JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Republican governors running for reelection have begun trumpeting the party’s more hands-off approach to the coronavirus pandemic as they try to flip the script on an issue that helped Democrats win the White House and control of Capitol Hill in 2020.
GOP governors are pointing to a resurgent economy and crediting their resistance to strict public health protocols that the state leaders frame as shackles.
At the same time, Republican challengers are hammering Democratic governors as slow to relax business restrictions, end mask mandates and reopen schools full time. It's a strategy with risks and rewards for both parties.
