Posted on 01/02/2022 1:07:03 AM PST by RandFan
The gubernatorial election landscape in 2022 is shaping up to be competitive as Republicans look to flip a number of governors' mansions across the country.
Republicans are feeling momentum after Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin's victory in November, when he became the first Republican to win a statewide race in the blue-leaning state since 2009. The party says the political environment is prime for Republicans to oust a number of vulnerable Democratic governors this year, including Gov. Laura Kelly in Kansas and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan.
However, Democrats say they see opportunities in states with contentious GOP primaries, particularly in Georgia, where incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp’s (R) reelection chances are far from certain.
Here are seven vulnerable incumbent governors facing uphill reelection bids in 2022.
Laura Kelly
Kelly is set to face a contentious reelection battle this year for her seat, which the nonpartisan Cook Political Report has rated as a “toss-up.” Kelly is currently facing four Republican challengers, including Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt. The attorney general has hit Kelly over her handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Schmidt, who has served as attorney general since 2011, has also worked to tout his lawsuits against the Biden and Obama administrations. Last month, Schmidt sued the Biden administration over its vaccine mandate for health care workers.
Kelly has walked a fine line when navigating the politically tumultuous issue of vaccine mandates. In November, Kelly signed legislation into law that would make it easier for federal workers in the state to keep their jobs despite federal mask mandates.
Polling in the race has been relatively scarce, but a survey released by the GOP firm Remington Research in September showed Schmidt leading Kelly 44 percent to 40, with 16 percent of voters saying they were undecided. Meanwhile, a poll from the Democratic pollster Clarity Campaign Labs, which was also released in September, showed Kelly leading Schmidt 47 percent to 44 percent, with 8 percent of voters saying they were undecided.
A Morning Consult poll released in November showed the governor with a 54 percent approval rating.
Brian Kemp
Kemp will have to contend with a potentially contentious primary in May. Earlier this month, former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), who lost his Senate seat to Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) in January, announced he would challenge Kemp in the primary. Perdue accused Kemp of caving to Democrats after the governor refused to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
“Look, I like Brian. This isn’t personal,” Perdue said in his announcement. “It’s simple: He has failed all of us and cannot win in November. Instead of protecting our elections, he caved to Abrams and cost us two Senate seats, the Senate majority and gave Joe Biden free reign. Think about how different it would be today if Kemp fought Abrams first instead of fighting Trump.”
Perdue quickly garnered the endorsement of former President Trump after announcing. Trump has repeatedly knocked Kemp for not overturning the election results.
"Kemp has been a very weak Governor—the liberals and RINOs have run all over him on Election Integrity, and more," Trump said in his endorsement, using the acronym for "Republicans in name only."
Perdue and Kemp will also have to contend with former state Rep. Vernon Jones in the primary, but whoever comes out of the GOP contest will likely face off against Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams. Abrams, who lost to Kemp narrowly in the 2018 gubernatorial race, has been credited with leading the fight to flip Georgia from red to blue in 2020 through her organization Fair Fight Action. The fight is specifically aimed at combating voter suppression.
Cook rates the race as a “toss-up.”
Gretchen Whitmer
Whitmer’s campaign has long been gearing up for her reelection bid. In October, the campaign announced the governor raked in $3.1 million during the third quarter of 2021.
The Cook Political Report rates the race as a “toss-up.”
The Michigan governor faces a crowded field of 11 Republican challengers, including former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, conservative talk show host Tudor Dixon and chiropractor Garrett Soldano. Craig led the GOP field in fundraising in the third quarter, raising $1.4 million since mid-July. Soldano, who led a ballot initiative to repeal a law Whitmer used to enact coronavirus restrictions, raised a total of $1.1 million in 2021.
Whitmer has faced particularly strong pushback from Republicans on the issue of coronavirus restrictions in Michigan, which was the epicenter of the pandemic for a part of 2020. Like Kelly, Whitmer has had to walk a fine line on the issue of vaccines. Earlier this month, Whitmer told local business owners that she understood concerns about the mandates, adding that if a federal mandate were to go into effect, “we’re going to lose state employees.”
Steve Sisolak
Like Whitmer in Michigan, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) is likely watching the crowded Republican gubernatorial primary forming in his state.
A number of Republicans, including former Sen. Dean Heller (Nev.), North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, Las Vegas City Councilwoman Michele Fiore and boxer Joey Gilbert, have lined up to challenge Sisolak.
The 2022 governor’s race in the state Biden won by just more than 2 points over Trump in 2020 stands to be a close one.
The Cook Political Report shifted the race’s rating from “lean Democratic” to “toss-up” earlier this month. Cook also shifted the state’s Senate rating from “lean Democratic” to “toss-up.” Cook cited Biden’s declining approval ratings and the current state of the economy, including rising inflation, as the reasons for the changes.
Tony Evers
The Cook Political Report shifted Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race from “lean Democratic” to “toss-up” earlier this month, an indicator that Gov. Tony Evers (D) could have his work cut out for him this year.
So far, four Republicans have lined up to challenge Evers, including former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch. However, the field could grow. Marine veteran Kevin Nicholson is said to be considering a run for the office. Trump has also pushed former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) to launch a bid for governor.
“Working hard to get very popular and capable Former Congressman Sean Duffy of Wisconsin to run for Governor. He would be fantastic!” Trump said in a statement in October.
