Summary
Montana is considered the most competitive race in this cycle and is rated a tossup by all major pundits. Incumbent Democratic governor Steve Bullock is term-limited, but his lieutenant governor, Mike Cooney, a longtime political figure in the state, is the Democratic nominee. The Republican nominee is Montana at-large congressman Greg Gianforte, who is a controversial figure because he was arrested for body-slamming a reporter the day of a 2017 special election. North Carolina is the next most competitive race, as it is a Republican-leaning state with a Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, meaning that Cooper faces a tough reelection, though most forecasters give the race a Democratic lean as Cooper has high approval ratings.
Vermont and New Hampshire are both races that could become competitive seeing as they are Democratic states with Republican governors in a presidential year. Republican incumbents Phil Scott and Chris Sununu are ranked among the most popular governors in the United States; however, Phil Scott has said he will not be voting for President Trump, while Chris Sununu has welcomed the President to New Hampshire. In Missouri, Republican incumbent Mike Parson assumed office after the resignation of Eric Greitens, and his lack of name recognition and unpopularity could make his race against state auditor Nicole Galloway, Missouri’s only Democratic statewide office holder, competitive, though most forecasters still rate the race as likely Republican due to Missouri’s heavy Republican lean. West Virginia’s gubernatorial race was seen as safe for Republicans because the state heavily leans Republican, but recent forecasts now[when?] rate it as likely Republican due to corruption allegations against incumbent Jim Justice that have led to rising unpopularity. Justice will face centrist Democrat Ben Salango, who is endorsed by U.S. senator Joe Manchin.
The gubernatorial races in Delaware and Washington are seen as safe for Democrats, while Indiana, North Dakota, and Utah are seen as safe for Republicans.
Source: Wikipedia
OnAir Post: 2020 Governor Races
News
Only a handful of the U.S. gubernatorial elections this year are expected to be competitive, according to current polling, with either Democratic and Republican candidates enjoying commanding leads in most states. Voters will go to the polls to elect governors in 11 states and two territories.
[This article] looks at five of the most prominent races and what they say about the partisan divide in state-level politics as the November U.S. election approaches. They are: Montana, North Carolina, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Vermont
See article for details.
Multistate, – September 8, 2020
Key Takeaways:
- While politicos continue to forecast political headwinds in the Democrats’ direction, 2020 does not appear to be a year where Democrats will gain much ground when it comes to governorships.
- There are only eleven gubernatorial races in 2020 (down from 36 governor races in 2018). Six of which are projected to be safe seats for the incumbent party and only one governor’s race (Montana) is rated as a toss-up.
- The most likely situation is that Democrats either keep the status quo by holding on to vulnerable governorships in Montana and North Carolina or lose the race in Montana but succeed in keeping Governor Cooper in the North Carolina governor’s mansion.
https://youtu.be/GE9kK-oANU4
Republicans occupy the governor’s mansion in 26 states and hope to maintain – or expand – their majority.
Just a few months ago, governors seemed to be a declining force in American politics. Governorships were once a feeder for the presidency – that’s how Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush got to the White House – but the governors and former governors who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 faded early in the contest.
However, with the emergence of the coronavirus, all of that changed. Suddenly, governors were on the front lines of the fight, and they attracted attention not just in their own state but in many cases nationwide. In New York, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo held closely watched daily press conferences as his state was experiencing the worst of the virus. His cool manner led some to suggest he be tapped as a vice presidential candidate for Joe Biden. Other governors who’d previously had little national profile, such as Republicans Mike DeWine of Ohio and Larry Hogan of Maryland and Democrats Jared Polis of Colorado and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, also received positive attention for their coronavirus responses.
he governor’s afternoon press briefing has become a daily fixture for many Americans as millions remain confined to their homes, anxiously awaiting updates on the new coronavirus pandemic. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has received particularly high marks for his response, accompanied by a surge in his approval rating. Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington, whose state was at one point the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, has also earned praise for his handling of the situation. Others, such as West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, have captured headlines for the wrong reasons.
For some of these governors, including Inslee and Justice, their response to the coronavirus could have near-term electoral ramifications. That’s because 11 states will cast ballots for governor in 2020, and in at least eight of those states, incumbents are seeking reelection. As you can see in the table below, six contests are currently rated as “safe” for one party, but a few could still be quite competitive come November. And any gains Democrats make in 2020 could help to give them the edge nationally, as Republicans currently control 26 of the 50 state governorships. However, Republicans are defending more safe ground in 2020 than the Democrats, so they may be in a better position to extend their narrow advantage.
About
Source: Wikipedia
The 2020 United States gubernatorial elections will be held on November 3, 2020, in 11 states and two territories. The previous gubernatorial elections for this group of states took place in 2016, except in New Hampshire and Vermont where governors only serve two-year terms, so their previous elections were in 2018. Nine state governors are running for reelection, while Steve Bullock of Montana can not run again due to term limits and Gary Herbert of Utah is retiring.
Competitive
Montana
Source: Reuters
Republican Greg Gianforte faces Democrat Mike Cooney in the race for Montana governor, which presently appears to be the closest of the upcoming gubernatorial races. Current Governor Steve Bullock, a Democrat, was unable to run for reelection due to term limits. He managed to remain fairly popular throughout his time in office, even though U.S. President Donald Trump, a Republican, won the state by a wide margin in the 2016 election.
