United States gubernatorial elections, 2008

[© tweed]

Do any of these look interesting as of now?

Delaware: Ruth Ann Minner (D) term limited
North Carolina: Mike Easley (D) term limited
North Dakota: John Hoeven (R)
Montana: Brian Schweitzer (D)
New Hampshire: John Lynch (D)
Washington: Christine Gregoire (D)
West Virginia: Joe Manchin (D)


Indiana: Mitch Daniels (R)
Missouri: Matt Blunt (R)
Utah: John Huntsman (R)
Vermont: Jim Douglas (R)

MT, NH, WV, UT, and possibly VT are off the board and decidedly uncompetitive.Washington might be interesting as it will likely be a Gregoire/Rossi rematch.  Other than that nothing jumps out at me.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Delaware: Ruth Ann Minner (D) term limited - Could be competitive
North Carolina: Mike Easley (D) term limited - Could be competitive
North Dakota: John Hoeven (R) - No idea
Montana: Brian Schweitzer (D) - He should win
New Hampshire: John Lynch (D) - I wonder if he can get 74% again
Washington: Christine Gregoire (D) - Dino redux?
West Virginia: Joe Manchin (D) - Yawn


Indiana: Mitch Daniels (R) - No idea
Missouri: Matt Blunt (R) - Probably a close race
Utah: John Huntsman (R) - Probably boring
Vermont: Jim Douglas (R) - Would win re-election

[Keystone Phil]

Delaware: Ruth Ann Minner (D) term limited - Possible GOP pickup
North Carolina: Mike Easley (D) term limited - GOP pickup
North Dakota: John Hoeven (R) - Hoeven wins  GOP hold
Montana: Brian Schweitzer (D) - Schweitzer wins  Dem hold
New Hampshire: John Lynch (D) - Lynch wins  Dem hold
Washington: Christine Gregoire (D) - Tossup/lean GOP
West Virginia: Joe Manchin (D) - Manchin wins  Dem hold


Indiana: Mitch Daniels (R) - I don't see how Daniels pulls it out   Dem pickup
Missouri: Matt Blunt (R) - Same as Indiana   Dem pickup
Utah: John Huntsman (R) - Huntsman wins  GOP hold
Vermont: Jim Douglas (R) - Unless Douglas decides to retire, he wins.  GOP hold

[ottermax]

It's too bad that Gregoire was elected in such an odd fashion. She's actually a pretty good governor, but the 2004 election has lost her popularity. Assuming Rossi runs, this race will be a true toss up, although I wouldn't be surprised if the GOP picked it up.

I struggle with the idea that anything in this state can go the Republicans, with such a strong tilt towards the Democrats in King County.

[Rob]

The creationist nearly won in 2004 because he pretended to be a moderate, but I don't think that will be quite enough this time around. By most accounts, Gregoire has been a damn good Governor, and I think that voters will reward her in the end.

[JSojourner]

Gregoire will be a real fierce fight -- even if Rossi doesn't run. 

Watch Indiana, too.  Right now, Mitch Daniels is tremendously unpopular...and in a state as Republican as mine, that's hard to feature.  However, two years is a long time and unless Tim Roemer or Joe Kernan run, I don't think Daniels will be in much danger. 

(Unless, of course, he continues to piss off  Democrats with his attacks on workers and the environment and conservative Republicans with his bizarre budget ideas and taxes.)

[Boris]

Do the Democrats have any strong candidates to succeed Mike Easley in 2008 (The Lt. Governor maybe)? I'd be nice to at least put up a fight in North Carolina.

Washington should be the most entertaining race of the cycle. I look foward to the rematch.

[Deano963]

Do the Democrats have any strong candidates to succeed Mike Easley in 2008 (The Lt. Governor maybe)? I'd be nice to at least put up a fight in North Carolina.

Washington should be the most entertaining race of the cycle. I look foward to the rematch.

Given that the Lt. Gov, Beverly Perdue (D) pretty much has the Dem nomination if she wants it, I actually see this race as Dem-leaning.Mike Easley's popularity will help the Dem nominee int he general. Considering Liz Dole is not runnning for Governor, there is no obvious challenger on the republican side.

[RBH]

Delaware: Is Carney a candidate?

Indiana: Close race

Missouri: If Nixon is competant, he wins

Montana: Schweitzer by 40

North Carolina: Should be as close as Easley's two candidacies.

New Hampshire: Lynch by 50

North Dakota: Hoeven might just retire. Either way, Republicans hold.

Utah: Huntsman by 50

Vermont: Douglas by 10, if he stays. Dem pickup if he leaves.

