Washington DC could soon have some new allies in its effort to end President Donald Trump's National Guard deployment in the nation's capital.
Five states that sent troops to DC elected new Democratic governors in last week's midterm elections, which could shakeup the deployment.
But whether those incoming governors will actually bring their troops home remains a question.
DC Council member Brooke Pinto, who chairs the council's public safety committee, is already making that request. She said she plans to send letters to the five governors-elect, urging them to withdraw their states' National Guard members when they take office in January.
Those states are Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas. Together, they account for approximately 628 of the nearly
3,100 National Guard members currently deployed in Washington DC, according to figures from the Joint Task Force-DC.
Have any of the new governors said they would withdraw troops?
Georgia Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms, who defeated Republican Rick Jackson in last week's election, criticized the mission during her campaign, but has not yet announced plans to recall troops.
"I will make sure our National Guard members are focused on protecting and serving the people of Georgia and supporting Americans during genuine emergencies – not theatrical, extended tours of duty that use our service members as political props," Bottoms said in September while running for office.
Georgia has the largest contingent of any state currently contributing troops to DC, with 514 National Guard members deployed as of Nov. 2.
Iowa Gov.-elect Rob Sand also addressed the issue in an interview last week, though he stopped short of promising to bring the state's troops home.
Sand said he would want to speak with National Guard leaders and Iowa service members currently in DC to understand their experiences and responsibilities before making a decision.
"I want to make decisions that I know are based in reality," Sand said. "And whether or not it's somebody in one party or another party asking me to do it, I don't really care about."
Iowa has 110 National Guard members deployed in DC, the second-largest contingent among the five states.
The other states who have elected Democratic governors to replace Republicans in office account for just four troops of the thousands deployed to DC.
Alaska could also become a sixth state replacing a Republican governor with a Democrat, although its governor's race had not been called as of Nov. 9.
Alaska had 34 National Guard members serving in Washington as of Nov. 2. Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, who was leading the governor's race as of Nov. 9, had not publicly said whether he would recall them if he takes office in January.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Democratic governors bring National Guard troops home from DC?
