Governors emerge into national spotlight as they deftly deal with coronavirus

CNN — Governors across the country have stepped up to combat the coronavirus pandemic in recent weeks, turning a group of one-time anonymous state officials into influential executives with growing national profiles. On March 9 – days after multiple states declared a state of emergency – Trump compared the spread of coronavirus to the flu and tweeted, “Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on.” “We’re doing a great job with it,” Trump said a day later March 10. He has been hesitant to call out any of his less aggressive governors, but the Maryland Republican has also touted those who acted swiftly, like in a recent CBS interview where he said governors had “been on the front lines” and “stepped up to make those tough decisions” to “push for more action from the federal level.” “Governors are leading on the front lines of this crisis, and we need Congress to work together to support our effort,” Hogan told CNN on Friday. “This is no time for partisan dysfunction – it’s going to take all of us working together in order to save thousands of lives.” Operatives like James Nash at the National Governors Association, a non-partisan organization that works with the nation’s governors, argue that governors have “have always been leading in response to disasters,” but that the response to the coronavirus pandemic has been “more visible.” “Governors have been taking a lot of initiative,” Nash said. A former Bullock aide described it as “disappointing” that a message focused on executive leadership didn’t resonate in 2019, but said they are happy “governors are now proving the point that that experience does matter.” Other former aides pointed to the nationalization of American politics, including the way the primary process was structured, as a key reason for governors struggling.