Colorado Governor Jared Polis Elected Vice Chair
Atlantic City, New Jersey – Utah Governor Spencer Cox was elected chair of the National Governors Association (NGA) — the voice of the leaders of 55 states, territories, and commonwealths dedicated to leading bipartisan solutions.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis was elected the NGA vice chair, with a role overseeing the NGA Center for Best Practices, the only research and development office directly serving the nation’s Governors. The Governors assumed their new roles during the NGA Annual Meeting in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and will serve for one year.
Governor Cox announced his Chair’s Initiative, Disagree Better, at the closing session of the meeting. The initiative is designed to help Americans bridge the partisan divide and adopt a more positive approach to political and social discourse. Through public debates, service projects, public service announcements and a variety of other tools, Governors are joining forces for the Disagree Better initiative.
“There’s an ‘exhausted majority’ of Americans out there who are discouraged by the ugliness of our politics today,” said Governor Cox. “The divisiveness undermines our success as a nation and hurts our relationships with friends and family. We don’t all have to agree on every issue, but we have to find a way to disagree better. Governors work together across party lines every day, and we have a unique opportunity and obligation to demonstrate how to find solutions and solve problems instead of endlessly bickering. My fellow Governors from both red and blue states are ready to lead toward a more positive and optimistic way of working through our problems.”
“I am proud to be elected NGA Vice-Chair for the upcoming year by my colleagues from both sides of the aisle. NGA is an opportunity for governors to offer their unique perspectives, share policies, and develop bipartisan solutions. I am committed to elevating the issues impacting Colorado and, through the bipartisan input from NGA, creating real solutions to improve our state, create jobs and continue to grow our thriving economy” said Governor Jared Polis. “I look forward to working with the other governors to address the challenges facing our nation, Colorado, and the opportunity to serve as Vice-Chair.”
In addition to Governors Cox and Polis, the following Governors were elected to positions on the NGA Executive Committee, which guides NGA’s operations and priorities:
- Governor Roy Cooper, North Carolina
- Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico
- Governor Kathy Hochul, New York
- Governor Eric Holcomb, Indiana
- Governor Phil Murphy, New Jersey (immediate past chair)
- Governor Kevin Stitt, Oklahoma
- Governor Chris Sununu, New Hampshire
In addition to the Executive Committee, NGA announced new leadership and name changes for NGA’s three Governor-led task forces. The task forces foster a collaborative environment for Governors to focus on NGA’s top federal priorities. The task forces and their co-chairs are:
- Economic Development and Revitalization: Governor Andy Beshear (Kentucky) and Governor Henry McMaster (South Carolina)
- Education, Workforce and Community Investment: Governor Brad Little (Idaho) and Governor Albert Bryan Jr. (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Public Health and Disaster Response: Governor Josh Green M.D. (Hawai‘i) and Governor Phil Scott (Vermont)
Learn more about the Disagree Better initiative, and upcoming bipartisan events, on the NGA website.
