‘What happened?’ ABC’s Martha Raddatz hammers Dem governors to

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Polls showing that key “blue wall” states are now a “tossup” in the presidential race prompted ABC’s Martha Raddatz to ask three Democrat governors what happened under their watch.

Governors Tony Evers, Josh Shapiro, and Gretchen Whitmer spoke about the shift during an interview on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, as a concerned Raddatz tried to get to the bottom of why Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – which Trump narrowly lost in 2020 – are in play for the Republican presidential nominee in 2024.

“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?” the host asked Whitmer.

(Video Credit: ABC News)

“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,” the governor replied.

“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,” Whitmer added.

Raddatz noted the “razor-thin” margins and lamented that polls are not backing the optimism of the governors.

“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,” she said.

“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,” Whitmer declared.

“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,” she continued, adding that they’ve “got receipts on issues that matter to the American people,” despite the fact that the Democratic nominee has been part of the current administration.

Raddtaz found it “hard to believe that people are still undecided at this point,” asking Evers, “So is this an election where it’s not so much in this ground game going after the undecided but the unenthused?”

“There are people that frankly don’t follow this on a daily basis. There’s people that don’t follow the polls,” the Wisconsin Democrat said, attempting to dismiss the significance of the surveys. “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 still could not understand “How can they be undecided?” and went on to ask Shapiro about Trump’s appeal to voters in his state.

“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,” the Pennsylvania governor replied.

“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,” Shapiro claimed. “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.”

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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.