Midwestern States Form Third Coalition To Reopen Economy

Another multistate coalition is forming to coordinate measures to reopen the economy.

After seven Northeastern states and three Western ones formed their own megalopolises last week, seven Midwestern governors announced they will follow suit in a news release on Thursday.

The group will consist of Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Kentucky.

"We are doing everything we can to protect the people of our states and slow the spread of COVID-19, and we are eager to work together to mitigate the economic crisis this virus has caused in our region," the governors said in the release. "Here in the Midwest, we are bound by our commitment to our people and the community.

"We recognize that our economies are all reliant on each other, and we must work together to safely reopen them so hardworking people can get back to work and businesses can get back on their feet."

Democrats in the group include Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (technically a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party), Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Republicans include Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb.

Check out the full article from Business Insider and read more on the four main factors the governors laid out in consideration of reopening the economy here.

Read more on the two other coalitions:

East Coast
New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Delaware

West Coast
California, Oregon and Washington

Photo: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is joining forces with six fellow Midwestern governors to form the third regional coronavirus coalition. AP Photo/Al Goldis