Ignoring the smaller states, where the challenges are different, I would have to give the accolade to Texas Governor, Greg Abbott. At present Texas has 46 deaths per million which is almost six times lower than the national average of 272 deaths per million. Having said that I would still like to see him increase the testing rate in the Lone Star State. Now this can all change somewhat with the re-opening but we will wait and see. So far Texas is managing risk inputs well. Texas COVID-19 cases rise, governor's office says more testing being done
Greg Abbott meeting DJT - Houston Chronicle
One aspect that many seem to forget is that Governors in the US are free to handle COVID-19 mitigation in whatever way they deem fit (within reason of course). It is not necessarily a party platform. However the mainstream media appears to see it that way.
Brian Kemp (R) in Georgia has not differed that much from Jared Polis (D) in Colorado for example. Both opened up early. Although Colorado has a higher death rate than the Peachtree state (207 v 151 per million). Kemp though has been at the brunt of a far more savage media attack that he seems to have weathered for now. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Deserves An Apology.
Brian Kemp source: nbcnews
Jared Polis source: nbc news
So lets look at a few of the others?
What should be obvious to all though is that in NY, NJ and Connecticut - the Tri-State Area - the situation has been dealt with poorly (look at the numbers….1446, 1155 and 937 death as per million). In one day alone New Jersey lost more people than the entire country of Hungary has lost in the history of the Pandemic so far. New Jersey reports 460 coronavirus deaths, highest single-day death toll
Each has a Democratic Party governor but the criticism would still stand if a Republican were in charge. The media’s lionizing of Cuomo, does I admit nauseate me as he has been abysmal with respect to key markers. I have written about this already.Gavin Kanowitz's answer to Is Governor Andrew Cuomo handling the Coronavirus well in New York? Even if you factor in population densities, the state has not performed well. New York Sent Recovering Coronavirus Patients to Nursing Homes: ‘It Was a Fatal Error’
Andrew Cuomo source: syracuse.com
Gavin Newsom (D) in California seems to be doing a decent job so far. The same is true of Jay Inslee in Washington (another Democrat). Kudos to both of them. However as the lockdown continues both Inslee and Newsom will receive more accelerated push back. Protesters in Vancouver want Gov. Inslee to open Washington. Like other strong lockdown proponents they need to answer that Great Question…What is the state locking down until? Over to you gentlemen.
Gavin Newsom: Source: cnbc.com
Ohio, Texas and Florida are big population states. All have GOP governors and all are doing relatively well. I have spoken about Abbott already but Ron DeSantis deserves much credit as well. Florida man beats Covid, for now. The same can be said of Ohio’s Michael DeWine.
Mike DeWine -Ohio source: wikipedia
Pennsylvania and Michigan unfortunately are under-performing states. Scandals like this haven’t helped Tom Wolf’s Harrisburg based government. Health Secretary Rachel Levine’s removal of mom from care home amid epidemic draws scrutiny and Coronavirus hits nearly 300 Pa. elder-care centers, accounting for half the state’s deaths
Michigan has a notoriously low rate of testing (barely above the national average despite having twice the death rate) which is rather disturbing. To add to this the Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has been somewhat totalitarian in her approach to the lockdown which has irritated a great deal of the population. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/16/gretchen-whitmer-may-have-just-taken-herself-out-veepstakes/
Gretchen Whitmer source: michigan.gov
Illinois’ Jay Pritzker (D) has a mixed record. He complains a lot but seems short on solutions. What is worse is that he seems to be losing the plot with certain segments of law enforcement McHenry County Sheriff Says Deputies Won’t Enforce Pritzker’s ‘Stay-at-Home’ Order. Like Michigan he needs to increase his testing rates.
John Bel Edwards (D) in Louisiana runs a state with a high death percent but a great deal of the surge here can likely be traced to the ill-fated Mardi Gras decision. He has dealt with this awful outcome well enough even if 527 deaths per million is a staggering number. Early testing ramp ups are commendable.
It hasn’t gone well though for all GOP governors. Massachusetts and Maryland are two such examples. Maryland has improved of late but Massachusetts is still hard hit despite the fact that the state is third behind Rhode Island and New York in Tests administered per capita. The governor Charlie Baker is looking toward a cautious re-opening. Despite the critique in this article his approach does seem prudent. Charlie Baker’s coronavirus strategy: Fiddle, make them wait
This then is a snapshot of how the situation looks right now but even a week in the COVID timeline can seem like an eon so it wouldn’t surprise me if a great deal of this assessment changes based on newly incoming data.
It is not too late for individual governors to salvage some good from their slip-ups so far. Lets hope that they do.
Source:
United States Coronavirus: 1,527,451 Cases and 90,975 Deaths
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