Leadership is turning to three Democratic governors of states won by Trump last fall: Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. All three will speak at the issues retreat on “their approaches to governing a state that President Trump carried in 2024.”

Strategists think House Democrats can benefit from the governors’ expertise — especially Shapiro, one of the finalists for Harris’s vice presidential pick — on how to avoid getting sucked into defending culture wars and GOP talking points.

“In D.C., it seems like we get caught up in these sort of conversations that end up with circular firing squads,” Pennsylvania Democratic strategist Daniel Fee said in an interview with the Washington Examiner. “And governors really don’t do a lot of that.”

Governors give Democrats glimmer of hope

House lawmakers will meet at the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Virginia, beginning on March 12 through March 14. In addition to the governors, Democrats will hear from bipartisan pollsters and policy and campaign messaging arms as the party seeks to retool its strategies to reach voters where they are in their lives.

With former President Joe Biden bowing out as party leader last year and Harris viewing a run at California governor, Republicans have been quick to blast Democrats for being “in disarray” and leaderless. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has said he remains secure in his leadership, but he has not made any indications he wants to seek a higher place in the party.

Instead, eyes are on Beshear, Shapiro, and Whitmer as contenders for the 2028 presidential election. Democratic strategist Brad Bannon said the governors are the “future of the party” and can appeal to voters in ways members of Congress seeking higher office cannot.

“Anybody who is serving in Washington, unfortunately, is tainted by voter distaste for Washington,” Bannon said. “So I think it’s very wise for Democrats to feature the [governors] and the innovative programs they are undertaking in their home states to deal with important issues.” 

Beshear, Shapiro, and Whitmer have high approval ratings, with Beshear at 65% and both Whitmer and Shapiro at 56%. Beshear handily won reelection in 2023, in part by successfully distancing himself from Biden and his economic policies. 

Shapiro, if he chooses to run for reelection, will be on the ballot in 2026. Whitmer, who was elected in 2020, will term out in 2026. 

The Pennsylvania governor, in particular, has long been seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party. Many Democrats had hoped he would be picked for Harris’s running mate as he could appeal to a centrist crowd that Harris’s progressive policies sometimes alienated.

Fee said Shapiro and other governors can avoid the “performative” nature that comes with national politics and instead focus on “performance.”

“That doesn’t carry any weight in state governance, right? You can be for all kinds of things at the federal level, knowing full well that they’re never going to happen,” Fee said. “When you’re governor, people expect them to happen.”

“What the governor can really talk about is the difference between performance and being performative,” the strategist added.

Shapiro, Beshear, and Whitmer can bring to the table the experience of being from states that are “not necessarily friendly to Democrats.” 

“They’ve been able to win because they’ve been focused on what actually matters to people, rather than getting caught up in conversations that matter … to members of the media and interest groups,” Fee said.

However, some House Democrats aren’t sure how effective the governors will be for the caucus given the political climate on Capitol Hill. Instead, they argue the retreat is more of a platform to pitch their campaigns.

“They’re preparing to run for president. I don’t begrudge that,” one House Democrat told the Washington Examiner. “I don’t know what they’re really bringing — it’s a pretty deeply legislative moment, I don’t know if this is really their cup of tea.”

“Don’t get me wrong, anxious to hear from them, but I don’t know that it’s gonna be of the moment,” the lawmaker added.

Democrats desperately need a reset

Following the 2024 election, many Democrats called for a reflection period. Some lawmakers blasted their own colleagues for caring too much about social issues, such as transgender rights.

Now, Democrats need to rethink how they not only speak to kitchen-table issues but also maintain their progressive flank, which wants to see the party stand up for marginalized groups.

“What makes it so important that we protect people who are LGBTQ, disabled, different religions, different races, and all that, is because they are human beings. They are people who deserve respect. Instead, we focus on what makes us unique, rather than what the common elements among us: mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, parents, children,” Fee said of Democrats’ messaging failures.

Since the GOP trifecta took effect, however, Democrats have been eager to zero in on Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency as the agency works to overhaul and slash federal departments to downsize the government. Democrats’ main argument has centered on Musk being an unelected billionaire who is too close to taxpayers’ data and overextending his authority.

They’ve also tried to flip the narrative on the economy, attacking Trump’s plans for tariffs and accusing Republicans of not passing any legislation that will bring down inflation or lower taxes for everyday Americans. The budget reconciliation process has been one of the most volatile on Capitol Hill, and Democrats have repeatedly stated that the GOP’s $2 trillion in proposed cuts could run right through Medicaid and other benefits.

For some reason, their messaging is hitting flat. They most recently got blasted for a “cringe” viral TikTok using the “Choose Your Fighter” trend, featuring several Democratic members of Congress, including Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). 

DNC Chairman Ken Martin faced scrutiny when he released a five-page memo attacking Trump’s administration but failing to offer concrete ways for Democrats to push back — something the party has been desperately looking for since last November.

In a post to X, Democrats released a crowded bullet-point post of their February accomplishments. That, too, was met with backlash as many social media users noted that lengthy posts do not perform well with young viewers. So much so that content creators for the Democrats are now encouraging people to reach out with comments and ideas.

House Democrats will also be leaving for the retreat a week after several members of the party defied Jeffries’s request for a “dignified” response to Trump’s address. Rep. Al Green (D-TX) was censured for his outburst during the president’s speech, while other Democrats said their colleagues’ antics “[don’t] help us get the majority.”

If they leave on March 12 as promised, it will be either a day or hours after voting on a continuing resolution to keep the government from shutting down on March 14. Republicans have already ramped up their messaging on the CR, arguing that it is a “clean” stopgap spending deal and if Democrats decline to vote for it, they will carry the responsibility of letting funding expire.

Jeffries has pushed back against this notion, arguing that Republicans are distracting from the fact that they are not addressing the economy and recent court battles between states and the Trump administration.

DEMOCRATS MOUNT RESISTANCE TO GOP EFFORT TO KEEP GOVERNMENT OPEN

“This flood-the-zone strategy is designed to disorient people. I ain’t going to be disoriented,” Jeffries said, noting the White House is trying to create “the appearance of inevitability.”

“I’m not going to be disoriented,” Jeffries added. “We are going to push back successfully, and the American people will win.”