Democratic Governors Association Announces It Has Spent At Least $73 Million in 10 States So Far This Cycle

The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) announced it has spent well over $70 million to support Democrats running for the governor’s seat in states ranging from Nevada to Ohio to Wisconsin.

In an election cycle where Democrats’ favorable national political environment has strengthened the party’s odds of flipping the House and Senate, the DGA believes the party can also secure a majority of governor seats, the highest state-level offices. 

“There is a very real opportunity for Democrats to govern a majority of the states in our country for the first time since 2010,” DGA Executive Director Meghan Meehan-Draper said in a release announcing the DGA’s investments.

The organization typically does not announce all of its future spending to “avoid tipping off our Republican counterparts,” Meehan-Draper said. However, she revealed the organization had spent at least $10 million each on the governor’s races in Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin. In Alaska, Kansas and Texas, the DGA has spent seven-figure sums to boost Democratic gubernatorial candidates. 

The organization’s strategy to secure a Democratic majority of governors has involved defending seats currently held by Democrats from Republican challengers, including in Arizona and Michigan, while flipping the governor’s seat in states like Georgia and Alaska. 

“With strong Democratic candidates running in competitive races across the country, the DGA must be ready to make a difference if we see opportunities in states that people might not expect,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, the DGA’s chair, said in a release last month announcing the organization’s Expand the Map Fund, an initiative to flip Republican-held governor’s seats. 

“As Republicans drive up costs for everyday Americans, the DGA is ready to support Democratic candidates for governor as they make life better for people in 2026 and create a bigger path to win in future election cycles,” Beshear continued. 

Through their spending, which has included a late “surge” of at least $20 million in investments, the DGA hopes to help candidates combat massive outside spending by Republicans, which Democratic operatives have worried could tilt crucial races in the GOP’s favor. 

In the DGA’s release announcing its investments, Meehan-Draper said the organization was helping to “close the gap with Republicans who are drastically outspending us.”

“The DGA has been building for this moment, cycle after cycle, and we feel confident we can make history in November,” Meehan-Draper said.