Maybe Congress has a more insular culture?

Governors have actual power right now

Not to excuse dem congressional reps, but most of them cant do jack and or shit. The leadership particularly sucks but most of the good ones that could or would do something simply can't

In short, means, motive, & opportunity. All Dems in Congress have right now is motive.

not even just right now, governors wield power normally, and the last legislative figure to really wield major individual power beyond voting yes/no on other people’s proposals was like. arguably Gingrich? Even Pelosi’s great achievement had someone else’s name on it

In all honesty, I think it's because being governor requires making actual decisions, and staying in congress requires avoiding them.

No need to deal with norms concerning intra-caucus comity.

I also think, to be more venal, the governor's risk/reward context includes a potential step up. Neither Schumer nor Jeffries has all that high to climb and (I think) they've decided getting in the way of Trump making himself unpopular is a mistake.

DC is where political activism goes to die?

Blue state governors with Dem legislatures are in position to actually wield power. Being in the minority in Congress sucks.

Congressionals spend so much time socializing exclusively with each other that the Democrats can't get their heads around the reality that the guy they play pickleball with is actively and deliberately destroying American democracy.

The buck stops with them in their states, and they all have career-defining elections coming in the forseeable future (POTUS for Newsom, reelection for Hochul and Pritzker.)

They make decisions, they are actually in the states they represent, etc.

Governors control a hierarchical bureaucracy. Legislators must cooperate to succeed. Very different incentives.

I think just the nature of being in an executive position tbh

Positioning for presidential runs, Trump is a direct threat to their states and power through the national guard and ICE?