Many blue state governors, for short crossword clue
30 Down · WSJ Crossword, July 8, 2026 · 4 letters
Explanation
The answer to “Many blue state governors, for short” is DEMS. It appears as 30 Down in the Wall Street Journal crossword of July 8, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle titled “Don't Give Up” by Joe Marquez, and it fills 4 squares running top to bottom from row 6, column 15 of the 15×15 grid.
The shortening cue in the clue tells you to expect an abbreviation or initials rather than a full word. The entry begins with D and ends with S, and contains 1 vowel and 3 consonants. If you are working from the crossings, two or three confirmed letters from the Across entries should be enough to lock it in. Wednesday puzzles sit mid-week on the difficulty curve, so expect the rest of this grid to be pitched at the same level.
Past appearances
DEMS has not appeared as an answer in any other WSJ puzzle in our index, which runs from May 2026 onward. It will be listed here the next time it turns up.