Democratic governors present at DNC event with “Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus • Kansas Reflector
CHICAGO – Actress and climate activist Julia Louis-Dreyfus asked eight Democratic female governors on Wednesday if they would be ready for public office after they played a vice president and a president on the hit cable television series “Veep.”
“You are more qualified than Donald Trump, don’t worry,” New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul quickly responded, sparking laughter in the packed room.
Louis-Dreyfus moderated a panel of Democratic female governors at the Democratic National Convention. In their roughly hour-long discussion, the leaders discussed the unique benefits of being a woman in politics and talked about how they are preparing for potential interference and problems in the upcoming presidential election.
Fake voters
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs said she is working closely with the secretary of state and attorney general to ensure Arizona’s electoral votes are cast and to prepare for “every single scenario that comes our way.”
“I think the challenges we experienced in 2020 will look like kindergarten compared to what we see now,” she said. “But we are ready.”
A grand jury has indicted 18 people in connection with an election fraud scheme aimed at installing Donald Trump as president after he lost the state of Arizona in the 2020 election.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer faced a similar scenario: Six people now face charges for casting fraudulent votes for Trump in 2020.
Whitmer said her state legislature has been working to pass a law that would protect poll workers and make it easier for citizens to participate in early voting.
“We know there will be all kinds of efforts” to influence the results, she said.
Louis-Dreyfus pointed out that Whitmer has struggled with the coronavirus pandemic, natural disasters and an attempted kidnapping and murder plot during her time in office.
“How do you stay afloat under these circumstances?” she asked.
Whitmer said she keeps a gratitude journal and writes down three things that bring her joy each day. She said sometimes the list is as long as 10 items, but other days it’s not as long.
“Some days it’s just my dog, my bed and tequila,” she said.
Women in state and local politics
Louis-Dreyfus asked why it was important to support women in elections, and not just at the national level.
Hobbs said early support is important, noting that Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, started her job as district attorney in San Francisco that way in 2003.
“The races for the lower spots are crucial,” said Hobbs.
Several governors agreed, pointing out that this would allow them to enter politics through local elections.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said she began her career in the state legislature. Kotek was the longest-serving speaker in the Oregon House of Representatives and the first openly lesbian speaker, elected in 2013.
“When I became speaker, the entire leadership team was made up of men, and you notice it when you’re the only one in the room,” she said.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is aware of this development, pointing out that last year she was elected governor of her state as the first woman and open member of the LGBTQ community.
Whitmer said that as a woman in politics she is often underestimated, but she sees this as a strength rather than a limitation.
“We are treated differently in many ways compared to male applicants, but I would also say that being underestimated is a huge advantage,” she said.
Laura Kelly, governor of Kansas and chair of the Democratic Governors Association, said she believes the underestimation of women in politics “will disappear over time.”
Whitmer nodded: “With President Harris, it will.”
Louis-Dreyfus, who is also a comedian and starred in “Seinfeld,” asked what place humor could have in politics.
“I think humor is a powerful tool when things are heated and tense,” said New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Louis-Dreyfus asked the governors why Republicans were “so damn weird.”
Maine Governor Janet Mills laughed and said she knows Republicans in her state who want to vote for Harris because they “don’t know where to go.”
“They’re not all weird,” she said. “They know the traditional (Republican) party is not about Trump.”
Reproductive rights
Louis-Dreyfus asked how the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade had affected access to abortion in states where governors govern.
Since the conservative Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion two years ago, Democrats have been campaigning on the issue at the state and federal levels. Reproductive rights activists have also launched grassroots campaigns to put bills to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution on state ballots.
Four states – California, Michigan, Ohio and Vermont – have passed measures to amend their state constitutions to enshrine abortion protections, according to the health organization KFF’s abortion ballot tracker. Citizen-initiated measures to protect abortion access are currently on the ballot in November in seven states: Arizona, Nevada, Montana, South Dakota, Colorado, Missouri and Florida.
Hochul said the first thing she did after the Supreme Court ruling was attend a vigil.
“It broke my heart,” she said.
Hochul said she had called the state legislature into emergency session to pass a bill to protect medical personnel and patients who travel to New York for an abortion.
“We let women from other states know that this is a safe haven for them when they come here,” she said. “I will fight tooth and nail to get abortion rights back for my granddaughter.”
