DGA Conference Call

As mentioned yesterday the Democratic Governor's Association announced that Delaware Gov. Jack Markell has been selected as their new chair. Gov. Martin O'Malley of Maryland is the vice chair.

Today Markell participated in a DGA conference call with bloggers. He spoke highly of the role the online community played in his own gubernatorial race.

Since both Delaware and Maryland border Pennsylvania I asked if we could expect to see Markell and O'Malley in our fair commonwealth next year. Markell said yes, and that he was interested in regional efforts. For example, the governors of Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Virginia signed an agreement on offshore wind power.

While DGA does not get involved in Democratic primaries it does play a role in the general election. The organization has streamlined and now has one fewer employee than it did in 2006. They have also been managing financial resources and plan to spend $40 million in the governor's races in 2010, though that money will not be evenly distributed.

Markell noted that Republican candidates are good people but Democrats need to focus on getting ideas across, effective communication, and staying positive.