Michelle Lujan Grisham
October campaign finance reports showed that New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) raked in more than $2.5 million over the previous six months.
While Grisham appears to be in a stronger position than other Democratic incumbent governors, with the Cook Political Report rating her race as “likely Democratic,” Republicans have set their sights on her seat.
Several Republicans, including state Rep. Rebecca Dow, former Senate candidate Mark Ronchetti and Sandoval County commissioner Jay Block, have thrown their hats into the ring to challenge Grisham.
Janet Mills
Maine Gov. Janet Mills is slated to face former Republican Gov. Paul LePage this year in a race that the Cook Political Report has rated as “lean Democratic.”
LePage announced his bid to take back the governor’s office in Maine in September. He has hit Mills over education and her pandemic response. LePage has a reputation for being bombastic and making controversial comments. However, over the summer, he suggested he would be modifying his image.
"I've been a bit controversial in the past," he said at a fundraiser over the summer, according to U.S. News and World Report. "Hope to clean up my act this time."
The former governor said earlier this month that he would get rid of Mills’s vaccine mandate on “day one” if elected, though he has strongly encouraged individuals to get the coronavirus vaccine. However, his critics are quick to point out that he appeared at an anti-mask rally.
Maine has fared relatively well during the coronavirus pandemic in terms of vaccinations, which have taken place on Mills’s watch.
Wooo!
Here in WI, Evers is a disaster. He also is governor due to vote fraud. Walker won that election. A 3am Milwaukee County vote dump stole that election.
Rebecca Kleefisch (Walker’s Lt. Gov.) is a very weak candidate.
If Trump likes Duffy, maybe he is OK.
Never heard of the other guy mentioned in the article, but maybe he is OK.
I would add Ivey of Alabama to the list. She has to primary against real competition this time. Lynda Blanchard and Tim James will be in the primary.
Blanchard is getting Trump’s endorsement and she’ll come pretty close to 50-percent in the primary (I’m expecting a run-off between Ivey and Blanchard).
Maine, however, is home of Susan Collins, and has the classic Dem mathematical advantage. Countryside leans right, suburbia is on the fence, and urban centers lean left, which is why Susan Collins will be with us until she croaks.
I am 100% going to vote against Kemp in his primary - and he’s going to lose his party’s nomination. He sold out Georgia along with that ratburger Secretary of State, Raffensperger....
The Dems are going to do their best to control the outcome of the 22 midterm elections by controlling the Dominion and other voting machines. The only true election has to have a signed paper ballot and constant observation of the voting process. if the electronic system is still used overwhelmingly then some electronic means should be used to prevent the machines from connecting to the internet.
The Dems use a multilayer strategy to steal elections. The first layer is to consistently insist it was not stolen. At least the Country is now aware and fighting back . That is perhaps Donald Trump’s greatest achievement.
What about Arizona and Pennsylvania? These are two more key races. The Governorship races are as important as the Senate races if not moreso. RINO/Democrat governors in several swing states are all that prevents real election integrity laws from being passed. Win these races and we can get laws enacted in several of these states that would make a repeat of the steal impossible.
Voter fraud is rampant in every state if its slowed down we may see many Republicans elected who were not expected to do so.
The GOP leaders in the battleground states were supposed to be primaried. What happened to that?
Hard to see any of these Rats surviving re-election and Kemp is probably done, too. As for AZ and PA (open seats?) those should be a GOP hold and a flip, respectively. Dementia Joe is going to drag his party down in the midterms.
Why isn’t Walker running in Wisconsin?
our goal should be:
(1) Governors - prolly lose MA and MD. need to hold on to AZ and GA. can pick up KS, MI and PA. outside shot at ME, MN, NV, NM and OR. Think net 2.
(2) Senators - net 4 Senators in 2022 (pick up AZ, GA, NH and NV, hold PA and WI), with a goal of at least 60 with the elections of 2024.
(3) Congress - as of right now net pickup of 20+ looks very doable, even modest.
bonus: Democrats lose their tiebreaker vote in the Senate in mid 2022 when Branden resigns or otherwise leaves office
100% correct
I am amazed how they both let Stacy Abrams roll them. I guarantee if she was actually governor, she would have told them to piss off if they tried what she did.
NY state buck tooth betty Hochul needs to be shown the door. Here latest the antibody program will only be available to people of color not white people
The Second Congressional District in Maine covers 80% of the state, or 27,000 square miles.....the largest in area East of the Mississippi.
It is Trump Country.
The first district, in the southeastern corner of the state, is liberal. People elsewhere in Maine call it “North Massachusetts.”
Donald Trump and his family campaigned here often in the 2nd district in 2016 and 2020, easily carrying the district and earning one electoral vote in the process.
Evers wins easily - no contest
Duffy doesn’t live in Wisconsin - he moved to NJ after he left Congress
Kleefisch couldn’t even get 30% at the State GOP Convention last year
“The Second Congressional District in Maine covers 80% of the state, or 27,000 square miles.....the largest in area East of the Mississippi.
It is Trump Country.”
Montana will have two congressional districts (we lost one in ‘92) and the Eastern district (#2) will be Republican but the Western district is a 50/50...
Hopefully Biden will piss-off enough folks that a Republican can take the seat.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.