In some GOP-led states, ‘blue’ cities lead the charge for coronavirus restrictions
The response of many Republican governors to coronavirus is highlighting political divides between red states and their bluer city centers.
Several GOP-controlled states have so far not issued shelter-at-home orders, while the biggest metropolitan areas within their borders do exactly that.
Across the country, city leaders and urban district representatives have criticized a lack of forceful statewide measures, arguing that their own efforts to “flatten the curve” of coronavirus are undercut without consistent rules and enforcement.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey have all faced criticism for their handling of the coronavirus, several media outlets report.
In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster expanded restrictions Tuesday, declaring a “bare minimum” of additional businesses non-essential but still putting off more drastic measures that other officials have asked him to take.
“We must be aggressive as we can be to stop the spread ... but at the same time, not going too far and destroying businesses and jobs that people are depending on,” McMaster said.
Charleston, the state’s most populated city, instituted a shelter-in-place order in mid-March. The capital city of Columbia soon followed suit, as did the nearby suburb of Forest Acres.
“I appreciate that a unified, statewide response to emergencies is desirable,” Forest Acres Councilman Thomas Andrews wrote in The State newspaper, calling for a statewide stay-at-home order. “I also appreciate that our own actions are of little impact unless they are combined with broader actions.”
U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham, D-Charleston, who has himself contracted coronavirus, recently added his voice to those demanding a stronger statewide response, The State reported.
Leaving municipalities to act on their own has caused a lot of confusion over their authority, he said.
“Due to the legal uncertainty of local municipalities’ authority to issue stay-at-home orders for their residents, my constituents and local leaders are confused about the accessibility of our cities and beaches,” Cunningham said. “And residents of these areas are rightfully concerned about the potential spread of COVID-19 in their communities.”
South Carolina is far from the only Republican-led state shying away from stay-at-home orders, according to The New York Times.
The Palmetto State is joined by Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Wyoming and Utah, the outlet reported.
Last week, Georgia’s Kemp issued shelter-in-place restrictions, but for the elderly only. When asked why he didn’t pursue something more expansive, he said harsher measures aren’t necessary for most Georgia communities -- as they aren’t struggling with COVID-19 the way urban areas are, Atlanta NPR affiliate WABE reported.
“I mean, look, I understand that cities are dealing with a little bit different situation than a whole state,” Kemp told WABE. “Certainly, the city of Atlanta has been much different from a lot of the other 600-plus cities around Georgia.”
Republicans have come to depend on rural and non-urban voters, and with those communities generally less impacted by the virus, residents see less of a need for the restrictions placed on their urban counterparts, according to CNN. While conservative elected officials won’t get in the way of cities trying to protect themselves, they don’t want to upset their constituents by placing rules on everyone outside city limits.
“It’s just another manifestation of this very terrific polarization, the metros versus the nonmetro areas,” Richard Murray, a University of Houston political scientist, told CNN. “Underlying it is the enormous demographic and economic divisions between them.”
