A day after the Republican Governor's Association announced that it raised a jaw-dropping $31 million over the past three months, the Democratic Governors Association put out its first fundraising solicitation from the Obama administration.
On Friday, the DGA, which raised $10 million during that same time period, blasted an email to its grassroots donors from Vice President Joe Biden under the title: "A survival guide for 2010."
"Supporting the DGA is absolutely critical to energizing Democrats across the country this November," the email reads. "Governors around the country are ramping up their preparation for Election Day. But it's not just about 2010 -- this is about laying the groundwork for 2012 as well. We can't afford to sit this one out, just because President Obama isn't on the ballot!"
The solicitation echoes the type of argument that the Obama administration has been making to the Democratic base with respect to the congressional elections, though the notion that governors will play an important role in 2012 contest is noteworthy. Redistricting is slated to happen early next year and, in a number of states, the governor's office will have either direct say or strong sway over how the lines are drawn. In additional, governors will play a fairly important role in the next presidential election, either through helping determine which candidate emerges as the Republican nominee or making their presence felt in the battle for significant swing states.
The Biden email is the first fundraising appeal that the either the Vice President or the President has done on behalf of the DGA, an association official confirms (President Obama did headline an event for the DGA in October 2009). And coming amid the hooplah over the RGA's money-raising prowess, it's a reflection of a heightened seriousness on the part of the party over the state of state races.
The full email is below: