RALEIGH — Gov. Roy Cooper is under fire for his leadership of the Democratic Governors’ Assocation.
Under Cooper, the DGA has spent millions in Republican gubernatorial primaries, and is credited with the primary win of Dan Cox in Maryland last month.
Raleigh TV station WRAL reported that some national Democrats, including for Obama strategist David Axelrod, called the move “dicy,” citing low approval ratings of President Joe Biden.
Tennessee state Rep. Mike Stewart, a Democrat, tweeted his disapproval, saying, “This sort of political game playing breeds cynicism that drives good people away from politics at a time when their participation is most needed.”
He also went after Cooper, saying he “Does not underhand the proper role of leaders facing threat to our democracy.”
Ads by the DGA and its affiliated expenditure efforts are also credited with aiding candidates in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
Cooper’s counterpart, Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, has nonetheless put the weight of the Republican Governors’ Association behind the winning candidates, setting up competitive races across the nation.
Republicans hold the edge nationwide among state governors with 28 to Democrats’ 22.
