration with its inaction against perceived violations of states’ rights by the Trump administration.
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Walz, the governor of Minnesota and one-time running mate of former Vice President Kamala Harris, is threatening to pull out of the bipartisan National Governors Association over concerns it is not doing enough to push back against Trump, according to The Atlantic. (Getty Images)
The concerns raised included the Office of Management and Budget briefly pausing disbursements of federal funds in January, the clash with Democratic Gov. Janet Mills over transgender athletes and Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard to respond to the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles.
The outlet reported three other unnamed sources saying that Walz and Kelly are not alone and that the offices of other Democratic governors are similarly frustrated with the NGA.
One of the unnamed sources said “when you are also paying dues with taxpayer dollars, it has got to be worth it, and they are going to have to demonstrate that. Right now, they are not doing that,” the outlet reported.
The source also claimed “there have been ongoing concerns about the NGA among the Democratic governors and staff, off and on, for years.”
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The Atlantic reported that two unnamed people “familiar with the governors’ thinking” shared that at least two Democratic governors — Walz and fellow Gov. Laura Kelly, head of the Democratic Governors Association — are opting to stop paying their NGA dues this month. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The NGA has existed as a forum for bipartisan collaboration among governors since 1908. The organization lists all 50 governors as well as leaders of five U.S. territories as members.
Eric Wohlschlegel, NGA communications director, told Fox News Digital the group “exists to bring governors from both parties together around shared priorities.”
Amid the Walz-led controversy, Wohlschlegel said NGA’s “mission hasn’t changed.”
“Every public statement NGA issues reflects bipartisan consensus,” he said. “So far this year, all but one statement has had that consensus, and when governors don’t agree, we simply don’t issue one. That’s how we preserve our role as a bipartisan convener, a principle we won’t compromise.”
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A source familiar with the situation blamed the controversy on “Democratic infighting, unspoken campaign jockeying and a few anonymous voices looking to reshape a nonpartisan institution into a political one.”
That source pointed out that, despite all the noise about controversy, the NGA’s summer meeting in Colorado Springs this weekend is expected to have “record turnout” with 13 Republican and seven Democratic leaders attending.
They also noted that “no governors are on the record expressing discontent with the NGA. No allegations of misconduct, governance failure or mismanagement have been raised.”
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly enters the House chamber for the State of the State address at the Kansas State Capitol Jan. 10, 2024, in Topeka, Kan. (Emily Curiel/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“What’s behind the noise?” the source added. “There’s an internal power struggle currently and no consensus among Democrats right now on how to lead, how to message or how to govern in a divided environment.
“Several Democratic governors are vying for national attention, testing messages for future campaigns rather than collaborating on consensus governance,” the source added. “The NGA’s bipartisan model is working exactly as it’s supposed to.
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“When a party can’t agree with itself, it becomes easy to take shots at bipartisan institutions that don’t serve short-term political goals.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, the outgoing NGA chair, and Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, the incoming chair, for comment on the Walz mutiny.
Though not addressing the controversy directly, Conor Cahill, a spokesperson for Polis, told Fox News Digital the governor “has been honored” to lead the NGA and to “work across the aisle with governors on education, permitting reform, standing up to federal efforts to strip away gubernatorial authority around the National Guard and elevating the priorities of states.”
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt speaks as Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado listens at the NGA in Washington (Fox News/Charlie Creitz)
He added that “during this polarizing time, bipartisan organizations are needed more than ever, and NGA must continue to demonstrate value to all governors and effectively communicate governors’ opinions on various matters with the public and the federal government.”
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Abegail Cave, a spokesperson for Stitt, who will become NGA chair this weekend, told Fox News Digital “people seem to forget NGA is a bipartisan organization, not a political one.”
“Coming to bipartisan consensus is difficult, but governors from across the political spectrum are addressing the real challenges facing Americans every day,” Cave said.
She said that Stitt “looks forward to leading this organization and finding more areas of collaboration in the coming year.”
Fox News Digital also reached out to the offices of Walz and Kelly but did not receive responses by the time of publication.
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