‘What Happened?’ ABC’s Martha Raddatz Presses Trio of Dem Governors on Cracks in Its ‘Guaranteed Blue Wall’ During Trump Era

ABC’s Martha Raddatz sat down with Democratic governors Tony Evers, Josh Shapiro, and Gretchen Whitmer on Sunday to ask how their states went from a safe firewall for Democrats to being in play for the GOP in the era of Donald Trump.

The former President won Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in 2016 and narrowly lost each state in 2020. On ABC’s This Week on Sunday, Raddatz sat down with the governors of the three states to discuss the coming 2024 election, which polls show could be a tossup between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Addressing Shaprio, Raddatz noted Pennsylvania is a “must-win” for both candidates with 19 electoral votes. The governor said he believed Harris would win the commonwelath.

Raddatz then turned to Whitmer and said, “Look at the polls. I mean, just a couple of elections ago, this blue wall was almost guaranteed for Democrats. I know you’ve seen enthusiasm. I know you’re working hard, but the polls really aren’t showing it. Who did the Democrats lose over these years?” Whitmer replied:

I think if you even go back eight years, all three of our states went for Donald Trump, and then all three of us were elected and re-elected, and this is, I think, you don’t win a state like Michigan by 11 points without a lot of people coming over, independents and Republicans, and that’s part of our message. As we have been to Wisconsin and Michigan, and now here in Pennsylvania, there’s a seat at the table for everyone. We understand that there are Republicans out there who are lamenting that Donald Trump is their nominee. They’re not sure about our agenda. We’re making a seat at the table for them. We are not writing anyone off.

Raddatz then pressed the three governors as to how they saw the upcoming election playing out in their states and what they believed Trump’s appeal is:

RADDATZ: I want to go back to this. It is razor-thin, and some of the averages they see Trump making it. I know you’re saying you have faith in these voters and they understand what they saw in Donald Trump years ago, but the polls just aren’t showing it.

WHITMER: Listen. The only people that are not surprised about these polls are us three. We all expect this. We are not upset about it. We’re not scared. We’re determined to make sure we do everything in our power to win this thing, and while this is going to be close, I would much rather be playing our hand than theirs. We’ve got a better candidate. We’ve got receipts on issues that matter to the American people, on economy, individual rights, affordable housing, et cetera, and we’ve got a better ground game. We’re going to do the work.

RADDATZ:: Governor Evers, it is hard to believe that people are still undecided at this point. They know who Donald Trump is. They know what he has done. They saw the Biden administration, and many of them are not happy with it and tying Kamala Harris in there. So is this an election where it’s not so much in this ground game going after the undecided but the unenthused?

I do believe it’s undecided. I think there’s plenty of enthusiasm on both sides in Wisconsin. You know, it’s close. I won by one percent, and I tripled it the next time to three percent, and so we anticipated this right from the get-go, but I talk to people just about every day that are torn about what to do, how they’re going to vote, and so I think there are people that are doing this.

RADATZ: What are they waiting to hear? They have watched Donald Trump. They have watched Kamala Harris over these past few months. How can they be undecided?

EVERS: There are people that frankly don’t follow this on a daily basis. There’s people that don’t follow the polls. There’s people that just don’t, you know, they go to work. They got kids at home. They do a good job with their kids, and they get up the next day. The polls look at a small number. I know there’s – I know it’s a science, but at the end of the day, I run into people all the time, and we’re going to help them.

RADDATZ: When you think about Donald Trump and his appeal to all of your voters in your states, to half of the voters in your states, what do you think the appeal is of Donald Trump to people? What do you think they like about him in the end?

SHAPIRO: I think there’s a lot of folks who are frustrated that they don’t see government solving problems in their communities. I think what people are craving are leaders who know how to get stuff done for them. It’s about ordinary Americans just trying to get through their day and wanting to know that folks in government are looking out for them. Donald Trump talks a good game about that. Now he has a history of failing to deliver over and over and over again, and I think part of our responsibility here is to make sure we’re letting folks know that despite the noise, despite the bluster, despite the words that come out of his mouth, they’re not only empty promises now. As Gretchen says, we’ve got the receipts to prove when he had the keys to the White House before, he failed the American people time and time again.

Watch above via ABC News.