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.