The bipartisan governors’ playbook: Inside the quiet alliance tackling America’s crises

EXCLUSIVE: At a time of growing political polarization across the country, Bill McBride, who is retiring as executive director of the National Governors Association, provided an insider’s view of how the bulwark of bipartisan cooperation works to resolve national crises.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, McBride discussed his role working with Republican and Democratic governors to lead the 117-year-old organization through some of the most tumultuous periods in recent U.S. history, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under his leadership, the NGA achieved record participation from all 50 states and five populated territories of the United States. He led the NGA alongside four different governors who served as chairs: New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat; Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican; Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat; and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican. He advanced several bipartisan policy initiatives that had national impact.

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Three recent NGA chairs: Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo. ; Gov. Spencer Cox, R-Utah; and the current chairman, Gov. Kevin Stitt, R-Okla. (David Zalubowski/AP Photo; Brandon Bell/Getty Images; Rick Bowmer/AP Photo)

He explained that while politicians in Congress can get bogged down in political games — as evidenced by the government shutdown — governors are under enormous pressure to get things done. The pressure to perform often helps them focus on solutions rather than politics.

“Leaders need to produce and make decisions quickly, because if you don’t, things don’t get done.”

According to McBride, the NGA has thrived in some of the most difficult circumstances. He said the pandemic was a real turning point in bringing governors from both parties to the table to discuss difficult issues. During this period, the NGA convened governors weekly to coordinate strategy, share data, and interact directly with federal agencies.

“I think we did about 67 weeks of these calls. And we had 40 to 45 governors on these calls. And looking back, we covered it all. You know, it started with what the pandemic is? You know what caused this virus? Then we talked about vaccines and getting vaccines and testing equipment and supplies and all the challenges that governors were facing confronted,” he said. “It really brought the group closer together. And it wasn’t just the weekly calls that we had, because then they started calling each other individually and exchanging information. So that was a huge resource for the governors.”

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National Governors Association (NGA) Chairman Governor Kevin Stitt, Republican of Oklahoma, and Vice Chairman Governor Wes Moore, Democrat of Maryland, shake hands following a press briefing at the summer meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)

McBride lamented that this type of bipartisanship has become increasingly rare outside of groups like the NGA.

“I think we’ve gotten to a point where people are locked into different camps and aren’t willing to cross the aisle and talk to anyone else, maybe out of fear, maybe out of stubbornness, but I think you can actually learn a lot by crossing the aisle and getting different opinions from different people before you form your own opinion,” he explained.

The NGA was founded as the Conference of Governors in 1908 at the call of President Theodore Roosevelt. McBride explained that by staying out of politics, the NGA has been able to continue to focus on helping governors find practical policy solutions to the problems each state faces.

“Governors are leaders and must get things done,” he explained. “We deal with everything from energy, education, infrastructure, homeland security, cybersecurity. I could go on and on. And we have teams working on these policy issues and working with governors’ offices to help them create policy solutions.”

“We’re very much a policy-driven organization, but another very important thing is we’re bipartisan, we’re not a political organization. We don’t get involved in political campaigns,” he continued.

“I have found it fascinating since I have been here, to see the governors of the two political parties together, how they get along,” he noted. “Certainly they have philosophical differences on things, but they are all leaders of states facing similar issues, and they learn from each other and spend time together and share ideas.”

NEW NGA PRESIDENT DECLARES AMERICA IS “EXCEPTIONAL” FOR RELIVING AN EVOLVING DREAM

Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah, before his assassination. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

He compared the NGA’s mission to an initiative launched by Cox when he was president called “Disagree Better.” He shared that he believed this initiative helped prepare Cox to respond so well to the shocking murder of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.

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“Disagree Better was inspired by the idea that we can disagree with each other, but we don’t have to hate each other,” he said. “Governor Cox has done a tremendous job on this, and I have to say I think it really helped him prepare for the situation he encountered in Utah with the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk.”

“We’ve seen Governor Cox step up and talk about how we can disagree with each other, but we don’t need to resort to violence,” he said. “Governors can take the lead on this, and I think they have.”