GOP Plays Defense In Governors Races

[DonViejo]

April 20, 2017 By Taegan Goddard

Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “Those looking for electoral drama in the 2018 cycle should pay attention to the 38 gubernatorial races being held this year and next. In our initial ratings of these contests, more than half of them — 20 of 38 — start in the competitive Toss-up or Leans Republican/Democratic categories. That includes a whopping 10 Toss-ups: five of those are currently controlled by Republicans, four by Democrats, and one by an independent (Bill Walker of Alaska).”

“Contributing to this slew of competitive ratings is the fact that so many of the governorships contested over the next year and a half are open: At least roughly half of them will not feature an incumbent, and an additional three (Alabama, Iowa, and South Carolina) will or are likely to feature an unelected incumbent seeking a first elected term.”

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https://politicalwire.com/2017/04/20/gop-plays-defense-governors-races/

[sharp_stick]

1. We need to win a lot of these badly

This is just in time for the census of 2020 and the ability to un Gerrymander a lot of skuzzy Congressional districts.

[NewJeffCT]

2. We need to start with Virginia and New Jersey

which are this year. NJ is certainly a possible pickup, but I've not heard much about candidates for either party yet since Christie is not running...