They are the governors most celebrated by the media for their handling of the coronavirus. They are Democrats. They are frequent critics of President Trump. And they govern states with some of the worst numbers associated with the outbreak.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has earned such extraordinary plaudits for his coronavirus leadership that there has been speculation he will replace Joe Biden at the top of the 2020 Democratic ticket. He has ruled it out, although polling suggests rank-and-file Democrats have not.
The crisis has elevated Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer close to the front of Biden’s running mate shortlist, at least publicly.
The praise for Cuomo has been especially fulsome. U.S. News and World Report christened him “America’s governor,” Politico, the “coronavirus’ golden governor.” A headline in Forbes proclaimed, “Coronavirus calls for a leader with soul: Cuomo steps up.” MarketWatch declared Cuomo and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci “America’s de facto leaders” during the pandemic. CNN’s Chris Cillizza issues weekly rankings of the top 10 leaders on the coronavirus, with Cuomo usually coming in first and never finishing worse than second yet.
“The governor of New York continues to be, for much of the country, the face of the government response to coronavirus,” Cillizza wrote in the April 3 edition. “The President is still, well, the president,” Cillizza observed of Trump on March 27. The scion of a New York liberal Democratic family, Cuomo is often offered as a contrast with Trump, his sometime partner, sometime sparring partner on the coronavirus.
“The daily press briefings out of Washington and Albany over the last week have provided a split screen in leadership,” Democratic strategist Lis Smith told NBC News. “Whereas Governor Cuomo has been ruthlessly direct, faithful to the facts, and in command at all times, the president has lashed out at the media, sowed confusion, and shirked responsibility at every turn.”
Cuomo’s New York leads the country in confirmed coronavirus cases (251,690 at last count) and deaths (14,828). That’s 1,294 cases per 100,000 people and 76 deaths per 100,000. The state accounts for nearly a third of the nation’s coronavirus-related deaths. New York City’s hospitals and medical supplies are stretched thin, the type of stress on the healthcare system that medical experts fear the pandemic inflicting nationwide if it is not kept under control by strict, sustained social distancing.
Many factors contribute to a high incidence of coronavirus cases: the earliest known infection, the availability of testing, population density. Cuomo has received high marks for playing the hand he has been dealt and not engaging in blame-shifting. But Cuomo, like Trump above him and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio below him, also initially projected confidence before the area became the epicenter of the pandemic. While a New York Times report placed much of the blame on Trump and the “chaotic” federal response, “Even so, the initial efforts by New York officials to stem the outbreak were hampered by their own confused guidance, unheeded warnings, delayed decisions and political infighting,” the paper found.
“Excuse our arrogance as New Yorkers — I speak for the mayor also on this one — we think we have the best healthcare system on the planet right here in New York,” Cuomo said on March 2. “So, when you’re saying, what happened in other countries versus what happened here, we don’t even think it’s going to be as bad as it was in other countries.” While California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a stay-home order when California had 675 confirmed cases, Cuomo didn’t follow suit until New York had topped 7,000.
Nevertheless, Cuomo, at an April 8 press conference, denied delaying. “I think New York was early, and I think the actions we took were more dramatic than most. And frankly, we were criticized as being premature,” he said.
Before their Oval Office meeting on Tuesday, Cuomo agreed with Trump that everyone is quick to point fingers. “This is a situation that no matter however you do it, it’s going to be a blame game afterward,” he said. “I heard the president in his briefing the other day. He’s right.” Cuomo also described managing the outbreak as “thankless,” adding, “It is one of those tasks when you get to the end of it, everybody is going to be able to say you didn’t do enough.”
In Michigan, Whitmer has found herself in the national spotlight thanks to a feud with Trump that has led to glowing profiles contrasting her with a bullying president. A Detroit News poll out this week found Michigan voters approved of her coronavirus handling by 57%-37% compared to 44%-50% for Trump.
But Michigan ranks seventh in confirmed coronavirus cases at 32,935 and third in deaths at 2,698. Its 330 cases per 100,000 is also higher than states such as California, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Whitmer has been accused of overreach in some of her lockdown policies, calling them “gut-wrenching choices” in a New York Times op-ed, and has come under fire for awarding coronavirus-related contracts to Democratic consultants.
“Michiganders are growing concerned that in her quest to become Biden’s VP, Whitmer is not appropriately managing the coronavirus crisis response for the state,” said Tori Sachs, executive director of the conservative Michigan Rising Action. “It’s been over a month, and Michiganders are still struggling with the state system to sign up for unemployment payments, and Whitmer recently gave a no-bid contract to Democrat campaign vendors. Couple this with the fact Whitmer has the most excessive and confusing orders in the country, I think it’s fair to ask Whitmer what her priorities are.”
After an initial spike, Trump has seen his approval ratings on the coronavirus dip. He has been criticized for battling with governors seeking supplies to fight the virus, making inaccurate claims and contentious statements at his daily press briefings, taking too long to confront the pandemic, and trying to end the quarantines too soon.
Still, Republicans see double standards in how Democratic governors are covered. “Cuomo is a media star, and Whitmer is a media star wannabe,” said GOP strategist John Feehery. “And in the bizarre world created by the media, it’s not how you actually do. It’s how you present to the progressive base. And they both present well to the base, despite less than impressive results.”