Washington: Gregiore by 8

West Virginia: Manchin by 50

[JSojourner]

Gregoire will be a real fierce fight -- even if Rossi doesn't run. 

Watch Indiana, too.  Right now, Mitch Daniels is tremendously unpopular...and in a state as Republican as mine, that's hard to feature.  However, two years is a long time and unless Tim Roemer or Joe Kernan run, I don't think Daniels will be in much danger. 

(Unless, of course, he continues to piss off  Democrats with his attacks on workers and the environment and conservative Republicans with his bizarre budget ideas and taxes.)

And from what I heard, a Rick Perry-style land grab with toll roads and crap.

Let's hope we don't get two crazy Indies here so we can avoid Mitch becoming another "Governor 39%" in a solid red state.

LOL, Tex!  The toll road sale definitely has Hoosiers hopping mad.  It didn't bother me as much as some others, and it was a super-gutsy move.  Still, toll road workers get the shaft...toll road safety and maintenance is likely to decline and now and Spanish-Italian conglomerate owns it.  On the upside, Daniels is taking the cash from the sale and distributing it to numerous Republican-friendly communities across the state.  I am not sure how much loot northwest Indiana is realizing from the deal.

Daniels also sold off the state developmental centers, where profoundly retarded individuals are cared for.  They weren't the best, but some have closed and others are even worse.

But perhaps his biggest faux pas has involved BMV license branches.  Every attempt he has made to improve them has angered and frustrated Hoosier motorists. He closed a lot of the branches in communities where they were most acutely needed...new computers have managed to bollocks matters even further...and now he has accepted the resignation of the BMV chief. 

While the toll road sale got the most attention, I think Indiana voters were pretty pissed about the long BMV lines.  The last time they were this bad was under Bob Orr, our last Republican Governor.  Evan Bayh straightened them out.  They had declined since then, but Daniels' solution was overkill.

[bgwah]

Washington will only be competitive if Rossi runs again.

On the other hand, I don't know anyone who voted for Gregoire who wouldn't do so again. I'm not sure the Libertarian Party will even be on the ballot now that they've lost major party status (though I'm sure they'll manage...) so no anti-war lesbian Libertarian on the ballot could help Gregoire.

Her approval ratings have slowly but steadily improved, with this month being 52-42 approve, her best yet. Most, except for (R)epulsive hacks will agree she has been a good Governor.

The Washington Democratic Party made massive gains in the state legislature, solidifying their marorities in the both houses.

Right now, considering the 2004 election started her with immediate unpopularity, I think things look good for Gregoire.

[ottermax]

Washington will only be competitive if Rossi runs again.

On the other hand, I don't know anyone who voted for Gregoire who wouldn't do so again. I'm not sure the Libertarian Party will even be on the ballot now that they've lost major party status (though I'm sure they'll manage...) so no anti-war lesbian Libertarian on the ballot could help Gregoire.

Her approval ratings have slowly but steadily improved, with this month being 52-42 approve, her best yet. Most, except for (R)epulsive hacks will agree she has been a good Governor.

The Washington Democratic Party made massive gains in the state legislature, solidifying their marorities in the both houses.

Right now, considering the 2004 election started her with immediate unpopularity, I think things look good for Gregoire.

Completely agree.

The only question is whether Washingtonians will want Democrats to still hold the office of the Governor after 24 years.

[WalterMitty]

in north carolina, state treasurer richard moore and lt. governor beverly purdue will compete for the democrat nomination.  that has the potential to be a pretty nasty race.

democrats are going to encourage moore to run for the us senate in 08.  i doubt he will, unless dole retires.

on the republican side, patrick ballantine will run again and be the frontrunner in the republican primary fight.

[DownWithTheLeft]

Missouri: Blunt is going down.

Don't worry he'll win and then you now how I feel being stuck w/3 idiots heading my state

[DownWithTheLeft]

Missouri: Blunt is going down.

Don't worry he'll win and then you now how I feel being stuck w/3 idiots heading my state

No he will not win.  Missouri already ousted another extremely unpopular governor, Bob Holden, even if it was in the primary, and he got replaced by another unpopular. So we will likely replace Blunt with another unpopular governor, unless Nixon wins.

Historically Republican Suburbs of Chesterfield, St. Charles, and St. Peters really hate Matt Blunt.

Yes, I know he did warn voters that if he was elected he would cut health care, and they elected him, and he did, and now these outer-st. louis suburbanites are whining and moaning about him.  It has been non stop whining and moaning about him since he was elected. Similar to Bob Holden.

We are due for a popular governor. The past six years of Holden and Blunt have been awful.

Guess what?  The years of Corzine, McGreevey, Menendez, Lautenberg, Torricelli, Golan Cipel have sucked and we keep voting them in