One sign of progressive strength is when progressive candidates win elections. But another sign is when conservative candidates begin adopting progressive programs for fear of losing office. And across the country, many GOP gubernatorial candidates have begun embracing progressive causes [1] as a way to court the voters:
- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been bragging about signing legislation to combat global warming and raising California's minimum wage by $1 per hour.
- GOP candidates for governor in both Massachusetts and Illinois are touting their pro-choice views.
- Gov. M. Jodi Rell in Connecticut publicly embraces gay civil unions.
- Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich is pushing for tighter restrictions on coal-fired plants.
- Arkansas' Asa Hutchinson has supported the raise in the minimum wage in that state and at the federal level.
Now, these progressive planks are still usually mixed in with the usual stew of rightwing proposals, but the emphasis by these conservative candidates on progressive themes is a sign that progressive values are taking back the moral center of American politics.