"Spending Soars in 11 Gubernatorial Races"

[GreenPartyVoter]

About half of this year's 11 governors races look fiercely competitive heading into their final hours, with record-breaking amounts of money on hand for the campaigns and harsh attacks and counterattacks by the candidates.

None of the races involve the nation's 10 most-populous states, but an executive mansion is still a valuable political prize and four of the top races - in Indiana, Missouri, Utah and Washington - have easily broken state records for money raised and spent. Montana saw an unprecedented infusion of out-of-state contributions.

New Hampshire is the only one among the top races that didn't see a record fall, even though it involves a contest between two millionaires. One-term GOP Gov. Craig Benson set a record two years ago when he spent a stunning $12 million in his winning bid. Now he's in a tight race with Democrat John Lynch.

All candidates have to spend a lot "especially with the noise level in these final days," said Ed Bender, executive director of the Institute on Money in State Politics, a nonpartisan group based in Montana. "They have to make a lot of noise ... in order to get noticed, especially in the (presidential) battleground states."

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20041031/D862I7L80.html

[BayCityProgressive]

1. do we stand to pick up

any Governor's seats?

[KT2000]

2. National GOP pouring money

into the Washington governor's race. An awful ultra RWer is now tied with the Dem candidate. We are safe for Kerry and if this guy wins it will be the first R governor in 20 years.
I mean ultra RW - he wanted to tax nursing home residents at $200 a month - that after he wanted to throw 40,000 poor kids out of healthcare.