Cooney, Bullock’s lieutenant governor, is a career public servant who has painted himself as Bullock’s successor. Gianforte is a U.S. congressman and businessman who has aligned himself with Trump and is perhaps best known for body slamming a reporter in 2017. A poll from mid-August showed the candidates within one point of each other.
For more information, go to this Montana Governor race post in the Montana Hub.
North Carolina
Source: Reuters
Incumbent Roy Cooper, a Democrat, is facing a challenge from Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest in North Carolina’s gubernatorial election. (North Carolina elects governors and their lieutenants independently of each other rather than as part of a single ticket.) Cooper, who narrowly won election in 2016 and has clashed with the state legislature, is leading his opponent by a wide margin, according to August polling data.
Democrats are hopeful that that Cooper’s lead is an indication that North Carolina, a crucial swing state, will turn blue in the general election.
For more information, go to this North Carolina Governor race post in the North Carolina Hub.
Missouri
Source: Reuters
Democrat Nicole Galloway is running against incumbent Mike Parson in Missouri’s race. Parson became governor in 2018 after the resignation of Governor Eric Greitens, and Galloway, currently the Missouri state auditor, has focused her campaign on his weak response to the coronavirus pandemic. That may not be enough to flip deep-red Missouri, which Trump won by more than 18 points. Recent poll results have varied but generally show Parson leading by five points or more.
For more information, go to this Missouri Governor race post in the Missouri Hub.
New Hampshire
Source: Reuters
Polls show incumbent Governor Chris Sununu, a Republican, leading Democratic challenger Dan Feltes by more than 20 points. Feltes, a former legal aid attorney and current state senator, has sought to align Sununu with Trump in his campaign messaging. Trump narrowly lost New Hampshire in 2016, but Biden leads him by a wider margin in polls for the 2020 election. On the gubernatorial level, however, Sununu is well-liked and presently looks poised to win reelection.
For more information, go to this New Hampshire Governor race post in the New Hampshire Hub.
Vermont
Source: Reuters
Republican Governor Phil Scott and Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman, a Vermont Progressive Party member who is the Democratic nominee, are vying for Vermont governor in a race that does not at this stage appear to be close. Polls show Scott with a double-digit lead over his opponent. Scott, a moderate Republican, has criticized Donald Trump, and said this summer that he would not vote for him in the general election. He is popular in Vermont and has managed the pandemic well in the eyes of state voters, polls show.
For more information, go to this Vermont Governor race post in the Vermont Hub.
Lean Democrat
Delaware
Source: Electionarium
This is going to be a good year for Democrats in the First State. The current governor, John Carney, won by 19 points in 2016. What’s more daunting for the GOP around here is that they have been out of the governor’s mansion in Dover for almost 30 years. We have little reason to believe the GOP will mount a challenge here in 2020.
For more information, go to this Delaware Governor race post in the Delaware Hub.
Washington
Source: Electionarium
The Republican gubernatorial shutout in Washington is something to behold, like the Democrats’ shutout in Utah. They came very close in 2004, but since then, nothing. Republicans win statewide races here on a limited basis. Here, we have the incumbent and former presidential candidate, Jay Inslee, running for a third term. As the GOP does not have much of a bench in Washington, it’s hard to see them mounting a serious challenge. Inslee may also benefit for his handling of the public health crisis.
For more information, go to this Washington Governor race post in the Washington state Hub.
Lean Republican
Indiana
Source: Electionarium
Indiana is a pretty damn Republican state when you boil it down. Yes, Barack Obama’s win there in 2008 was a shock, but Democrats have had occasional success in the Hoosier State. In 2018, a strong Democratic year, they had next to none. One can assume at this point Mike Pence will still be on the Republican ticket, which may or may not help the GOP in Indiana, but truth is, they probably don’t need the help. Eric Holcomb has low disapproval ratings1, and Indiana is not very blue. It’s hard to believe that Holcomb would fall in this re-election bid when incumbent governors in this state tend not to lose.
For more information, go to this Indiana Governor race post in the Indiana Hub.
North Dakota
Source: Electionarium
Every now and then, you get a Democrat that wins an election in North Dakota. Once Heidi Heitkamp lost her Senate race, however, that was it for elected Democrats in this state. North Dakota has not had a Democratic governor since the early 1990s. Times have changed in this state and the Democrats do not put up much of a fight here anymore. Doug Burgum will not have a battle royale on his hands.
For more information, go to this North Dakota Governor race post in the North Dakota Hub.
Utah
Source: Electionarium
Utah is about as red as it gets in the United States, but for a few flexes of Democratic strength here and there. Utah has not had a Democratic governor since the mid-1980s, and no Democratic senator since the mid-1970s. Democrats have won so few statewide election in Utah in the last thirty years that it’s negligible. The real action is in the Republican primary, which includes Spencer Cox, the lieutenant governor, and Jon Huntsman, former governor.
For more information, go to this Utah Governor race post in the Utah Hub.
West Virginia
Source: Electionarium
Now that West Virginia has a Republican governor – albeit one elected as a Democrat who switched parties – will they go back to a Democrat? It would be hard to believe given how hard this state has swung in the last 20 years. Incumbent Jim Justice is not safe in the primary, but the Democrats do not have many top-shelf candidates from which to draw. It seems as though the Republicans are destined to win this race one way or another, but one wonders how much of that underlying Democratic undercurrent still remains in West Virginia. What may make the difference is Donald Trump winning the state in a landslide, but remember this: Justice got elected in 2016 as a Democrat when Trump carried the state by over 40 points.
For more information, go to this West Virginia Governor race post in the West Virginia Hub.
