Posted on 11/07/2018 11:07:41 AM PST by yesthatjallen
Democratic candidates won governorships in seven Republican-held states on Tuesday as voters rebuked both President Trump and unpopular GOP governors in some of the deepest red territories in the country.
Democratic candidates picked up open seats in Maine, Nevada, Michigan and New Mexico where Republican incumbents faced term limits.
State Sen. Laura Kelly (D) beat out controversial Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R), who ousted Gov. Jeff Colyer (R) in this year’s Republican primary.
Billionaire hotel magnate J.B. Pritzker (D) easily outpaced Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) in a race that cost both men tens of millions of dollars.
And in the closest race of the night, Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers (D) ousted Gov. Scott Walker (R) by 31,000 votes.
“We won in the Midwest and a lot of people said that wasn’t possible after 2016. We’ve certainly laid that idea to rest,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D), who heads the Democratic Governors Association, told The Hill. “It shows that when we focus on bread and butter issues, we do well.”
Democrats were picking themselves up off the mat after drubbings in the last two midterm elections sent the party to historic lows in state government control.
Prior to Tuesday’s elections, Democrats held just 16 of the nation’s 50 governorships, their lowest ebb in modern history.
It could have been worse for Republicans. The GOP defended open governorships in states like Florida and Tennessee, and popular Republican governors coasted to re-election in deep-blue states like Massachusetts, Maryland and Vermont.
In Georgia, Secretary of State Brian Kemp (R) holds a narrow lead over former state House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams (D) in a race that may head to a December runoff, pending late ballot counts.
Republicans even picked up a governorship: Former Alaska state Sen. Mike Dunleavy (R) leads former U.S. Sen. Mark Begich (D) by 21,000 votes out of about 260,000 cast. Dunleavy would replace Gov. Bill Walker, an independent.
“Despite their boasts and guarantees of picking up 10-12 governorships, Democrats failed to capitalize on their extremely favorable map,” said Jon Thompson, a Republican Governors Association spokesman. “Republicans won the night’s big prizes of Florida and Ohio, and will continue to hold a strong majority of governorships in 2019.”
Historically, voters have tended to treat gubernatorial races differently than federal races. Republicans in blue states and Democrats in red states routinely survive even the harshest political environments to win governorships.
ETC...
GOP braces for potential wipeout in governors' races
The ranks of Republican governors are poised to thin after this year’s midterm elections, and some party strategists are bracing for major Democratic gains even in some of the most conservative states in the country.
Voters in 36 states will elect governors on Tuesday, including 26 states where Republicans currently hold the top job. Democrats are defending nine seats, and both sides are fighting over Alaska, where independent Gov. Bill Walker dropped his reelection bid late last month.
Virtually all of the most contested races are being fought on Republican turf.
Democrats are overwhelmingly likely to pick up governorships in Illinois, where Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) is running a long-shot bid for reelection, and New Mexico, where Gov. Susana Martinez (R) faces term limits.
Polls also show Democratic nominees ahead in open seat races in Michigan, Maine and Florida; of the 33 public surveys taken in Florida since the Aug. 28 primary, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D) has led former Rep. Ron DeSantis (R) in 32.
In Nevada, Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak (D) is running even with or just ahead of Attorney General Adam Laxalt (R).
Two high-profile races in which Republican governors are retiring, in Ohio and Georgia, remain virtual toss-ups. Former Attorney General Richard Cordray (D) is tied with current Attorney General Mike DeWine (R) in Ohio, and former state House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams (D) is locked in an increasingly contentious battle with Secretary of State Brian Kemp (R) in Georgia.
Democrats are even running close to Republicans in Kansas and South Dakota, two deep-red states. The party’s nominees are narrowly trailing or tied with Republican candidates in Oklahoma, New Hampshire and Alaska.
ETC...
At least this Census in 2020 will have a Republican POTUS!.....................not like the last two..............
This was a good loss, rauner is a pimp. Good riddance.
And all those states will soon find themselves circling the bowl.
And those former red states will follow other Democrat states into bankruptcy and chaos.
Not as bad as Prickster though.
Wow the drama queen hysterics are strong with this one. NONE of this was is “deep read” territory except KS. The rest of it is blue to purple at best.
And MD and MA elected R’s.
Worried about losing GOP governors in both Wisconsin and Michigan.
NC also now has a RAT governor and PA reelected their RAT.
Praying that President Trump can overcome that stacked deck in 2020!!
It’s all about the economy.
Expect the Dems in the House to do everything they can to wreck it.....................
Keeping the governorships in Ohio and Florida was big. I mean really BIGLY!
It blunts the “Blue Wave” that turned to a measly swell.
Given the money, anger, media support as well as history all the Democrats got was a small majority in the house, Trump did exceeding well.
This sets the stage favorably for Trump to run in 2020.
Had we lost these, 2020 would be a bit harder.
Plus in Ohio, we got rid of that pest, Kasich.
The mailman can go to the dead letter department and stew.
Maine, Nevada, Illinois and New Mexico are “red” states - who knew?......
Maine, Nevada, Michigan and New Mexico are red?
Who knew?
What is it about people that they can’t figure out living in reality is good for them?
It’s all about ‘POWER’.
The Dems need people to be ‘victims’ so they can be exploited.
If you run a political party that calls itself the party of ‘the poor’, then you will make damn sure that there are plenty of ‘poor’ to elect you to office.....................
He'll end up in jail with all the other ex-governors.
The only state I would call “RED” on this list is Kansas, and that was due to the voters PUNISHING the Republicans for the disaster that was the Brownback economy.... Kansas will swing back.
None of those other states would I call “RED”...
Maine splits its electoral votes.
Candidate Trump won Maine’s Second Congressional District in 2016, 80% of the state, by 10 points for one electoral vote.
Our great conservative governor, Paul LePage, could not run for a third term because of term limits.
Republican businessman Shawn Moody ran a lackluster campaign and lost to Maine’s Democrat female attorney general, Janet Mills, 50% - 46%. Not happy about that.
The House race in CD-2 is tied 46% to 46% between incumbent GOP congressman Bruce Poliquin and liberal state representative and former Marine Jared Golden. The voters approved “rank choice” voting a year or so ago.... now the powers that be determine a winner from the “second choice” picks of the voters on their ballot (I did not choose a second candidate on my ballot).
Maine was trending purple, and the second district red, but last night was a setback.
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