WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence welcomed governors-elect from both parties to the White House Thursday.
Among those attending Thursday were Georgia Republican Brian Kemp, Florida Republican Ron DeSantis, Illinois Democrat J.B. Pritzker, Wisconsin Democrat Tony Evers and newly inaugurated Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican.
Today, it was my honor to welcome our Nation’s newly elected Governors to the @WhiteHouse! pic.twitter.com/LCpFIoRglp
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2018
White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Doug Hoelscher had said they'd be discussing "shared priorities," including workforce investment, prison reform and combating the opioid epidemic.
Kemp also spent time meeting 1-on-1 with Pence.
Pence tweeted about the meeting.
Great to talk with my friend and Georgia’s Governor-elect, @BrianKempGA, and his wife, Marty. Brian will be a great Governor for the people of Georgia, and @POTUS & I look forward to working with him to continue delivering results for the Peach State! pic.twitter.com/S0WPJmDtLU
— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) December 13, 2018
The visitors also met with Cabinet members as part of a broader White House outreach effort to local officials.
Kemp tweeted a photo later Thursday night from the White House Christmas party.
After a day of impactful meetings with @realDonaldTrump @VP and many others, Marty and I spent the evening with a great crew of hardworking Georgians at the White House Christmas Party. #gapol pic.twitter.com/XbvcEh8g6Q
— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) December 14, 2018
The White House says since the midterms, it has reached out to a long list of newly elected state and local officials of both parties "to open lines of communication and begin a dialogue."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cox Media Group