Stark divides on abortion, gun violence loom as U.S. governors meeting begins

With stark political divides on abortion, gun violence and other issues threatening to overshadow their meeting, the nation's governors sought to find common ground.

With stark political divides on abortion, gun violence and other issues threatening to overshadow their meeting, the nation’s governors sought to find common ground – on other issues.

The National Governors Association formally kicked off its summer gathering Thursday, the first in-person meeting since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. It follows recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings that have deepened the rift between red and blue states, by overturning Roe v. Wade and striking down gun restrictions in New York.

Leaders say there’s still room for bipartisanship.

“It’s about trying to find things that we can work on together, and that’s plentiful,” said Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican who is wrapping up his yearlong term as the association’s chair.

Hutchinson is handing the reins of the group to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, who will serve as its next chair. The two governors announced last month a bipartisan task force to make recommendations on preventing mass shootings, following the massacre at a Texas elementary school that killed 19 children and two teachers.

The task force was announced before President Joe Biden signed into law a sweeping, bipartisan gun violence measure that includes billions in new funding for mental health and school safety. The task force is comprised of eight governors, equally divided between Republicans and Democrats.

Hutchinson said he sees the group helping shepherd that law’s implementation at the state level.

Republican Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah, a member of the task force, acknowledged that any change to gun policy would invite controversy in his state, yet he encourages politicians to listen to proposals from across the political spectrum, including funding for school security, counselors, gun buybacks and red flag laws.