Governors set sights on 2024 with buses of migrants caught in the middle

After two planeloads of migrants were flown to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration made sure Fox News had the exclusive video Wednesday so conservatives could cheer him on — and liberals would fume. The day before in Illinois, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued an emergency declaration to grapple with nearly 500 immigrants bused to Chicago by Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, mobilizing the state’s National Guard after he stood before the media to call Abbott’s actions “disgusting.” Not to be outdone, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, also a Democrat, entered the fray Wednesday, calling for the Justice Department to investigate DeSantis and Abbott for their actions. Image: DeSantis migrant flights to Martha's Vineyard Immigrants gather with their belongings Wednesday outside St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Edgartown, Mass., on Martha's Vineyard.Ray Ewing / Vineyard Gazette via AP The way these prominent governors, at opposite ends of the political spectrum, are responding to the country’s immigration crisis has elevated their national profiles in their parties at the same time it's boosting their positioning for potential White House runs in 2024, if everything falls into line. And with less than two months to go until the midterm elections, the Republican governors have also managed to inject back into the national conversation an issue that mobilizes the party's base at a moment when they're happy to change the subject from abortion rights, a topic that has helped Democrats make gains. Abbott, DeSantis, Pritzker and Newsom are running for re-election, but insiders in both parties say it’s clear that the potential of 2024 White House runs is playing out in the background as the immigrant debate rolls to a boil nationally. DeSantis sends migrants to Martha’s Vineyard to protest Biden’s border policies SEPT. 15, 202202:52 “Remember, there are two campaigns for DeSantis: president and governor. This was for the presidential campaign,” said former Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a moderate Republican from Miami. “There’s not much to gain for DeSantis’ gubernatorial campaign,” Curbelo said. “He probably calculated there’s not much to lose.” As DeSantis has shot to national prominence, Newsom and Pritzker have tried to pick fights with him in recent months, with Pritzker going so far as to headline Florida Democrats' annual gala in July, when he won accolades from the party faithful for taking their bête noire to task. For Pritzker, the immigrant arrivals is as much a test of how he performs in a politically volatile predicament as it is an opportunity to elevate himself as an antidote to DeSantis and Abbott, whom Democratic voters view as GOP villains. Image: J.B. Pritzker Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker addresses reporters in Springfield on April 7.John O'Connor / AP file "It’s these moments that the Democratic primary voters, when it comes to the president, are going to look to see what kind of heart the candidate has, what kind of follow-through the candidate has," said a veteran Democratic strategist, Bill Houlihan, a former aide to Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. For any future Pritzker presidential run, he said, "it's a big plus.” “It’s a story you can talk about in people’s living rooms and small gymnasiums as you’re campaigning for president in those early primary states," he said. In declaring an emergency, Pritzker expedited housing, food and medical assistance for the new arrivals while activating the National Guard. As bus after bus arrived in Chicago, Pritzker repeatedly condemned Abbott, calling him and his office "wholly uncooperative," and accused Republicans of "trying to sow chaos around the country.” “The Governor of the state of Texas is choosing not to notify us when he is sending busloads of families — we don’t know how many are children or what they need before they arrive,” Pritzker wrote in a Twitter thread Wednesday. “Here in Illinois, we refuse to stoop to that man’s level. We will provide food, shelter, and healthcare for the children, women, and men that need it.” And Newsom’s move is just his latest attempt to step into the national spotlight. That includes running ads in Florida and Texas attacking their restrictive abortion laws and celebrating Californians’ access to abortion. For more information, visit us at http://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/index.html.